The personal analytics movement is continuing to surge with popularity. People are increasingly starting to track microscopic details of their life, ranging from how much sleep they get to what flavour of muffin they had for lunch. Mostly out of pure curiosity, I also have begun to explore the idea of personal analytics with my newly acquired Jawbone UP “smart band”. Aside from being amazed at how powerfully accurate the UP’s tracking sensors are, I have been impressed at how the UP app, which syncs my movements, presents the data in a minimalistic, engaging way. I would go as far to say that there is a certain sense of beauty in which my life logged data is being presented on the UP app.

You could, then, imagine how intrigued I was to come across the work of Willem Besselink, a Dutch abstract artist who has tracked specific areas of his life, and turned the results into beautiful works of fine art. 

The following work, for example, done with glossy household paint, depicts how much distance Besselink has travelled for a given month, with different colours representing different forms of transportation:

While I should disclose that my exposure to art does not exceed far past my first year Intro to Art History course, I think Besselink’s work could be interesting juxtaposed to that of a “traditional” abstract artist, like, for examples sake, Mark Rothko. 

I presently believe that abstract art is a way to express the intangible emotions and ideas of an artist that are wrought by real-world experiences. For example, in his Four Seasons paintings, Rothko sought to express a dark, morbid motif. This is in part due to his deep depression resulting from his own struggles with the world. Thus, he convey these feelings throughout his work. Besselink, however, aims to take all ideas of emotion out of the process. Despite their appearances to the contrary, Besselink’s work is anything but “abstract” in its inspiration. They are beautiful depictions of cold hard facts, down to the last specific detail of his everyday life.

The sheer authenticity and transparency of this approach is empowering. We are now equipped with the means to know more about ourselves than ever before. Tracking how we move, eat, and sleep is only the beginning. Inevitable advances in technology will enable much more than those now commoditized endeavours. Thus, when it comes to visually depicting the image of ourselves, we can do so in a way that is much more self aware than ever before. This is not to say that abstract art should be “quantified” in any respect, but rather to simply show appreciation for a new perspective, and perhaps to start a conversation with those who share an interest in an idea like this. 

As Robert Pirsig said in Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance:

“You want to know how to paint a perfect painting? It’s easy. Make yourself perfect and then just paint naturally.”

Besselink, it seems, is under the Pirsig school of thought. To learn more, check out his work.

Over the winter break, I took some time to read The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin, an awesome book written in 1791 in which Franklin imparts wisdom he has gained over a long, successful life. In one chapter, he lists the now famous “13 virtues” that we should live by. The second virtue on this list really made me think. It was silence:

“Speak not but what may benefit others or yourself; avoid trifling conversation.”

This is an idea that is more relevant today than it ever has been. Today, more than ever, there is more “trifling conversation” being had. Every second, there are thousands of tweets being sent out. Recently, Apple announced that iMessage is transferring over 2 billion messages per day. As our methods of communication grow faster, richer, and more frequent, there has never been more important time to take an objective look on whether or not we are truly using these tools to our full potential. What’s important is that we all are subject to participating in these “trifling conversations”, with seemingly the entire world available just at our fingertips. How could we possibly resist?

In order to stay on the path we have put ourselves on, and to reach the goals we have set out for ourselves, we need to take a lesson from Benjamin Franklin. The lesson is that every interaction we have, regardless of the medium, should hold some sort of value. Sounds simple, doesn’t it? In practice, it’s not so easy. Scroll through your Twitter feed or your Facebook timeline. Are you providing value? Did the last thing you say make someone think, laugh, learn, or take positive action? Or, from an aspirational perspective, did your last interaction help you get to where you want to be?

Without a doubt, Franklin’s lesson is timeless. But in the hyper-connected world that we currently live in, it is a lesson that we all could learn much from.

I’ve just stumbled across a really interesting finding from Matthew Lieberman in an HBR blog post. Before I speak to it, take a moment to read an excerpt of it:

“What we are seeing suggests that we bring our social concerns with us as we take in new information. We seem to be testing whether the information would be of value to significant people in our lives, and not just whether it is of direct personal value. 

It occurred to me that mentalizing this way is similar to what a DJ does when listening to music: He doesn’t just think about which music he wants to be listening to, he thinks about how different groups of people would respond to the songs he is considering. He has their interest in mind, not just his own.”

For those using social media trying to build a brand, whether its personal or business, the ability to be an “Information DJ” plays a major role in determining success. In times like this, information is endless, and there are plenty of different ways to consume it. However, what differentiates those who have organically built strong, engaged followings online is that these types have what I think of as a “social mindset”: they consume content, and usually decide within seconds whether or not what they have just learned could offer value to their online community. They have an innate, underlying desire to add value to their community which is present everywhere they go. They pursue knowledge not only for their own benefit, but also for the benefit of the people.

These are the types of people who tweet quotes live from a keynote speaker, or share a news article they read simply because they think others will appreciate it. By doing so, they establish themselves as thought leaders in their field. They are respected, esteemed, and depended on as a valuable source of content, which our society values more now than ever before. 

This doesn’t just apply to individuals. On a larger scale, the social mindset applies to organizations seeking success on social media as well. In order to truly become a “social business”, your entire organization has to commit to it. Not just the marketing department. In his recent FastCompany article, social business expert Mark Fidelman notes, “external social business alone, without an internal social business component, will not transform the business culture.” So, in order to truly have success as either an individual or as an organization, a social mindset is absolutely necessary.

So, if you’ve thought about trying to build a strong social media presence, whether as an individual or as part of an organization, the social mindset is what could set you apart. This isn’t easy for everyone, myself included. As we know, some people are more inherently social than others. The fact is, however, if you’re trying to build an online presence to accomplish your goals and to stay relevant in the digital age, making the first step in forming this “social mindset” is crucial. What do you think? Let me know in the comments.