Kevin Vogelsang

To add a little more clarity to what complexity is:  complexity is not “complicatedness.”

Complexity is intricate, but it is not convoluted.

-Kevin
3.6.2010

Both are important.  They are the two sides of elegance.

We tend to push simplicity: “all things should be as simple as they can be.”  And this is probably best.  It’s harder to mess up simple things.  Think about architecture.  It’s hard to go wrong with columns and arches and domes (assuming they are constructed properly).  But, ultimately, it’s about elegance, not simplicity.

Very few people are skilled enough in an art to highlight complexity.  But, it exists and it’s part of the world.

It’s also beautiful.

-Kevin
3.5.2010

UPDATE:  The anticipated publishing date of the book is 3.15.2010.  If you’d like to pre-order a copy send an email to KVogelsang11*at*gmail.com.

Being surrounded by good people is a blessing.

Persona: a "social mask"

I’ve met a lot of people in my short life.  Many of these people have been very successful.  They owe much of their success to their strong and magnetic personalities.

“Personality” is a complex thing.  And on the surface, our personality not only “changes” over time, but it also changes depending on context.  We shift gears according to our environment: we’re very different at work or with our college buddies or in front of a crowd.  Moreover, we’re not necessarily conscious of these shifts.  Our personality seems to have many faces.  These many different faces are called personas.

Personas are shared beetween people; you’ll find certain personas in more than one place.  This shouldn’t come as a surprise.  A persona is simply a cohesive package of behaviors.  And people certainly “rub off” on each other.

I find this deeply intriguing.  And over the years, as I’ve watched people, I started noticing patterns in these personas.  Specifically, I found certain personas to be especially powerful.

In my book, I highlight 10 powerful personas, personas that really stand for something and enable people to do great things. Here’s a few:

• The Artist
• The Cocky SOB
• The Helping Hand
• The Man in the Arena

I highlight these personas with a purpose, not merely for the sake of exploration.  If we learn to recognize these personas in other people, we’re more likely to be influenced by them, and therefore more likely to spread their valuable characteristics. This is a very good thing.

I’ll be announcing the release date soon–stay tuned.  Follow me on Twitter (@KevinVogelsang) for updates.

I hope you’ll check it out.  To date, this will be the most important thing I’ve done.

-Kevin
2.3.2010

All people must have or find a “sphere of influence.”

Our sphere of influence is a realm in which we are a mover, a high impact player, the X factor.  Within our sphere of influence, we matter…a lot.

This sphere may be large or small.  It may be easy or hard to find.  It could be a role within our community.   It could be within our family. It could be on a sports team.  It could be within lines of code.  It could be our garden.  It could be the entire world.

The most important thing is that we find it.  We need to find it for ourselves and for everyone else.  Our energy needs to be directed somewhere where it matters.

-Kevin
2.2.2010

As the hardware for reading ebooks improves, eBooks will continue to be adopted. 

But, there’s one thing that eBooks don’t do: they don’t visibly sit on a shelf.

Books aren’t just for reading.  They express something about us.  A book on our shelf represents something we see (or want to see) in ourselves.

They’re also like trophies.  You can’t walk into my house and see all the eBooks I’ve conquered.  You can’t appreciate the grandeur of an eBook library.

eBooks are much more cost effective way of publishing and distributing content.  But, I still think people will continue to buy physical books for a long time.  But, they’ll likely become more of a luxury good.

Today, Apple announced it’s new tablet device–the iPad. They also announced iBooks, the iPad’s application/platform for ebooks.  Interestingly enough, Apple was smart enough to try and replicate the feeling of a book sitting on a shelf.  The idea of putting eBooks on a shelf is much more provocative than adding them to a list of text.

-Kevin
1.27.2009

Yesterday, I wrote a post about the surprising significance of the tools we use to accomplish a given task.

Bryan Hernandez wrote this comment:

I started to reply, but then I realized I had a lot to say.  People that take something seriously tend to have a very precise routine and have particular requirements for the way they go about their business: football players wear their pads a certain way, programmers may listen to certain music when they code, basketball players lace their shoes up precisely, and so on.  Especially when performance is desired, people pay close attention to the intricacies of their craft.

So how do I write?

My primary weapon is  a 5×8 Moleskine sketchbook. Hardbound to keep the pages flat.  Thick pages to keep my pen from indenting the following pages.  Elastic strap to keep it closed.  No lines because I do sketches it it as well.

I used to try and use regular, spiral bound notebooks.   That didn’t work. I didn’t keep track of where I put them. Pages got ripped out and bent.  Pages got messed up from writing on the pages on top of them (which is surprisingly annoying.) Because of these things, I didn’t write often.  A regular notebook just wasn’t special, so it felt like my writing wasn’t particularly special.    If you value something, you have to treat it right.

The 5×8 size is versatile size.    Putting little notes doesn’t look awkward–it seems right. But, it’s not a problem to write something longer.  It feels good to fill up some pages sometime.

It also doesn’t take up much space, so I can keep it right on my desk next to my computer mouse.  When an idea comes to me or I have an epiphany, I can quickly and easily write it down and get it out of my head before I forget it, and more importantly, before it distracts me any further.

My 2nd weapon is my pen. I use a Pilot G-2 pen (black, blue looks gaudy).  It makes my handwriting look a little wiser, and it glides along the paper quickly.  You need to be able to write quickly when the thoughts are coming.  Otherwise you’re wasting moments of inspiration, you will more quickly lose momentum.  You certainly won’t be able to get into a state of flow.

I don’t like using a word processor to get rolling.  It’s weird, it makes me feel less like a writer.  I just can’t get my “game face” on.

My 3rd weapon is this blog.  Blogging imbibes the words with an added purpose: you’re talking to someone.  There’s an audience out there conversing with you .  Additionally, talking to someone, talking through a concept, forces us to think and speak with even greater clarity.  And conversing by the written word takes this clarity to new heights–you can talk without thinking, but you can’t write without thinking.

-Kevin
1.27.2010

Over the past week or so I’ve written about why it’s important to find your passion and gain expertise.

Blogging can help you with these, and more.

Blogging is an awesome thing.

If you blog consistently, you’ll blog about what’s on your mind.  And soon enough, you will realize what’s on your mind and what you want to share.  This says a lot about you.

You’ll talk about things you know.  People will challenge you and ask you questions.  This will cause you to learn more.

People will learn from you.  People will appreciate your experience and the shared experiences between you.

People will also learn about you.  It’s strange how little we know about what is on each other’s minds and what our interests are, even our close friends that live next door to us.  Our minds are in a constant state of flux.  It’s hard to keep up with.  (Ever written something and looked back at it even a few months later?  It almost always gets the response, “Did I write that?  What was I thinking?”)

Blogging gives you an audience to write to.  Writing to people will require you to write clearly, and consequently, think more clearly.  Therefore, you’ll learn from writing.  One of my primary motivators to write is just to figure things out.  When I start writing about a topic, it leads me to unexpected ideas and conclusions.

It’ll also help you stay in touch with others and help them stay in touch with you.  You’re constantly offer people something to talk about with you.

Lastly, when someone writes a comment, or just visits your page,  they provide you with positive feedback.  Your work has been noticed.  As you see your number of visitors slowly increase, you’ll want to keep doing it.  Like running, once you get in shape, once you get in a groove, you won’t want to give it up.

Starting a blog is easy. Just go to Wordpress.com .

-Kevin
1.22.10

In my previous post, I shared a few thoughts on good writing. I realized I forgot the most important element of good writing:  Voice.

“Voice” reflects the character of the messenger, and the character of the messenger needs to match the content.  “The messenger is the message.”

We encounter the importance and effectiveness of Voice all the time.  For instance, a given statement is much funnier when said by a funny person.  The reasons why are very difficult to put a finger on.

Creating the right “Voice” requires a masterful use of the right language. It requires the writer to wield the most subtle aspects of communication.   But more than that, it also requires the writer to build a relationship with the  reader.

The most difficult aspect of Voice is consistency.  The writer really has to step into the character of the messenger for the entirety of the work.  If there’s a deviation, there needs to be a clear reason.  The reader will notice the chance and will expect it to mean something.  If it doesn’t, they’ll be left confused.

Let me know your thoughts on good writing.

-Kevin
1.14.2009

To be a good writer, it’s good to think about writing.  And to think clearly, it’s good to write.  This works so well that I often write just to figure things out. (I’m partially doing that now.)

Skimming is the art of consuming text on the web, and not because we have so much we want to get to, but because we have so much to avoid; most writing is muck and fluff.

Writing is a great thing.  Everyone should do it.  Consequently, everyone should think about what makes good writing.

A few thoughts on good writing to remember:

A writer is a diamond cutter.  The writer’s job is to slice away meaningless and distracting material, and leaves behind hard-edged, crystalline thought. This doesn’t mean writing must be plain, it does mean you’ll want to look at it.

Good writing delivers insight.  (But what if the writer’s only goal is to convey information?  With lack of insight, they won’t deliver the right information.)

Good writing is conversational.

Good writing has a bit of a bite to it.  It’s so evocative that it stings.

Good writing should be clear, in contradistinction to simple.  Indeed, most of the time writing should be simple, easy to understand, so the reader can glide along, propelled by the words.  The reader needs to feel they’re going somewhere.  However, the writer should also inject the right dose of complexity: too much and the reader stumbles and eventually comes to a halt and their mind stagnates, too little and the reader leaves without sensation. “I could’ve thought of that”, “interesting, but trivial,”they say to themselves.  They’ll quickly move on and lose the chance to contemplate something important.

A swift jab of complexity reminds the reader that the thought possesses complexity and is truly awe-inspiring; the reader must take a moment to wrap their mind around it.  Beautiful things possess both elegant simplicity and complexity.  Clarity requires we illuminate each, or we lose the full meaning.

One last thought: grammar is only a set of rules meant to enhance clarity. Nothing more.

-Kevin
1.5.2010

I’m working on a book right now.  It’s fairly short, but it’s taking much longer than I had anticipated. Most of the content is there, but as usual, the devil is in the details.  Good writing is crisp, clear, and compelling;  there’s always something to tighten up and improve.    (It’s currently over 11,000 words.  No wonder longer works take years to write.)

But the Truth is, any work of art, any thing we create , is very personal–it represents us.  And it’s never perfect, and we could spend an infinite amount of time on it.  I didn’t fully realize this until my first startup expedition.

For this reason, Ayn Rand, as well as other authors, considered using a pseudonym for her books.  She knew it would always have shortcomings.  She wrote some of the most epic novels of the century.

The strategy most product-related artists take is to push the work out the door as soon as possible and fix it later.  This strategy puts pressure on the artist to improve it as soon as possible (you don’t want something subpar out there) and allows you to start getting thoughts and feedback to improve (or to learn from in your next work.)

Anyone out there that makes stuff have any thoughts on getting a creation out the door?  or deciding when it’s finished?

-Kevin
12.29.2009