Episode Date August 30, 2022
Featured Guest Andrea Small
Featured Book "The Book of Eels" by Patrik Svensson

Episode Summary

Andrea Small reading from Patrik Svensson’s The Book of Eels, and discussing finding comfort in ambiguity.

Recommend this show by sharing the link: pod.link/2Pages

I’m writing a new book that’s due for release in the middle of 2023, and I was just sitting at a coffee shop reading my editor’s response to the first draft. She’s been reviewing it for about three weeks, and those three weeks have been nerve wracking. I’ve released something into the world but not yet grasped what’s next. Anything is possible right now. In other words, I’m sitting with the ambiguity of it all and trying not to freak out.

You know how sometimes products just seem perfect for the task at hand? The reimagination that goes into creating them is the work of a product designer, and those individuals are taught by people like Andrea Small. She started out studying architecture and metalsmithing at Miami University, but later moved into product design after it was recommended to her. Andrea now teaches strategy and design research at the Stanford d.school, where people use design to develop their own creative potential.

Andrea reads two pages from ‘The Book of Eels’ by Patrik Svensson. [reading begins at 16:15]

Hear us discuss:

  • “Being open to anything is both good and bad.” [6:57]
  • How to release control when navigating ambiguity. [7:53]
  • Is ambiguity truly synonymous with uncertainty? [21:33]
  • Learning to sit with the discomfort of ambiguity: “It’s physically active to navigate ambiguity–that’s why it seems so exhausting.” [23:19]
  • The relationship between ambiguity and individuality. [30:54]
  • “There is no perfect solution to navigating ambiguity.” [40:26]

Join our free membership site, The Duke Humfrey’s, and get access to full transcripts, past episodes, exclusive downloads and more. You’ll find it all at www.MBS.works/podcast

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher 

Resources:

Andrea Small | Website | LinkedIn | Twitter | Stanford d.school Books | Navigating Ambiguity: Creating Opportunity in a World of Unknowns

Patrik Svensson | The Book of Eels: Our Enduring Fascination with the Most Mysterious Creature in the Natural World

Follow Michael on | Instagram | Twitter | YouTube |  LinkedIn | Facebook

Download Transcript
Michael Bungay Stanier

Michael Bungay Stanier

I'm the author of five books that have collectively sold more than a million copies. I'm the founder of Box of Crayons, a learning and development company that helps organizations move from advice-driven to curiosity-led. I'm the host of the *2 Pages with MBS* podcast.

[mepr-show rules="146" unauth="message"]

Access Your Perks in the

Duke Humfrey's

dive in
[/mepr-show]
[mepr-hide rules="146" unauth="message"]

Access Member Perks in the

Duke Humfrey's

join free

Already a Member? Log in here

[/mepr-hide]