One definition of micromastery

I am indebted to reader Mark Ostermann for one definition of micromastery.

"Discrete, non-trivial, gameable skill aquisition."

OK! I can live with that! 

Omelettes, Micromastery and line sensitivity.

Since writing Micromastery I’ve kept up my omelette making, always seeking ways to improve. The style in the book is the rustic country-style omelette with a butter-browned base marbled with the lines made by scouring with a fork during the frying process. But since then I have gravitated more towards the classical style omelette which in truth is closer to scrambled eggs in concept than to a fluffy pancake which I suppose is how I used to think about omelettes. There are some great YouTube videos by top French chefs (André Soltner and others) that I really recommend if you want to see some masters at work. With a classical omelette you keep the pan off the heat as much as on it- that’s how you regulate the heat. You don’t want it too hot either- the bottom of the omelette should be uniform pale yellow and not brown at all. You flash the egg around in the pan with a fork, kind of like making scrambled eggs except you don’t want bare bits of pan showing through. When the top is still wet you gently roll it into a cigar shape and serve. That soft interior is what gives a classical omelette its heavenly melt in the mouth taste. It also teaches a good lesson- it’s pretty hard to undercook an omelette but it’s darned easy to over cook one and serve up some tasty rubber. This reveals what I call ‘line sensitivity’. Take painting a wall when you come up to the ceiling (which you want another colour). You have to be really careful on one side of the line- any mistake will pollute the ceiling with unwanted paint. But on the other side you can flap around with your brush and it’ll be absorbed by all the other paint used on the wall. With the omelette the line sensitivity is about focusing on NOT over cooking rather worrying about it being not cooked enough. You can undercook potatoes easily- not so omelettes- the line sensitivity is different. This takes the pressure off. Instead of walking a mental tightrope you are just butting up against one barrier with lots of freedom behind you for any errors. I think the main thing is that removing of mental pressure. To get good at something you have to be able to play at it a little. And you can’t ‘play’ if you’re worried and trying too hard. Other line-sensitivities: in film photography when you over expose shots you’ll usually be able to retrieve some kind of picture, but if you underexpose you may have something that is simply muddy- so err on the side of over exposure. Of course over time you get better and better at judging the line but this gives you room to manoevre when you are starting out. In long distance walking always plan with a very achievable daily distance in mind. You can always go further if you want. But if you plan even with a very slightly (a few km more) over ambitious plan it can ruin everything- you get blisters, run out of food, find you are far from shops etc. So I think working out which is the sensitive side of the line before you start is a worthwhile thing to do. You can be assured of success without having to worry too much. You get to play and have fun which is, of course, essential…

making a nest

Watching a youtube video of a trigger fish making a nest I was drawn into the incredible world of nestmaking. Looking at these animal nests I realised we have over complicated nest making with our fancy houses and furniture and so on. The essence of nest making is some repetitive therapeutic activity like weaving sticks in and out of each other, piling on leaves, layering cardboard, cutting snow blocks or any other super basic humannest building skill. Making a nest is fun and calming. I think it is better to think of a nest than a 'shelter' which is rather cold and objective. A nest has to be charming and cosy. I remember a picture of a medieval scholar in a sort of wooden nest with books and a desk inside a vast drafty cathedral. Derek Jarman once squatted a warehouse and lived within a glass nest- a greenhouse he put up in the middle. You can model nests too which can be interesting. Of course a treehouse or a burrow are closest to animal nests. Building a treehouse from similar sized pieces of scrap wood works well in nest building terms. The best nests are decorated inside and out.

too arrogant to learn?

Most people are too arrogant to learn.

That's not me you're thinking...thank God.

But that is the first sure fire sign- and I include myself here. Think it all the time- when you catch yourself thinking 'but that's not me' you need to take remedial action.

Action not mere 'thinking about it' or castigating yourself.

The action is to put in place a routine where you approach any learning task or new situation saying, "OK I'm arrogant, I get in my own way, but given that let's try and do this."

If you merely identify places and situations where you get in your own way- note them is all you need do, no emotional response required, learning becomes easier.

Learning is really watching and noting.

Be an ARTVENTOR

I have long been troubled by the hallowed and almost pretentious title 'artist'. OK if you are painting things from an easel, though even then the suspicion of a bit of malarkey going on, a con being pulled is always almost present. In previous centuries- I mean before the late nineteenth when art supplanted mystical experience as the pinacle of high human experience- being an artist was existentially the equal of any other craft, just with a few more handholds for grabbimg beauty and setting it down for others to appreciate. But now artist means many different things to different people. It has ceased to have any generally accepted public meaning.

Enter the ARTVENTOR. An artventor is someone who makes art type objects- pictures, sculptures, ceramics, films etc but revels in pure invention and experimentation. An experimental artist then? No, because the artventor aims to produce satisfying artventions. They can have NO CONNECTION with previous and traditional forms of art but they should look good, be aesthetically pleasing and so on. They don't have to make you think like conceptual art does. An obvious artvention was the mobile. Tinguely machines too- but these are just the more obvious examples. An artvention cannot JUST be a good idea. The execution must be pleasing to the eye in some way shape or form. The idea of anti-art is childish- art is meant to reveal the underlying beauty of the world and connect us to a deeper unified reality. Artventing can help on this mission. Anyone can be a bit of an artventor. It's about having a go not being written about by mouldy old art critics!

Publishing micromastery has been different...

I've published 12 books in the last twenty years but none have rocketed out of the shops quite like Micromastery. Partly it was getting good publicity, partly great cover design, great recommendations and a good basic idea.

But this is one thing that has had a big impact and is COMPLETELY DIFFERENT- how one man spent £11.63 and turned a few views into thousands in an attempt to show me how much publicising a book has moved on in the last year or so. You'll be amazed- I still am.

http://www.flintoff.org/rob-gets-away-with-it

courage

When prolific self-help author Steve Pavlina was asked what characteristic would he say was most invaluable to a growth mindset he answered 'courage'.

Here's what I have gleaned on the subject over the years.

First forget that stupid Hemingway quote 'Grace under pressure'- what nonsense except in movies. Some of the most courageous people I know are annoying ditherers.

Most people are naturally courageous if they find themselves in a courageous group.

Drink emboldens most people.

The main way to be courageous is to psyche yourself up. I have found with a day's warning I can psyche myself up to do things I'd bolt from if asked to do it cold.

Instant courage only comes from practising an instant response.

There are tricks to employ once you know 'lacking courage' is a temporary phase. Smoking a cigarette, downing a drink or cup of coffee- all these can be simple props to get you ready to act bravely.

Courage to go it alone is hardest.

Courage to believe in your own ideas without asking for others opinions is hardest.

"Ah, fuck it,' can be a mantra that's gets you moving.

'What have I got to lose?' can be another. Finding courage stimulating mantras is a great idea.

Courage is very affected by food and warmth and lack of. But knowing this helps.

Every man and woman has a breaking point. The skill is to know how to avoid reaching yours.

Be unafraid of death.