For me the point is to learn to fully cooperate with what is authentic to me, and that may or may not align with someone else's agenda, but it doesn't matter. If I'm cooperating with my own voice, it's a right direction, and one that may or may not produce money, but it always produces immense profit to follow that inner resonance. There are many kinds of profit other than money. I see many artists adopting the artist branding of being uncooperative, or edgy, or non-conformist, but that's just trading one false mask for another. I'm in agreement that you can immediately feel it when a human is sharing art from an authentic impulse or just reading from a script that's been handed to them.
Absolutely resonate with your perspective! The true wealth is in aligning with your authentic voice (and your own agenda), and you're right—there's a richness beyond money in following that inner resonance. Genuine art speaks for itself, and authenticity transcends any prescribed script. Thank you, Rick! (Looking forward to speaking later :)
As you already know, we share the same view on what success is: we don't know or we can't measure it because we're sure money is not the right way to state if one is successful or not. It's just a number in the end.
Your words, especially when you talk about writing, led me to think about style (you call it voice, but I think we mean the same thing). I heard John Mayer say something seemingly counterintuitive and that is that by imitating the style of other artists he had found his voice. Not because he had succeeded in doing so (which, knowing his qualities, is perfectly plausible) but in the sense that the gap between failing and succeeding gave him the measure of his style. He stood exactly between the artist he imitated and the artist he failed to imitate. Strange way to find one's own voice but I understand it perfectly.
Finally, again on writing: an interview by our beloved David Perrel with Chamath Palihapitiya revealed to me a use of writing I had never thought of: Palihapitiya says that when he has to say something very serious that he cannot say either to an audience or to a person, he writes it down. And then he deletes it. It is not only a matter of writing something serious and heavy but also of erasing it, that is, of being able to master it, after getting it out of his head. Good advice.
And further elaborating on your comment, I'll say this: seeking your voice doesn't mean that you have to ignore everything else, that everything else is noise. To me, it's a process of absorption by osmosis that takes place by reading a lot. We know it's there, inside us, somewhere. It just needs to find the right conduit to emerge. But having this type of awareness is crucial. Thank you for being here, Martino, and for that Chamath anecdote. So interesting. :)
A quick thought on this point: "But amidst this being-fucked-ness, I might choose to believe that things born out of sheer passion will naturally evolve commercially."
Okay but! isn't this belief still inherently against the idea of not doing something with money in mind? It's like when people say they're going to stop looking for love, but they "stop" looking for it it while having the notion of finding love because they stopped, in the back of their mind, so they're not really not looking for love.
Well, we can go into as many iteration of this as we want. I guess they key term that I put in my phrase there is "naturally", which, in my mind, doesn't imply that I was thinking about money at all in the first place. Make sense? But you made me think, Sandra. Damn! Thanks for being here! :)
What a great ending Silvio, definitely food for thought, just saved that quote.
Loved how you mixed these topics you've brought up often: money, success, voice. Always think of you with the latter, and it's so true what you say. For now, let's keep on NOT bringing in money to the equation, as long as we can, and see what happens.
I’m so glad I’m making time for reading again, especially when you’re bringing outside what’s inside you and, through that, liberating your vision. I love the idea of success and you posed a good question, “What else would we measure success by, other than money?”
I see the downsides of the classic “success = money” approach with my clients. I also have the joy of helping them create success that feels worth it. Often the outcome is that the money is still there, it’s still part of the equation. But - to draw from Joni Mitchell - it’s the willingness, as it is for the art of writing, to turn inwards, rummage around and to evoke one’s own talent.
What have I noticed so far as the things that create that kind of success? Focusing on how we show up in the world and live. What we pay attention to. How much we live to our values. The ways in which we draw on our strengths to move through the world.
There are no doubt many more, but I think when we’re able to sprinkle these things whilst making money, that’s a good indicator of success that feels worth it.
Absolutely agree, Eric! It's a powerful shift when success is measured by how authentically we live, align with our values, and draw on our strengths. Finding worth and joy in the process enriches the outcome. Thank you for these words and thoughtful reflection!
...not sure why but this made me think of crypto and the dystopian reality that even those who are seeking to fight the current ills of money are just recreating it as their own means to an end...money makes us all casinos and i'm missing my pit boss (but not my pit scent)...great read silvio thank you...
Lol, CansaFis! Thank you for reading. Yes, the project of abandoning money inevitably brings crypto to mind, which promises to eliminate many of the pitfalls. But it's still a currency one way or the other: something we will want more and more of. (Love the pit pun :))
For me the point is to learn to fully cooperate with what is authentic to me, and that may or may not align with someone else's agenda, but it doesn't matter. If I'm cooperating with my own voice, it's a right direction, and one that may or may not produce money, but it always produces immense profit to follow that inner resonance. There are many kinds of profit other than money. I see many artists adopting the artist branding of being uncooperative, or edgy, or non-conformist, but that's just trading one false mask for another. I'm in agreement that you can immediately feel it when a human is sharing art from an authentic impulse or just reading from a script that's been handed to them.
Absolutely resonate with your perspective! The true wealth is in aligning with your authentic voice (and your own agenda), and you're right—there's a richness beyond money in following that inner resonance. Genuine art speaks for itself, and authenticity transcends any prescribed script. Thank you, Rick! (Looking forward to speaking later :)
me too!
I stick around because, regardless of what you write about, I love your voice and I leave the essay feeling better than when I opened it.
Hope you’re well, Silvio :)
Thank you, Tommy. These words mean a lot. And it's always a pleasure to see you stopping by. :)
As you already know, we share the same view on what success is: we don't know or we can't measure it because we're sure money is not the right way to state if one is successful or not. It's just a number in the end.
Your words, especially when you talk about writing, led me to think about style (you call it voice, but I think we mean the same thing). I heard John Mayer say something seemingly counterintuitive and that is that by imitating the style of other artists he had found his voice. Not because he had succeeded in doing so (which, knowing his qualities, is perfectly plausible) but in the sense that the gap between failing and succeeding gave him the measure of his style. He stood exactly between the artist he imitated and the artist he failed to imitate. Strange way to find one's own voice but I understand it perfectly.
Finally, again on writing: an interview by our beloved David Perrel with Chamath Palihapitiya revealed to me a use of writing I had never thought of: Palihapitiya says that when he has to say something very serious that he cannot say either to an audience or to a person, he writes it down. And then he deletes it. It is not only a matter of writing something serious and heavy but also of erasing it, that is, of being able to master it, after getting it out of his head. Good advice.
And further elaborating on your comment, I'll say this: seeking your voice doesn't mean that you have to ignore everything else, that everything else is noise. To me, it's a process of absorption by osmosis that takes place by reading a lot. We know it's there, inside us, somewhere. It just needs to find the right conduit to emerge. But having this type of awareness is crucial. Thank you for being here, Martino, and for that Chamath anecdote. So interesting. :)
A quick thought on this point: "But amidst this being-fucked-ness, I might choose to believe that things born out of sheer passion will naturally evolve commercially."
Okay but! isn't this belief still inherently against the idea of not doing something with money in mind? It's like when people say they're going to stop looking for love, but they "stop" looking for it it while having the notion of finding love because they stopped, in the back of their mind, so they're not really not looking for love.
🧐
Well, we can go into as many iteration of this as we want. I guess they key term that I put in my phrase there is "naturally", which, in my mind, doesn't imply that I was thinking about money at all in the first place. Make sense? But you made me think, Sandra. Damn! Thanks for being here! :)
What a great ending Silvio, definitely food for thought, just saved that quote.
Loved how you mixed these topics you've brought up often: money, success, voice. Always think of you with the latter, and it's so true what you say. For now, let's keep on NOT bringing in money to the equation, as long as we can, and see what happens.
Thank you, Oscar! And yes, let's keep the money out for now. We'll let it in when it knocks on the door lol :)
I’m so glad I’m making time for reading again, especially when you’re bringing outside what’s inside you and, through that, liberating your vision. I love the idea of success and you posed a good question, “What else would we measure success by, other than money?”
I see the downsides of the classic “success = money” approach with my clients. I also have the joy of helping them create success that feels worth it. Often the outcome is that the money is still there, it’s still part of the equation. But - to draw from Joni Mitchell - it’s the willingness, as it is for the art of writing, to turn inwards, rummage around and to evoke one’s own talent.
What have I noticed so far as the things that create that kind of success? Focusing on how we show up in the world and live. What we pay attention to. How much we live to our values. The ways in which we draw on our strengths to move through the world.
There are no doubt many more, but I think when we’re able to sprinkle these things whilst making money, that’s a good indicator of success that feels worth it.
Absolutely agree, Eric! It's a powerful shift when success is measured by how authentically we live, align with our values, and draw on our strengths. Finding worth and joy in the process enriches the outcome. Thank you for these words and thoughtful reflection!
...not sure why but this made me think of crypto and the dystopian reality that even those who are seeking to fight the current ills of money are just recreating it as their own means to an end...money makes us all casinos and i'm missing my pit boss (but not my pit scent)...great read silvio thank you...
Lol, CansaFis! Thank you for reading. Yes, the project of abandoning money inevitably brings crypto to mind, which promises to eliminate many of the pitfalls. But it's still a currency one way or the other: something we will want more and more of. (Love the pit pun :))