Multi-modal

Hey friends 👋,

Ryan Holiday, the prolific author of the Stoic Virtue series, has written a book a year for nearly ten years. When asked how he does it, he answered by quoting Stephen Covey's The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People:

The main thing is keeping the main thing the main thing.

Limit distractions. Say no to most opportunities. Focus on the work.

I am extremely bad at taking this advice.

My "main thing" is meant to be writing. But over the past month, I've been dabbling in other projects. I'm designing furniture, working on a few website ideas, getting ready to do another bulk apparel drop, and rehearsing to do some song leading at our local No Kings Day protest.

Are these distractions? Productive procrastinations? Maybe?

Maybe I'm a renaissance man. Maybe I have ADHD. Regardless, I just like to do a lot of different things. I enjoy having a lot of irons in the fire. I like being a maker who can express themselves in multiple mediums.

And I'm tired of felling guilty and ashamed that this is who I am.

It feels deeply unfair to me that right now, every AI company is so focused on making machines "multi-modal" – capable of tackling a variety of challenges through a variety of methods and mediums – and we, the humans, are constantly being pushed to specialize, focus, and put all of our energy into becoming experts.

I think we have it backwards. The reason all of the AI tech enthusiasts are obsessed with these models becoming multi-modal is strictly because this is a very special human ability.

Dabbling is a feature, not a bug.

We shouldn't resist the temptation to try new things, be beginners, and step outside our comfort zones. We should praise ourselves and others when we listen to that instinct.

I don't know if I'm meant to "keep the main thing the main thing". Or maybe my main thing is just having a lot of things?

Regardless, I think the machines should be resigned to stay in their lane and we should feel free to follow our curiosity.

In a world increasingly full of useless distractions, I think it's okay to pursue the useful, creative ones that call out to us and make us excited to be alive.

Until next time,
Drew