The Mix Tape, Vol. 50
The Mix Tape, Vol. 50
A fun deep track deep-dive, wars of note, Gen X careers, and more
Welcome! This week, The Mix Tape reaches volume 50 and receives its AARP card.
I will make no other age-related jokes because frankly, they hit a little too close to home.
Deep track deep-dive
Glamour Profession, by Steely Dan
This was a fun article to write.
“Glamour Profession” is the third track from Steely Dan’s 1980 album “Gaucho,” an album so strafed by tragedy and delay some think its completion was a miracle.
In “Glamour Profession,” Steely Dan used its formidable powers of music, metaphor, and mockery to excoriate the Los Angeles drug scene of the late 1970s.
Who did Steely Dan sing about? What were they saying with their layered musical approach?
Find out in the remarkable story of “Glamour Profession.”
Writing with vulnerability
This week in my writing group, we discussed writing with vulnerability. Afterward, my friend Ritesh made this:
So cool.
Vulnerability —being open and honest about fears, failures, and other personal things INTPs like me try desperately not to talk about — is one way we connect with each other.
The same is true when we write. Vulnerable pieces can create greater connection to, and memorability for, the reader.
Jordan Harbinger shows us how to do vulnerability the right way:
The right reasons:
In short, to be ourselves, to create connection and rapport, to feel less isolated, and to own, explore and share all of the feelings and experiences that make us who we are. It’s the timeless stuff of friendship, self-expression and empathy.
The wrong reasons:
In short, any motivation that hinges on achieving something specific: to make people like us, to win someone’s sympathy, to paint ourselves as a hero/saint/victim/etc., or to get something from another person.
In short, as Ritesh said above: be vulnerable to order to express, not to impress.
Wars of note
Our brains overfloweth in this information economy. We need help both recalling that key quote from that awesome article we read, and also to get red peppers on our next Publix trip.
Note-taking apps are the answer. I’ve experimented with several lately:
Apple Notes: Simple and ubiquitous. My go-to for years, Apple Notes is always there when you need it. But functionality is limited because Apple Notes must be easy for anyone to use.
Bear Notes: This app has a beautiful interface, works great in iOS and on the Mac, and has a rich feature set. It’s also cheap: $15 a year for the pro version. With Bear, it’s easy to write, easy to clip articles to read later, and it syncs nicely in iCloud. BUT: it’s missing one killer feature …
Roam Research: This new app has generated a tsunami of support on Twitter. I can see why. Roam uses a flat “networked notes” approach, creating links between notes. This leads to unanticipated connections between ideas and articles in your notes. It’s a kind of automated “note serendipity,” connecting ideas in ways you wouldn’t otherwise see.
For writers, bidirectional notes will become a competitive advantage.
Software that helps you find unanticipated connections between ideas has to result in richer, more creative, and more interesting writing.
For that reason, I’m going with Roam and its $15/month price tag. For now.
What are you using? Let me know how it’s working for you.
The Generation X “portfolio career”
Brian Clark, on the job landscape for Gen X:
Given that Generation X is already at a point where ageist layoffs arise, job dissatisfaction is high, and disruptive automation technologies are coming even faster due to COVID-19, we may lead the charge away from traditional employment arrangements:
With stronger levels of dissatisfaction building before COVID-19, it is safe to assume that this crisis may push Gen-Xers, in particular, to steer their careers in a new direction. According to data from BMO Wealth Management, 50% of Gen-Xers who have portfolio careers cite “having autonomy and control” as a top motivator for self-employment—the highest of all generations.
Another way to think about a “portfolio career” is the personal enterprise. The term was coined in the book Unscaled by Hemant Taneja, and he means that the key to navigating the coming economy is to live an entrepreneurial life.
What will replace the corporate ladder for Gen X?
Personal networks
Proof-of-value (online writing!)
Balancing multiple unique projects
The career ladder moves from vertical to horizontal.
There are trade-offs. We give up the predictability and security of a job (Spoiler alert: job security isn’t actually a thing), but reduce overall risk by having multiple income sources and a wider network to find and share opportunities.
The future of work looks like a mix of opportunities, fueled by connection to, and in service of, a diverse network. You might even call that a “Mix Tape career.”
Write to figure out what you think
I’m reticent to speak unless I already know what I think. This characteristic carried over to my writing: I needed to know what I wanted to write before I wrote it.
Wrong approach. Peter Drucker explains:
Start writing with a premise. But use the act of writing to clarify and sharpen your thinking. Let the writing—and your thinking—evolve as you work.
(Thanks to Doc Ayomide for sharing the quote.)
Thank you
The Mix Tape community grows every week. Thank you for reading and sharing!
Please send me your thoughts and suggestions. It’s great to hear from you.
See you next week!