Little corners

“You loved September Issue? I didn’t know you were into fashion.”

I’m not. I just love hearing stories and learning about things I don’t know much about. A documentary about the making of the September issue of Vogue was fascinating to me. I’ve watched it a half dozen times.

I’ve always worked at tech companies and been surrounded by people who think that getting ahead means you have to follow all the cool thought leaders on Twitter, read all the books on how to increase productivity and be a better manager, meditate every day, share all the articles with coworkers, listen to the advice of the Tim Ferris’ of the world, and try all the apps. Keeping up with all that is too much and trying to do so won’t make you better at your job. I think that staying in our own tech little bubble is harmful and it stifles creativity.

Instead, take a look around outside the industry for inspiration. Get a glimpse into a little corner of the world you haven’t ever visited, learn about new sub cultures, or anything new or niche. This can be in the form of physical travel, a non work-related book, or my favorite source: Netflix documentaries. I have a collection of the latter below with a brief summary and how I related to each.

Some of my favorites

• September Issue is a documentary about the making of the September issue of Vogue magazine. I love everything about it, especially Anna Wintour and learning about Grace’s job and seeing the amazing photographs she produces. I learned the importance of editing, saying no, and killing your darlings.
• Indie Game tells the stories of a few independent video game designers. I don’t play any video games and never really have, but seeing how these people worked and what they had to go through to create and launch their games on their own was really eye opening. I can now relate better to some of my video gamer co-workers 🙂
• First Position is a documentary about group ballet dancers from all over the world who are trying to turn their passion into a career that pays money. I learned that ballet clothing companies make clothes that cater to light skinned people and the young woman from Sierra Leone in the film has to make her own modifications. Diversity and inclusion isn’t only a tech issue.
• Barkley marathons is this totally bonkers trail running race that takes place in Virginia. The guy that started and “runs” it is a chain smoker and changes the entry fee based on what he needs more of; for example – a white button down shirt. Also, the race is 100 miles long, not marked, the start time is random, and only 16 people have ever finished it. Brutal! But I did learn some things about people and project management, mostly what not to do.
• Piece of Work shows a behind the scenes look of the late comedian Joan Rivers. Everyone always focuses on her face and profanity, but this documentary shows her as a real, hilarious, workaholic human. Comedians user test their jokes! 
• Bonus: Truther Love is a super wild Longreads story about a truther online dating site. There’s someone for everyone.

Balance the thought leader blog posts with something outside the tech realm. Get out and find a new little corner of the world and you just might be surprised.