Side 21, Track 103

A body of work is a timeline that amasses ideas turned into reality. It's composed of many points on a line. Thinking about it as a mosaic works too. In either case, we have a lot coming together to create the whole.

The thing about Side 21, Track 103 is that it's just another point on the line. It has a great guitar riff, thoughtful lyrics, and Questlove's iconic piccolo snare, but the weight we give it is about us, how it lands, and what we hear.

The Roots released 102 songs first. What they created throughout those tracks made 103 what it came to be.

When it comes to ourselves, we should forgive the songs we're critical of, celebrate the hit singles, and think about how the next track we make can most benefit from who we've been.

Democracy of tools

Don't let people tell you that democracy of tools is a bad thing. More people having access to the resources that allow them to create is unequivocally good. This applies to agriculture, websites, and everything in between. Whether a machine supplants a plow or Squarespace supplants coding, anyone who says that democracy of tools is a bad thing is merely protecting what they perceive as their real estate.

They don't want more of us to be able to make things with better, more democratic tools, because it erodes their status & price point.

Don't get salty that a 12 year old with an internet connection in Bangladesh can build his own website, celebrate the next flattening of the earth through access.

More access means we're closer to better solutions, and that fact should help us all continue to learn and diversify our skills.

The future is decidedly against protectionism. Deride the future at your own peril.

In the way of good

In looking back, revelations that have improved the way I work were always the result of having tested something inferior before that. Rarely do we jump into the game (whatever game it is) and hit a crescendo from the outset. People who can do that are the .0001 percent, and we should probably be more forgiving with ourselves when it comes finding better, more efficient ways of doing the work we do.

Good is how we get closer to perfect, and we won't know what should be tweaked unless we run experiments. Impact, productivity, and enjoyment are the direct result of solving, launching, & iterating.

Let's not be overly precious about the things we're building.

Let's not let perfect get in the way of good... because perfect isn't the goal. Better, is.

Half of our population lives in 146 counties

It's incredible how much social dynamics help to create perceptions of reality. And social dynamics are informed by everything from coincidence to geography. In Europe at present, everyone lives way too close to one another to build up false and irrational views of their neighbors. Sure there are slums outside Paris and stark divisions between ethnic groups in countries like Spain or Greece, but in the United States, half of our population lives in 146 counties tightly clustered together around America's largest cities.

Those numbers prove that the red state v blue state divide is much starker than we might have ever realized.

It shows us that half of all U.S. citizens almost never experience people outside their racial, ethnic, or cultural perspective, and when we do, it's rarely socially.

I've always thought that access to different people, places, & experiences was the most direct route to understanding.

This information makes that undeniable.

Pole position (a reminder)

The one thing in which we have utter pole position is being ourselves. No one else is Evan La Ruffa, just like no one else is you. So why not fully embrace our greatest differentiator?

As someone managing a nonprofit & working on various other projects, there are always a lot of variables.

Things changing shape and size, shooting star projects that end quickly, waiting for approvals or funding, artists to wrangle, and all sorts of varying timelines, quantities, & plans.

Within that, I often experience utter confidence and extreme doubt. Sometimes in the same day.

The question at the top of this piece isn't about an open platitude, it's about processing the day to day in a way that hopefully yields insight and camaraderie for all of us.

Managing the uncertainty is about knowing that betting on ourselves makes a lot more sense when we're showing our true colors & thinking strategically.

Pole position + working smarter = what's up.

(a reminder)

Time saved multipled by the number of times we save it

Every time we create a better system for doing what we do, we save time exponentially. It's not just about the one hack that saved 20 minutes when we didn't have a second to spare, it's about what systems can do for future efficiency. All of a sudden, one solution multiplies time saved by the number of times you save it.

Ts = time saved, TsF = time saved in future.

The equation is... Ts x # of TsF = X (total efficiency)

Now we're talking about total efficiency continuously expanding because of one solution or system.

If we've solved a problem once, why put ourselves in a position to have to solve it again? Whether email templates, chrome extensions, lists, workflows, calendars, or anything else, we have a lot to gain by eliminating wasted movement.

If you've come across any systems, solutions, apps, or anything else that has limited the need to solve for an issue again, please, hit reply and let me know about it!

I'll get us started with one...

Over the past few years I've become a huge fan of Boomerang for Gmail. It allows you to schedule emails as well as have them 'boomerang' back to your inbox after a designated period of time. Instead of juggling who you need to follow up with in your head, Boomerang does it for you.

Biggie Stardust

I love when ideas, people, or art bounce out of their category and co-mingle with something just as timeless & beautiful from a completely different category. When I was walking around at the Renegade Craft Fair a few weeks ago, I saw Biggie Stardust and had to have it. (Is that freakin' awesome or what?!)

Both comforted by a palette that would put these two geniuses together and impressed by the illustration itself, I've been thinking more about the energy of curating differences as opposed to similarities. The subject or style might not be the same but perhaps there's a philosophy, approach, or vibe that aligns seemingly odd pairs.

Maybe we should be looking for similarities beneath the surface.

Maybe you'll help me find them.

7 people doing cool shit

These people are all charting new territory. They show their colors, differentiate, embrace their unique perspective, and build cool shit that satisfies their thirst for life while making incredibly important contributions to the world.

You should know who these people are. Ev-approved.

AJ & Melissa Leon - these two are the badass couple behind Misfit Inc., the 'professional troublemakers.' I was familiar with their work before meeting them a year or so ago, and am constantly inspired by their ambition, dedication, and focus on social issues, equal access, and creative models for everything from community development to software. They do it all... at an incredibly high level.

Levi Baer - this guy is a dynamo. An educator, a speaker, a game maker & a dude who keeps your entire orbit more positive & potent. I'm lucky to collaborate with him regularly and am so thrilled about the ways he engages his students, friends, and colleagues in raising our collective game by communicating & building more collaboratively & openly.

Kamilah Rashied - she's a quadruple threat. A curator, community builder, a SHero, and an activist, it's been my pleasure to get to know this incredibly talented woman over the past few months. She's helping the Art Institute evolve their Community Outreach in the most incredible of ways, and her dedication to art, Chicago, and the way we collectively weave the two together is truly inspiring.

Chad Little & Leonard Hollander  - the dudes behind Arbor Projects, the restaurant, cafe, and bar located next to IPaintMyMind Gallery in the Green Exchange building. Their creativity and love for all things culinary keeps their space and offerings continually full of experimentation, innovation, and most importantly, amazing flavors.

Jeffrey Davis - a poet, a creative businessman and the head honcho of Tracking Wonder which helps authors brand & launch their books, Jeffrey is one of the most heart-centered, gracious, creative, and intelligent people I have ever known. I've known him for 3 years now after meeting at Camp GLP and it's always a blast to see him every summer & pick up a bit of his juju.

If you're ever in touch, let them know that I think they're awesome.

I'll live forever now

Directions:

1. Click this link and press play in the Youtube video that appears.
2. Then, come back to this page and read the first paragraph of lyrics while listening to the song.

'Miss Nina Simone, Jimmy Jones Missy Elliot musically were my relatives Never forget my Andre Papi mi casa es su casa Baby I made an entrée Maybe I make your moms plate Maybe we not gon' sleep tonight In the night you and I laugh about how you Gemini Already fried the chicken But leftovers was my inner thigh Nah I'm lying, I'm just playing You can read this book with me I'm trying to re-imagine abracadabra for poverty Like poof I made it disappear Proof I'm made of happiness Everything is everything But I still haven't paid my rent Ugly is ugly So molly makes me joyful now When I get down, I'm already up Molly the water, I keep the drink in the cup My druggy is druggy we just some kids out of luck Ooooh they ain't tryna' see me shine my shine A bullet on my time, my time Fuck it, I'll live forever now'

As a society, what experiences do we inherently validate? Even more importantly, what experiences do we inherently invalidate?

Should we be judging the experience or the context that produced it?

Let's disagree

It's easy to curate consent in the digital age. Algorithms that batch & feed, the ability to unfollow "friends" on Facebook, and demographic grabbing advertisements that are all about how we label ourselves, and what we do or do not want to hear.

That goes from our latest purchase on Amazon to whatever political candidate currently causes us the most stress.

If we want to avoid anything contrary to our current belief, it's a fairly simple exercise. What's more, if we're looking for proof of something, we can surely find it.

I'm probably guilty of it as much as the next person, but it's given rise to a question about how to access information outside that which will merely confirm our biases. (It's also made me think of a digital property that could be the solution, but I better keep that to myself for now.)

One media outlet that helps me check myself is The Economist. It's always full of great information, supports a global citizen worldview, and gives plenty of insight into macroeconomic trends.

It's also hilariously biased in favor of free markets, is borderline unethical in their manipulation of graphs & tables, and can't help but lavishly romanticize capitalism of years past.

They've taken a stance and they're out to prove it.

All in, I know they're going to help me learn because I know how to decode the real info from the bullshit. I subscribe every other year, inevitably, because I need a break from the machinations of it all.

That said, I propose a resolution: when someone advocates for an idea contrary to our own (outside of racism, sexism, or any other -ism we have no lack of moral clarity on) lets invite them to tell us more, and ask them why, without condescension or sarcasm.

I don't expect us to do it every time we hear something that seems far out, but it's a good reminder for the certain, jaded, lummox in us all.

Even if that person doesn't satisfy our curiosity, it'll at least it give us a chance to listen and something new to research.

Let's gain more perspective. Let's disagree.

Getting data quickly

Recently I've thought a lot about getting data quickly and the massive advantage in doing that. It's about reducing the possible options to a more manageable number, and then being able to clearly discern a new way forward based on distilled information. I recently drove around Chicago to potential locations for IPaintMyMind's Shared Walls™ loaned art program. Instead of sending 4 emails to 6 locations over the course of 4 weeks, I was able to immediately eliminate three options in a single afternoon.

I reduced the time it took to figure out what locations were viable options from 4 weeks to 3 hrs.

Getting data quickly allows us to exponentially save time by efficiently discerning what we shouldn't be working on.

This article talks about getting big data quickly, so it's focused on the insights analytics provide us about our web traffic, but the same logic applies to any data set that helps us build or provide better solutions for our communities & customers.

How much more strategic impact can we affect if we're obtaining vital data 2x, 5x, or 10x faster?

That said, let's get our data fast, and soon.

Back at it + a question for you

You might have been surprised to get a newsletter from me recently after a two month hiatus. I've been pushing on a few projects that I'm excited to have made progress on (which I'll tell you about soon), but I'm also stoked to get back to sharing and exploring with all of you.

I've been writing despite the slow publishing, so I've got plenty of nuggets to share & questions to ask.

In the meantime, I have a question for you and I'd love it if you took a second to reply... but no sweat if nothing comes to mind.

What's the coolest, most edifying, or interesting article, story, or book you've read this summer? It can be about anything, from self-driving cars to a feature on synchronized swimming at the Rio Olympics! 

I'll get back to you soon and enjoy the end of summer!

Be kind, stay curious...

- Ev

P.s. If you like art, photography, travel, great coffee, insane food & smiles, I'd love it if you'd follow me on Instagram. I just got back from New York and a camping trip at Chain O Lakes near Antioch, IL, so there's plenty of street art and sunsets to peruse.

Problem solving and creativity

When we figure out new ways forward, we're being creative. The thing is, creativity isn't often associated with problem solving, and it should be. From a brass tacks perspective, how art fits into productivity, marketability, and business has been nebulous at best (if you're talking to your math professor). In fact, most of the time art's value is derided by those who don't think colors & numbers can mix.

But they can, and they do.

I'm not just talking about creative people earning a living designing, writing, & illustrating, or the fact that there are more working artists in 2016 than ever before...

I'm talking about the way most of us creatively problem solve every day. We do it with our children, at work, for the community groups we're a part of, or our neighbors.

Being creative is the ability to not only think outside the box, but to create new boxes and repeat the process.

If creative endeavors are how we breed a future full of problem solvers, doesn't it become obvious what we should be investing in?

Drastically upping our game

What I find wild about getting somewhere, is that it just gives us more work to do (if we're willing to accept the challenge of drastically upping our game.) Whether a new realization about strategy, to a philosophical breakthrough that brings us to a new place with something emotionally, trying to be better is a commitment.

It means:

A) Forgiving ourselves for not realizing our latest evolution until now.

B) That this will happen again, because moving from not knowing to knowing is a cycle, and

C) That exponential growth is only possible if we're open to it...

... and that being open to what we'd like to change about ourselves means getting the chance to do exactly that.

How processes help you create greater impact

Over the past year and a half, I've become obsessed with how IPaintMyMind does what it does. We're a small organization, so most of the time that translates to, how I do what I do. For every deliverable, event, piece of content, or communication, there's a process.

The question is, is that process on paper somewhere?

Creating a document that outlines every step in a process not only provides a way to communicate uniformly with team members, but it allows everyone involved to make those processes better. At IPaintMyMind, we've changed our processes constantly since first creating our Process & Procedure documents, and that's fine. In fact, they're supposed to change (if you've got your eye on the ball).

Most entrepreneurs hate to spend time mapping out these processes, but the fact is, doing so can increase impact, efficiency, and revenue significantly. Hell, I think we can all agree we'd like to be less scattered and more tactical.

It seems obvious, but it's hard to improve what we do when we don't know where we're at. Taking stock and recording processes is one of the better ways to streamline, save time, and kick butt.

After all, making greater impact is about refinement.

Thirsty for music?

One of my projects is writing editorial pieces for Mode Media, and I love it because I can write about anything I want. As a dude of many persuasions, it's an awesome way for me to not only comment on, but explore my areas of interest even more in-depth. My most recent piece is entitled 8 Albums Released in 2016 You Need to Stream Now.

If you're thirsty for new music, go get yourself some.

And in the inimitable words of the A Tribe Called Quest guide whose voice is featured at the beginning & end of various tracks on Midnight Marauders, 'keep bouncing.'

Dadness... & other wild reality shifts

On May 24th, 2016 at 2:32pm, Enzo Fox La Ruffa was born. In that moment, Lindsey and I became parents, and the axis of our world shifted. I mentioned to at least a few people in the lead-up to Enzo being born that I was excited to not be the focus of my ego's attention. Until now, sense of self had always only applied to me.

My autonomy, perspective, and purpose has shifted forever. If I was driven before, I really can't wait to see what I get into now. My life feels classified into two era's: pre-Enzo and The Era of Enzo.

It's amazing how a single event, person, realization, or shift can envelope an entire portion of our lives.

I'm excited to see what this chapter has in store.

The Diderot Effect

'The Diderot Effect states that obtaining a new possession often creates a spiral of consumption which leads you to acquire more new things. As a result, we end up buying things that our previous selves never needed to feel happy or fulfilled.' Interesting.

As a lover of good living, beautiful things, & unique experiences, I've often been tempted by the lust of wanting. It makes all the sense in the world to me that it's a slippery slope.

Diderot or not, it seems we have to choose at some point. Not only to keep the ship afloat, but also to manage why we want the things we want & to preserve the experience of joy.

People & experiences are always better than a purchase. I hope this influences us to invest wisely.

Write it down

It's not an idea until you write it down. You have to capture it. As someone who has self-identified as a writer for a long time, I sure haven't written things down enough.

Not that I haven't worked on diverse projects writing editorial and copy for all sorts of applications, I have. But there's also so much that has been sparked and gone undone because of a failure to write it down.

We can't turn ideas into things unless we activate them.

In the think, speak, do sequence, your pen is a pistola.

Celebrating emotion

In our culture, being emotional isn't nearly as valued as being logical. I've also found that saying someone "got emotional" is often used in a way that seems to reflect a lack of control, a weakness, or a vulnerability that is almost silly or worth pity. You all know me, so you know I go the other way on this issue.

When it comes to business or relationships, irrationality or blind adherence can get you in trouble. Miss the pattern because of emotion and it's hard to defend.

But what if being emotionally open helps you get the deal or genuinely connect with the person you're interacting with?

I think it always does.

"Getting emotional" isn't about over-expressing, gushing, divulging too much, or making one's self vulnerable, it's about creating a pathway for being able to see and communicate what is actually happening in a way that stimulates connection.

Saying what we mean, being fair, and opening up, is what emotion is all about.

I celebrate it.