Mark Koester

“A designer shapes the situation, the situation talks back, and the designer reflects on the back-talk.”

Book Review Book Notes Reflection Expertise Psychology Work

What do you make time for?

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Book reading feels like an act of cognitive rebellion in an American society driven by social media and pointess fear-based news. By reading books you are actively engaging the magical act of imagining, world creating and perspective-taking.

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Nick Chater’s Mind Is Flat challenges several core common-sense notions and beliefs about the nature of our minds and even who we are as cognitive beings. Specifically, the book argues against the idea of a deep subconscious (like an inner...

Book Review Book Notes Philosophy Brain Perception Psychology Self Personal Identity

Ever wonder what happens when a software engineer and a jazz trumpeter team up in a Venice Beach music studio?

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Was AI Included?

Authenticity Philosophy Ethics Social Norms Code of Ethics Attribution Creativity Artificial Intelligence ChatGPT AI

Who truly “creates” when we use AI in our art and work?

Authenticity Reflection Philosophy Ethics Social Norms Creativity Artificial Intelligence ChatGPT AI

There is no wrong way to make music. In fact, there are probably an infinite number of right ways to make music.

Music Music Production Creativity Creative Momentum Habits Flow

Star Dust and Dreams is my fourth album release. I feel overjoyed to have the energy and creative chance to make more music, and, of course, to share my art for listening pleasure.

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How do our actions become our creations? Which of our creative inputs will add up and eventually translate into our creative outcomes? What does it take to be creatively productive?

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Have you ever wondered what your conversations with AI reveal about you? In seeking a solution to a work task, accelerating your learning or just having fun, perhaps our ChatGPT conversations might reveal insights about our behavior, thoughts, aspirations, and...

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If you dedicate just 30 minutes a day to book reading for a year, you can easily finish between 30 and 40 books in a year.

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I love the first day of the year (January 1) for a rather unusual reason. The thing I’m most excited about with each new year is the gift of getting to analyze all of my tracking data and data exhaust...

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“As an idea, authenticity is superficially simple yet definitively elusive” (p 66)

Book Review Book Notes Philosophy Authenticity Politics Ethics Personal Identity History

From self-help gurus to pop psychologists, one message seems clear and nearly ubiquitous: “Be true to yourself.” Today the pursuit of authenticity has woven itself into the fabric of our culture and is championed by influential figures like Oprah Winfrey,...

Book Review Book Notes Philosophy Authenticity Politics Ethics Personal Identity

Is authenticity merely a veiled form of narcissism? Can we truly be authentic individuals when our focus is solely on self-fulfillment?

Book Review Book Notes Philosophy Authenticity Politics Ethics Communitarianism

Let’s stop asking AI for answers and start asking it for questions.

Authenticity Reflection Self-Awareness Journaling Artificial Intelligence ChatGPT AI Data-Driven You

Johann Sebastian Bach, Stephen King, David Bowie, Pablo Picasso, Brian Eno – what links these creative giants? Prolific output.

Music Production Music Creativity Goals Flow Peak Performance Output

Project note-taking is one of the simplest yet most powerful techniques I use to capture ideas, reflect and make progress on all of my goals. Project notes are a diary tailored for each step in the journey.

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Chinese military strategist Sun Tzu once wrote in “The Art of War”: “Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory. Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat.”

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