Mastering Idea Alchemy: The Rise of The Synthesizers
Most content sucks.
Most content is recycled, regurgitated, and generic.
Many are obsessed with vanity metrics over value creation.
Abusing growth “hacks” in an attempt to stack follower count.
Flashy gimmicks and cheap entertainment.
No new ideas. Nothing unique. Surface level stuff.
But there’s a new wave of creators rising up to challenge the status quo and usher in a new era.
I call them ‘The Synthesizers.’
For ‘The Synthesizers’ creating content isn’t just about growing online for the validation of one’s Ego.
No. It goes much deeper than that.
The Synthesizers are those that actively pursue their highest self. They transcend society’s conditioned goals by rejecting the conventional path. Instead they set up goals that align with their values and heart's truest desires.
They creatively achieve their goals by collecting ideas like Pokemon and crafting unique solutions. They then distribute their findings to their audience on their chosen platform.
For them creating content isn’t for mindless entertainment but to positively impact someone else’s life while self-actualizing. They solve their own problems and then assist others who struggle from that same problem.
They aim to challenge their worldviews and evolve their perspective.
They explore the fringes and dive deep into their chosen field in an effort to progress the collective.
They are on the leading edge of the expansion of the collective consciousness.
They are the frontrunners of humanity’s massive awakening.
Becoming a Synthesizer
Synthesis: (def.) the combination of ideas to form a theory or system.
You won’t stand out from the crowd by regurgitating the same general self-development advice as everyone else.
People want novelty.
Synthesizing is how you create it. Synthesizing is how you rise above the noise.
For the synthesizer content creation becomes a sacred act of self-expression and impact. It becomes their life’s work.
Most of the top-level content creators are synthesizers. They all have their own unique ideas and life philosophies.
Who else does it like Alex Hormozi? No one else does it like Dan Koe.
Both Alex Hormozi and Dan Koe have distinct styles because they aren’t trying to directly copy anyone else. Instead, they synthesize ideas with their personal life experience which leads to their own unique expression.
Their expression is a combination of their favorite voices and life experiences.
In fact, I looked into some of the people whom Dan Koe has mentioned inspires him.
Naval Ravikant. Jack Butcher. Frank Yang.
It was quite interesting for me to connect the dots. I was able to see from which parts of their work he drew inspiration from.
In order to create content that is unique you must steal like an artist.
This isn’t plagiarism.
This is drawing inspiration from a variety of different voices. Take the parts that you like and make them your own.
"I once asked Ryan Holiday about how he developed his writing style. He credited his favorite writers. 'The key is that no one has the same combination of influences,' he said. 'It feels like me because I’m the only person to combine my interests in my way.’”
— Billy Oppenheimer
Your Personal Nexus
Standing out from the sea of robotic content creators is actually quite easy when you are being authentic and pursuing your curiosities.
Your advantage in the marketplace is that nobody else is you.
You don’t need a niche because you are the niche.
You are 1 of 1.
At the intersection of all your likes and dislikes there is only YOU.
Nobody else meets you at this intersection because everybody likes a combination of different things to different degrees.
I call this your personal nexus.
It is the central point where your distinct interests converge.
It is the point where only you can be found.
This is what differentiates you from the crowd.
When you tap into your personal nexus you are tapping into your unique vantage point. Herein lies your ability to craft novel perspectives.
Here are 2 newsletters that do a very good job of blending 2 or more separate fields of interests.
The Koe Letter:
In Dan Koe’s blog he synthesizes ideas from a variety of different fields of interests including philosophy, spirituality, business, and lifestyle design to name a few.
The Diff:
I recently discovered ‘The Diff’ and I’m quite impressed. It’s definitely something different, meeting at the intersection of finance and tech.
My own blog is an attempt to explore the intersection of human potential, spirituality, and technology.
Take Action:
Think about what your interests are. How do they run parallel? What are common themes? How do they intersect in the real-world?
This will help you start to get a feel for what to create around.
The Art of Conscious Curation
“Garbage in, garbage out.”
You’ve probably heard this one before.
Your inputs determine your outputs.
What you produce is the product of what you consume.
I’ve noticed that I’m only ever at a loss for ideas when I’m not feeding my brain the proper nutrients—that is consuming really f**king good content.
“There’s no such thing as writer’s block (just insufficient research).”
—Ryan Holiday
When you become a synthesizer, consuming content becomes conducting research. It’s not a mindless act but a conscious one.
If what you produce is the product of what you consume—you need to consciously curate what you consume.
Curation: (def.) the action or process of selecting, organizing, and looking after the items in a collection or exhibition.
Remember, synthesizers collect ideas like Pokemon. To have an incredible collection of Pokemon that wins battles—you want to catch the best of the best.
The strongest, the fastest, and the rarest Pokemon.
You don’t want basic Pokemon—sorry Caterpie. ;(
To do this, you must hang out in areas where the chance of catching high-value Pokemon is greater.
If you are the average of the 5 people you hang out with the most then creators become the average of the content creators they consume.
Thus, you must become extremely conscious of the media you consume.
Consume the best—ditch the rest.
Podcasts, books, 20+ minute youtube videos, etc. Long-form content that dives deep and provides nuance. Content that expands your perspective and contributes to your personal growth. Content from your specific fields of interests.
Activate your personal nexus.
Don’t consume what everyone else is consuming.
If you only consume what everyone else is consuming—well you’re just creating content that is going to sound like everyone else.
“If you are getting all of your content from Twitter while trying to grow on Twitter — you will probably end up with the same perspective as everyone else.”
—Dan Koe
‘Atomic Habits’ is the first book to come to mind because of its recent popularity. Don’t get me wrong—it’s a great book! But if everyone is reading that book along with the other top 100 books and creating content around them—we all sound exactly the same.
This is the problem.
Look for inspiration outside of the noise.
“If you only read the books that everyone else is reading, you can only think what everyone else is thinking.”
—Haruki Murakami
Follow your genuine curiosity.
Wrestle with concepts.
Connect the dots.
Alchemize Your Interests Into Insights (Synthesizing 101)
How do you piece this all together in an actionable way?
Here’s the guide:
Step 1: Create A Tribe Of Mentors.
Create a list of 3-5 of your favorite creators, writers, artists, thinkers, and visionaries.
Dive deep into their work. Read their books, read their blog posts, listen to the podcasts they show up on.
Then climb the infinite tree of inspiration.
To get a better feel for why they think the way they think dive into their influences. Read books they recommend.
Of your 3-5 mentors—who are 3-5 mentors that inspire them? Look into them.
For example, let’s say I start with Dan Koe. I mentioned some people who inspire him already: Naval Ravikant. Jack Butcher. Frank Yang.
Now I’m looking into Naval’s work, listening to podcasts he’s been on, reading ‘The Almanack of Naval Ravikant’.
In that book Naval recommends a number of books. He lists a couple Krishnamurti books and explains that he is a lesser known Indian philosopher who is extremely influential for him. Okay, now I’m diving into Krishnamurti lectures and books. And the cycle repeats.
You can look into Krishnamurti’s life and influences or you can go back down the tree to Dan Koe and look into his other influences. Or pick another mentor altogether. There is no right or wrong way to navigate the tree.
Follow your curiosity and genuine interests.
Step 2: Capture, Dissect, Apply.
Capture the ideas that strike you.
You don’t have to take notes on every little detail of a podcast—only the ideas that are most striking to you.
You’ll soon have a list of ideas.
During your next writing session, take one idea and pick it apart.
Dissect it.
Do a complete braindump and write everything that comes to mind without judging it:
- Do other quotes or references come to mind?
- What makes it compelling?
- Do any personal experiences come to mind?
By doing this you begin to gain a deeper understanding of what was said. You start connecting the dots between other pieces of information and your life experiences.
Distill it.
- What’s the big idea? Summarize it in your own words. Come up with your own unique way of saying it.
Application.
Remember, synthesizers aren’t consumers—but researchers.
Apply the ideas to your life.
What works?
What doesn’t?
Experiment on yourself and gather data.
This process can happen synchronously.
Step 3: Distribution. (Value Creation)
Package up your findings for your audience on your chosen platform.
In my opinion, long-form content that dives deep into your findings and ideas is best. (Long-form youtube videos, podcasts, blog posts.)
I personally prefer long-form content but short-form has its place.
Short-form is usually aimed at beginners to bring awareness to a problem. It’s great for grabbing attention and leading people into your longer-form stuff. (Tweets, instagram posts, threads, reels, shorts.)
I hope you find this useful as a creator.
The world is waiting for your unique insights.
Much love,
— Player 2
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