THE SHOW
Kevin Kelly is a modern creative pioneer. He was a polymath before it was cool. His career as a writer, founder, photographer, and editor extends across industries and continents. A world traveler and lifelong learner, Kevin’s ideas such as 1000 True Fans have inspired a generation of builders and artists to exercise full agency over their creative pursuits.
Kevin was on a short list of dream guests I’ve long held for Behind the Brilliance, and our conversation did not disappoint. He was candid and thoughtful as we covered a wide range of topics including career and life design, religion, decision making, unpopular opinions, and much more.
Behind His Brilliance: Luck + Not caring what others think
Say hi to Kevin on X (Twitter): @kevin2kelly
THE GUEST
KEVIN KELLY | AUTHOR + CO-FOUNDER, WIRED
Kevin Kelly is Senior Maverick at Wired magazine. He co-founded Wired in 1993, and served as its Executive Editor for its first seven years. His newest book is Excellent Advice for Living, a book of 450 modern proverbs for good living. He is co-chair of The Long Now Foundation, a membership organization that champions long-term thinking and acting as a good ancestor to future generations. And he is founder of the popular Cool Tools website, which has been reviewing tools daily for 20 years. From 1984-1990 Kelly was publisher and editor of the Whole Earth Review, a subscriber-supported journal of unorthodox conceptual news. He co-founded the ongoing Hackers’ Conference, and was involved with the launch of the WELL, a pioneering online service started in 1985. Other books by Kelly include 1) The Inevitable, a New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller, 2) Out of Control, his 1994 classic book on decentralized emergent systems, 3) The Silver Cord, a graphic novel about robots and angels, 4) What Technology Wants, a robust theory of technology, and 5) Vanishing Asia, his 50-year project to photograph the disappearing cultures of Asia. He is best known for his radical optimism about the future.
TOPICS COVERED
-the decision making framework Kevin developed over 5 decades of his career
-the inception and growth of WIRED
-why pursuing a range of interests can be more valuable than specializations (with important caveats)
-Kevin’s religious conversion and how it changed his life
-important reflections on leveraging and time management
-how a trip to Asia changed Kevin’s life
And much more!
STUFF MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
Excellent Advice for Living (Kevin’s book)
Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman
This American Life – Shoulda Been Dead
Illustrated Book of Genesis by R. Crumb
Atomic Habits by James Clear (Kevin’s book pick)
The Bible (Kevin’s book pick)
