🔥 Campfire 16
Should you be a generalist or a specialist designer, how to Twitter, the invisible addiction, and much more.
Should you be a generalist or a specialist designer?
You've probably heard about "T-Shaped" designers. If not, a T-shaped designer, in short, is someone who has deep, specific expertise in their domain (represented by the vertical stem in a capital "T"), as well as some degree of experience in a variety of related fields (represented by a shorter, horizontal crossbar on the top).
Some also call it Generalized Specialist, and it's not only about design. Around 2700 years ago, the Greek poet Archilochus wrote:
”The fox knows many things; the hedgehog one big thing."
In the 1950s, philosopher Isaiah Berlin based his essay "The Hedgehog and the Fox" on that statement. He categorizes outstanding thinkers into two groups: hedgehogs, who have a single point of view on the world, and foxes, who have many distinct points of view. Despite Berlin's later remark that the essay was not meant to be taken seriously, it has become an essential aspect of understanding the difference between specialists and generalists.
The good thing about being a generalized specialist is that you don't have to choose between being a generalist or a specialist: you can (and should) be both.
Each side helps further develop another one. Ask any generalized specialist, and they will tell you that being skilled at many things helped them become great at one thing. All because expertise in one domain fuels excellence in another.
Studies have shown that the most incredible ideas come from mixing concepts from seemingly unrelated disciplines. Those fresh connections can only be made by a generalist. On the other hand, a generalist lacks the depth of knowledge required to follow through on those ideas and implement solutions as effectively as a specialist. As a result, a generalized specialist is ideal for leading collaborative initiatives and advancing innovative work.
Further reading:
Discovery
Fresh findings at the intersection of art and technology. Sharing useful apps, tools, and websites; Interesting people and companies to follow; art and design projects to get inspired; though-provoking things to read, listen to, and watch.
“Patience is also a form of action.” – Auguste Rodin
Food for thought
How to Twitter: The Martin Way
On niches, Twitter strategy, socializing, and much more.
"Find your niche" is my least favorite advice out there. As a generalist, I'm interested in ALL the things. Sometimes I like to imagine the possibility of getting cloned and seeing my clones become scientists, lawyers, electricians, adventurers, plumbers, and motorcycle racers. And a thousand other things.
I don’t like the definition of “niche”, because for me it seems too limiting. Instead, the author suggests calling it a Core set of interests. Because terminology matters.
You can be a generalist talking about everything and everyone, or you can be a very niched talking about one very specific thing. However, there are two problems with these approaches:
When your tweets are all over the place, you don't give people a good enough reason to follow you.
When you go all-in on one topic, you risk losing your personality.
The invisible addiction: is it time to give up caffeine?
I’m a massive fan of coffee. I used to drink up to a dozen cups per day until one case when I couldn’t get up from my bed. I was vomiting, had abdominal pain and fever, and my heart was jumping off my chest.
In his article, Michael Pollan talks about his story of caffeine withdrawal, the history of humanity’s acquaintance with caffeine, and how exactly coffee and caffeine, more generally, make us more energetic, efficient, and faster.
90% of humans ingest caffeine regularly, making it the most widely used psychoactive drug in the world, and the only one we routinely give to children (commonly in the form of fizzy drinks).
Instagram’s new re-design
With a new logo, typefaces, colors, and other aspects, Instagram has unveiled a new visual design for its brand. A new approach to layout and design for the mobile app and web browser experience will be part of the visual makeover.
Aesthetically Pleasing
Meme of the week
Final notes
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