What is kevanchristmas.github.io for?
02 Feb 2024tl;dr
This site aims to do a few things:
- Introduce myself beyond LinkedIn
- Share some knowledge
- Document my progress and thinking (for me and others)
- Help my Writing (and my thinking) improve
- Help me with Learning
- Find potential collaborators
Re-cap : vision
I have had a couple of blogs (now archived) where I shared various thoughts or things of interest from my personal and professional life. I learned a lot (as possibly did my literally dozens of visitors…)
Such as:
- It’s easy to find things interesting and valuable but much harder to think of and say something interesting or valuable.
- Don’t just share what you think makes you interesting and/or unique.
- You probably can’t do better than adhere to the spirit of the Howard Thurman quote:
“Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”
- Show your working only if it helps understand how you arrived at or are getting to your answer.
- Remember you stand on the shoulders of giants, credit others and assume epistemic humility.
- (If you’re not a genius then having to make up or re-purpose words for what you’re attempting, probably isn’t a good sign ಠಿ_ಠ)
1. Introducing myself beyond LinkedIn
I don’t use actively any other social networks such as facebook, X, instagram etc. and for mostly professional reasons am discoverable on LinkedIn.
I think of LinkedIn as architectural in the sense that it’s circa 900 Million Storefronts with a finite number of facade patterns. Nothing wrong in that - it’s why everyone is there - competing for attention from bots and browsers. The marketplace of ideals.
After window shopping we can browse to see testimonials, credentials, recommendations, featured offers and detailed catalogues. If it was a restaurant we can see everything — except (in most cases) — into the stores, back-office and kitchen.
I’m not anti LinkedIn and happy to be there - I’m just trying to add some of that ‘what you see is what you get’ detail.
2. Sharing
Increased sharing is a massive positive feature of the technology which created and drove the Information revolution. Bearing in mind the Re-cap : vision above, I do share resources, interesting articles and things I figure out with friends, colleagues and family. I can centralise that here. Some of it might help as well as entertain.
For the last four years I have also built/maintained a digital zettelkasten or second brain using Obsidian for my professional and personal life (currenly over 4000 notes).(See this entry for more details) In 2024 I am refining that into an improved version and it is more suited to sharing some categories of notes here.
3. Documenting
As per other years, in addition to stuff I come across I’m attempting some more challenging things in the next 12 months as part of my Growth and Development (I have some personal and professional goals across learning, technology, qualification etc. which might be detailed in another post) - this is a place for me to document as well as maybe help anyone else thinking of, or undertaking similar challenges.
4. Writing
I believe that writing helps me learn and think better. Organising and formulating my ideas as well as attempting to explain them are all incredibly useful.
5. Learning
I am constantly trying to learn new knowledge and skills - I believe it’s a system not a goal. One of the great benefits so far of my current Obsidian vault is reviewing past notes and seeing the development over time. This site can showcase and share that.
6. Finding potential collaborators
Last and not least (!) Some of what I hope to achieve in 2024 will need/benefit from the input and help of others. I have found this before with writing, side ventures and general wellbeing. I’m always open to new correspondents and (although somewhat time poor) interesting projects. Hopefully something here might spur you to reach out - most easily through kevan(at)the10x.com or kevan.christmas(at)gmail.com.
Thanks for your time.