{1} The Reset, Confidence & Booze

Knowledge from Josh Elman, Melanie Notkin, and thespacejvnkie

Chat #1: Josh Elman

Josh is a product Leader and Investor in San Francisco Bay Area, CA.

Josh Elman:
2022 was a year of reset.

People started to reset their lives after the impact of the pandemic and shutdowns.

Company valuations and expectations have been reset by reality of growth, and interest rates.

Now is a good time to reset other habits and patterns and build from here.

Dane Lyons:
This resonates with me. Expectations in so many areas outpaced reality. A correction was necessary. Now it's time to build.

Are you seeing any interesting opportunities created by the reset?

Josh Elman:
I think we are still in a bit of an adjustment pattern and the new ideas aren’t obvious yet. The generative AI (chat and art) and digital ownership (yes, NFTs) are glimmers of the future but not all together yet. Lots more is being sought out to be closer to those we care about.

Dane Lyons:
I think we're closer to experiencing the real value of generative AI. I wish this would have been a better year for advancing NFTs and digital ownership. We'll still get there, but it's a shame the tech was predominantly exploited in unhealthy ways.

Josh Elman:
Getting exploited before meaningfully used isn’t necessarily an anti-pattern.

Dane Lyons:
I agree that most emerging tech is going to go through a period of exploitation. But NFTs in particular might have experienced a little too much of that, which might hurt adoption in the next iteration. I hope I'm wrong.

Some 2022 lessons in the NFT world should be applied to generative AI. How do you feel about using fractional ownership to reward content creators that provide training material for AI?

Josh Elman:
I think there are really interesting questions around ownership and creativity. The service, the ones who create the base algorithms, source material, etc. fractional ownership and ongoing royalties are an interesting mechanism!

Conclusion:
It was a rough year. Josh coined 2022 as the year of reset, which is fitting. Things might not immediately turn around in 2023, but we’re both excited about generative AI and digital ownership.

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Chat #2: Melanie Notkin

Melanie is the author of Otherhood: Modern Women Finding A New Kind of Happiness.

Melanie Notkin:
Day 3: Learning to Draw. My colored pencils arrived! 🎉

Would have better outcome w/ markers but will practice w/ pencils first. I’d like a smoother fine black pen, however. Clearly need to work on my spacial vision & perception! #neuroplasticity #Focus ✍️

Dane Lyons:
Nice progress!

Many people have anxiety about building or learning in public. Do you feel more confident about sharing your progress after a few days?

Melanie Notkin:
TY! I’ve shared much more vulnerable things, like a memoir (Otherhood) & essays about being single & not finding love in time for kids. Struggles, no matter the level, are universal. I never thought twice about sharing mine because hope for a better tomorrow is also universal.

Dane Lyons:
It's great that you've already developed the skill of being open and vulnerable, so sharing a sketch doesn't faze you!

People often worry about disaster scenarios. Once they put themselves out there and the bad things don't happen, they build confidence.

Melanie Notkin:
Yes, true. Apparently, I’ve inspired a couple of people to take on a similar project so if anything, that’s what builds my confidence to share. I’m lucky; I don’t really care what people think of me unless it’s fair criticism & I can improve knowing it.

Dane Lyons:
That's a healthy mindset. Unfounded criticism is irrelevant and fair criticism is a learning opportunity. I completely agree.

Conclusion:
Creative confidence is a wonderful skill to build. Putting yourself out there might seem scary. But the more you do it, the less anxiety you’ll have when you start something new. It’s great to see Melanie unencumbered by irrational fear!

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Chat #3: thespacejvnkie.eth

thespacejvnkie is floating through the metaverse • she/her

thespacejvnkie:
My year in review:

- Stopped drinking alcohol on 1/1/22
- Got married
- Started my own business
- Lost 12 lbs by lifestyle change, not dieting
- Started therapy for the first time

🌱🌱🌱

Dane Lyons:
Sounds like a productive year! 🥳

I often think of alcohol as a creative drug that lowers inhibitions. Sometimes it allows me to explore ideas I might avoid while sober. How has it impacted your productivity and creativity?

thespacejvnkie:
I would agree that my creativity seems to have slightly suffered in the short term. The flip side of that is my productivity has greatly increased, and I’m also exploring new avenues of creativity generation- something I wouldn’t have considered before.

Conclusion:
My wife (@evylyons) has slowly cut down on alcohol and is ready to give it up. I know there are many health benefits. But I’m curious to see how it impacts people creatively. It shouldn’t be surprising to learn that people adapt and find new ways to create.

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Thanks for reading! This is my first of many Daily Subsets. If you have any ideas to make the format more useful, please drop a comment and let me know.

- Dane Lyons