Elisa, this was a profound essay. Things don't get sorted; you end with an open question that I myself sit with, unsatisfied. It seems the earlier part of my career was in attempting to be one of the onlies, and now it's more about changing that fact. I imagine if you asked anyone with 50-year careers what they are most proud of, it's what they actually got to accomplish, not how hard they had to fight to have that impact. And yet so much of the story is just that. We don't really know what our impact could look like without the friction of fighting the norms.
I definitely spent years striving as the only. And as you say, now I wonder if what I was striving for, and the environment in which I was striving, was ever what I truly was made for.
Really looking forward to having a chat about these ideas soon! We have some interesting differences in how we approach the problems, but a foundational agreement on the importance of these topics.
Love this. Each generation has barely been able to predict the changes to come. Our time has exponentially changed due to technology - I took a typewriter to college! Keep the important discussion going. And don't forget the arts - artists show us ourselves in a mirror. We need to be sure to take a long look.
Great point about the arts! I tend to think of artists as being able to tap into what *now* means way ahead of historians, so in that way being ahead of their time.
Elisa, this was a profound essay. Things don't get sorted; you end with an open question that I myself sit with, unsatisfied. It seems the earlier part of my career was in attempting to be one of the onlies, and now it's more about changing that fact. I imagine if you asked anyone with 50-year careers what they are most proud of, it's what they actually got to accomplish, not how hard they had to fight to have that impact. And yet so much of the story is just that. We don't really know what our impact could look like without the friction of fighting the norms.
I definitely spent years striving as the only. And as you say, now I wonder if what I was striving for, and the environment in which I was striving, was ever what I truly was made for.
Really looking forward to having a chat about these ideas soon! We have some interesting differences in how we approach the problems, but a foundational agreement on the importance of these topics.
Love this. Each generation has barely been able to predict the changes to come. Our time has exponentially changed due to technology - I took a typewriter to college! Keep the important discussion going. And don't forget the arts - artists show us ourselves in a mirror. We need to be sure to take a long look.
Great point about the arts! I tend to think of artists as being able to tap into what *now* means way ahead of historians, so in that way being ahead of their time.