Nothing is so real to me as the illusions I create with my painting. The rest is shifting sand.
— Eugène Delacroix
Grant, R. G., et al. Remarkable Diaries: The World’s Greatest Diaries, Journals, Notebooks, & Letters. United States, DK, 2020.
Category: interviews
-
-
I prompted Tyler Cowen’s new book GOAT to give me second half career advice from Adam Smith and Tyler Cowen. Below is what it served up:
Sure, thinking about the second half of one’s career through the lens of Adam Smith’s principles and Tyler Cowen’s interpretation, here are three valuable lessons:1. Embrace the Division of Labor and Specialization:
According to Adam Smith, the division of labor and subsequent specialization are the key to increased productivity and success. As you progress into the second half of your career, it’s important to further hone your skills and knowledge in your specific area of expertise. The market rewards depth of expertise, and by becoming the go-to person in a particular niche, you potentially increase your value. Tyler would likely nod to Smith’s emphasis on the division of labor to suggest focusing more intently on what you do best and where you can contribute the most value (reflecting on the “Wealth of Nations”).
2. Invest in Human Capital:
Smith recognized the importance of education and the formation of human capital. As you get deeper into your career, continuous learning and adaptation become even more crucial. The economic landscape, technologies, and best practices evolve, and it’s wise to stay intellectually curious and invest time in learning new skills that complement your experience. Tyler has often discussed the importance of human capital, both in his blog and his books, and he would agree it’s a critical component to thrive in the latter stages of a career.
3. Understand Market Dynamics and Change:
Adam Smith introduced the concept of the invisible hand, the idea that an individual’s pursuit of their own interests can benefit society as a whole. In the context of a career, it would mean looking for opportunities where your interests align with what the market needs. Tyler, being an advocate of understanding changes in market structures, might suggest being adaptive to market signals and adjusting your career strategies accordingly. Whether it’s a shift in industry demand, technological disruption, or changes in global economic patterns, being responsive and flexible can offer a competitive edge.These lessons are universal enough to be found implicitly in Smith’s writings, particularly in the “Wealth of Nations,” and they’re principles that Tyler Cowen would likely endorse, given his extensive work on economics and public choice theory. It’s about leveraging your accumulated experience while staying nimble and responsive to the world’s economic shifts—an interplay between Smith’s foundational ideas and Tyler’s contemporary economic analysis.
-
On the lessons of chess. Sport could apply here too. Any competitive activity really…
Rick Rubin: As you were progressing, as things were going good, as you were rising in whatever ranks there were, do you remember a big loss?
Tyler Cowen: Well, what I remember most, is I learned pretty early on. This was very important for me. Like first I learned I could win. Beat like grown adults. But more importantly I learned that I could lose. That there were people out there who were just better than I was. And even if sometimes I’d hold even because I had good work habits or I didn’t take drugs or drink, like they were just better. And a lot of smart young people don’t learn that until much later, and that they’re not sort of built to adjust for it. And I feel I was built to adjust for that very early on. So I always knew there would be smarter people than me out there, and to do well I would have to kind of have rituals and routines, where I would have a lot of compound learning, and just keep on doing those for many decades. And that I figured out when I was like twelve, thirteen because of chess. And that was just invaluable for me.
Excellent throughout. One of the best podcasts I’ve ever listened to. The tone of voice. The steady pace. Rick Rubin channeling his inner Tyler Cowen with ping-ping-ping questions. The range of topics, getting into Tyler’s childhood, his fascination with music, chess, global population, Rick asked questions of Tyler that haven’t been asked before. Wonderful.
Pair with the D.J. Tyler Cowen bonus episode.
-
A balanced outlook…
A film is something intimate like a letter, but it is also two hundred million old francs invested by different persons.
I don’t despise money, I just don’t love it, but the idea of making others lose it is unbearable to me.
I love my work enough to believe it interesting, not enough to believe it indispensable or beyond reproach.
– François TruffautHas any director ever articulated a more balanced outlook on film financing than Truffaut?
From: L’Avant-Scène Cinéma, December 14, 1971
Truffaut, François. Truffaut by Truffaut. New York: Harry N. Abrams Inc, 1985. pp129
-
With the pennant races rumbling on…
Ohtani as proof mythical men did exist:
Ohtani makes me believe that many of the stories of the heroes of old, of Greek myth, or Mesopotamian myth, Arab or African myth, or whatever myth, that such men did walk the earth
– David Bentley HartDamn. Some men have it all. Ohtani is baseball’s George Clooney.
And lets admit it. It’s annoying. He’s tall. And handsome. And suave. And you know, its just, he makes the rest of us feel just slightly less human.
– David Bentley HartAnd Ohtani’s underrated, but awe inspiring skill:
The thing that amazes me most when I’m watching him is not necessarily the massively soaring home runs, or the one hundred and one mile per hour fastball on the corner. It’s actually watching him run the bases, because he does it like a gazelle. He’s moving as fast as some of the fastest runners in the game, but he looks like he’s just taking long, easy, loping strides when he does it. He’ll steal without a slide half the time, because he doesn’t have to slide. He’s an amazing specimen. And happily plays the only game in the world worthy of his skills.
– David Bentley HartI echo that last statement. Once, I watched Ohtani stretch out a double and his helmet flew off while he was running. I couldn’t help but smile. I thought “man this guy is having fun”.
This excerpt begins at 12:40. Watch the interview in full from the C.S. Lewis foundation below.
-
How a volume of the Oxford English Dictionary lit the path…
The first time I visited Oliver Sacks on Wards Island northeast of Manhattan, I had mislaid the house number but knew the name of the street. It was evening, wintertime; the slightly sloping street was icy. I parked and tiptoed along the icy pavement looking into every lit-up home. None of the windows had curtains. Through one window I saw a man sprawled on a sofa with one of the hefty volumes of the OED propped on his chest. I knew that had to be him, and so it was. Our first subject was the dictionary; for him as well, it was the books of books.
– Werner HerzogThis passage alone is worth the hardback price of Herzog’s newest book; Every man for himself and God against all.
From: Herzog, Werner. Every Man for Himself and God Against All. New York: Penguin Press, 2023.
-
My work, come to think about it, does seem often to consist of filming scenes I’ve experienced myself that I want to bring back, scenes I’d like to live through and scenes I’d be afraid to live or relive. With that system, which is worth what it’s worth, once the theme is chosen, the script almost writes itself, and I don’t fuss too much over whatever significance comes out of it.
François TruffautFrom: Interview by Serge Daney, Jean Narboni, and Serge Toubiana, Cahiers du Cinéma, no. 316, October 1980
Truffaut, François. Truffaut by Truffaut. New York: Harry N. Abrams Inc, 1985.
-
In all my films there are people who send each other letters, a young girl who writes in her diary. Nor can I move from one place to another without a map. That is simply not done anymore, but it’s in my character: to leave even one person uninformed distresses me. The taste for writing has been pursuing me ever since I concerned myself as a critic with the form of the screenplay. I didn’t think I’d become a filmmaker, but rather, a scriptwriter.
François TruffautFrom: Interview by Anne de Gasperi, Le Quotidien de Paris, May 2, 1975
Truffaut, François. Truffaut by Truffaut. New York: Harry N. Abrams Inc, 1985.
-
“Money lost, film gained” – Werner Herzog
In the early days I made a living, but only just. I lived with very few possessions, most of which were the tools of my trade: an Arriflex camera, a car, a typewriter, a flatbed editing machine, a Nagra tape recorder. My material needs have always been limited. So long as I have a roof over my head, something to read and something to eat, all is fine. I own one pair of shoes, a single suit, and once I finish a book I pass it on to a friend. I’m just a man from the mountains who isn’t very interested in owning things.
What makes Herzog rich?
What makes me rich is that I’m welcomed almost everywhere. I can show up with my films and am offered hospitality, something you could never achieve on money alone.
And the struggle for true liberty:
I have struggled harder than you can imagine for true liberty, and today am privileged in the way a boss of a huge corporation ever will be. Hardly anyone in my profession is as free as I am.
You can open any page of A Guide for the Perplexed and unearth a gem.
Cronin, Paul. Werner Herzog – A Guide for the Perplexed. London: Faber & Faber, 2020. pp246
Floodlights and Goalposts 