The Art of the Impossible: Do Hard Work

Welcome to?The?Art?of?The?Impossible, a weekly newsletter where I unearth five pieces?of?content which I hope will both inspire?and?embolden you.

PODCAST

“I'd rather be a nerd than part of the herd.”

Founding Father of the UK Games Industry Sir Ian Livingstone on The Evolution of Games, Innovating and Not Fearing Failure

I had the great honour of talking to Sir Ian Livingstone this week - games pioneer, entrepreneur, investor and the bestselling author of the?Fighting Fantasy? book series. Listen?here ?or wherever you get your podcasts from.

Widely regarded as one of the founding fathers of the UK games industry, Ian co-founded?Games Workshop ?in 1975 with Steve Jackson, launching?Dungeons & Dragons?in Europe,?Warhammer, White Dwarf, Citadel Miniatures,?and the?Games Workshop ?retail chain.

Whilst he exited the company in 1991, he soon embarked on a hugely successful career in the video games industry. In 1995, he co-led the merger which created video games publisher Eidos?where he served as Executive Chairman, launching blockbuster titles such as?Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, Deus Ex?and?Hitman.

In?this conversation , we discuss his brilliant book?Dice Men – The Origin Story of Games Workshop , how games like Warhammer and Dungeons and Dragons came to be, the evolution of gaming and why he set up his own school – The Livingstone Academy. Listen?here ?or wherever you get your podcasts from.

Ian Livingstone was awarded a Knighthood (becoming a Sir) in the?2022 New Year Honours ?for services to the online gaming industry.

I thoroughly enjoyed talking to Ian and I am sure you will enjoy it too.

QUOTE

“I'm a great believer, that there are always huge opportunities out there. They're out there, but most people don't grasp that. Most people don't believe it and most people don't do anything about it, even if they believe it.”

Richard Koch, author of the 80/20 Rule on Tim Ferriss Show. Read the transcript here.

INTERVIEW

Thomas Edison is often accused of not having invented the things he gets credit for. He did something even harder: he built the systems needed to get them to market.

Not an interview, but a profile piece on Thomas Edison. I enjoyed this essay from Eric Gilliam on Edison and how we can nurture more Edisons. Read the full piece here.

READ

How to Do Great Work by Paul Graham

I enjoyed this new essay from Paul Graham on finding what you're meant to work on, and then working hard on it:

Do you want to do great work, or not? Now you have to decide consciously. Sorry about that. I wouldn't have done it to a general audience. But we already know you're interested.

Don't worry about being presumptuous. You don't have to tell anyone. And if it's too hard and you fail, so what? Lots of people have worse problems than that. In fact you'll be lucky if it's the worst problem you have.

Yes, you'll have to work hard. But again, lots of people have to work hard. And if you're working on something you find very interesting, which you necessarily will if you're on the right path, the work will probably feel less burdensome than a lot of your peers'.

The discoveries are out there, waiting to be made. Why not by you?

Read the full essay here.

WATCH

The Mind, Explained

This week, I had the privilege of interviewing neuroscientist Sarah Hamburg PhD and it reignited my interest in how the brain works. I am truly fascinated by the intricacies of how utterly wonderful and complex the human brain is which led to what I hope you will find a really interesting conversation (the episode will be released on the Danielle Newnham Podcast next week).

If you haven't yet watched The Mind, Explained on Netflix - check it out. Ever wonder what's happening inside your head? From dreaming to anxiety disorders, discover how your brain works with this illuminating series.

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Thank you for reading?the?newsletter?and?for listening to?the?podcast , and?if you enjoy them, please do share with your network - my goal is to have these stories reach as many as possible so that others can be inspired too.

Until next time...

Danielle

PS Can you do me a favour? If you like the?podcast , could you please leave a short review on whatever platform you use? It would mean so much to me and will help others find it too.

Thank you!