I get concerned sometimes that the information I am exposed to is so highly curated that I learn nothing new at all.
We need to create conditions that allow us to be surprised.
There are three approaches that work for me.
The first is to frequent charity shops.
Books in a charity shop offer a glimpse of what others, who may be very different from you, find interesting.
For example, I came across Austin Kleon’s “Steal like an artist” in a charity shop, which then led me to Lynda Barry and Ivan Brunetti’s work on cartooning.
The second approach is to read the paper.
It’s much easier to go with free media but if you have library access and can get hold of titles like the Economist you get some really interesting perspectives.
The mix of stories in a newspaper are written without knowing you – so there’s a good chance there’s something in there that will be different and interesting.
The third approach is to get recommendations.
In a world where AI can help people pump out material designed for virality rather than substance personal recommendations get ever more important.
If you rely on just social media, then the algorithm seems to feed you what it thinks you would like – and the content seems to converge pretty quickly.
There are good posts but they can disappear as you scroll along, so I make a point of saving the good ones – so I can share them later.
And perhaps surprise someone else.
Handcrafted insight 