๐๐ป STIMIES,
Many marketing/branding 'experts' have called 2025 is the year of the creators -
But let's be honest - it's be the creators' era for quite awhile now.
Particular with the rise of platforms like TikTok, CapCut, and Lightroom who make it so easy to create, edit and publish high quality content for free.
You still face a learning curve - it gets steeper the fancier you want your content to be - but you no longer have the excuse of being unable to create content.
And boy, are there a lot of creative souls out there!
So why talk about it today?
Because everyone's been talking about TikTok and the sudden drive to Xiao Hong Shu this week.
In addition, I was reflecting on how I've been getting most of my news from social media - the extent to which I know what the world is up too from my AI-driven feed is scary.
It's how I first learned about:
- The Palisades fire - from people who actually live in LA / are fleeing / have lost their homes
- The huge rise in ๅฐ็บขไนฆ users from the US - as an act of defiance against the US government's ban of TikTok, which explains why I've been seeing 'Hello TikTok refugees' posts on ๅฐ็บขไนฆ ๐
- The new Notion face generator (see above pic)
- How Mark Zuckerberg is taking a leaf out of X by moving away from content regulation (+ how upset people are!)
And we're not even 4 weeks into 2025.
What this means:
- Not everyone has to be a creator; but
- Everyone must know how to curate AND critically analyse the content that we come across
If you only follow 1 creator (who tends to spread misinformation) and treat everything he says as the gospel truth... well, you can see the mayhem that would cause.
But it can be hard to determine if a source is legitimate or not. And while there is never a foolproof way of knowing if what you've read is accurate, I tend to abide by the following rules:
- Adopt a critical mindset - Never treat anything as the gospel truth - even content that you're reading from me!
- Consume widely - this was advice that Steve Chao (ex-senior investigative journalist from Al-Jazeera) gave in his STIMY interview - you can disagree with what they are saying, but you should at least knowing what they are saying and why. Avoid being stuck in your own bubble!
- Curate - You only have so much time in a day. Be brutal when it comes to the content you consume. If this STIMY newsletter isn't bringing value to you, unsubscribe. I'd rather you save your mind space for something that you find helpful/relevant! (although I do hope that you stick around ๐)
- Contextualise - whenever I read something, I always ask myself: WHO is saying this & WHY are they saying this? Context helps me understand why a person might talk about an event in a certain way and they might miss out/lack insight on. E.g. I first heard about the TikTok/ๅฐ็บขไนฆ news from posts by a director at Mastercard & the Global Social Content Creator at Duolingo - pretty legit sources to me!
- Read the comments!!! - I l often earn more from the comments then I do from the original post. In addition, there's always going to be that guy who's doing the Lord's work, helping to point out any misinformation in said post!
TL;DR
Do your own research and NEVER consume without a critical mindset, no matter how 'legitimate' that source might be.
P/S: I'm heading back to Japan soon & bracing myself for the extreme cold!
P/S: If you want to be part of the STIMY Community Directory, submit this form instead.
I'll add you to the Directory & give you access too!
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STIMY Ep 152: Ken Perenyi - Making Millions From Forging Fine Art?!
โIn the 1970s, a young American with no formal art training decided to start painting forgeries.
For decades, his creations fooled experts in top auction houses like Christie's & Sotheby's, hung in prestigious galleries, and sold for hundreds of thousands of dollars (up to $717k per painting!).
This is the story of Ken Perenyi - one of the world's most notorious art forger who has been chased by the FBI & the Mafia for years - and got away with it.
Scott free.
When the statute of limitation passed for his โcrimesโ, Ken then published a book telling everyone exactly how he did it. ๐
(Talk about giving everyone the finger!!)
And lest you wonder whether thatโs all there is to Kenโs story, believe me.
It is not.
Kenโs childhood was spent hanging out with Tony, an influential Mafia member, who introduced him to the world of fine art.
He was so enamoured with art that he taught himself to paint. To crack the paintings and mimic the black spots that flies would leave on very, very old paintings.
He was also neighbours with Andy Warhol.
One memorable incident: He was sharing a flat with Tony who found an abandoned bathtub in the streets.
They didnโt have a bathtub so they decided to steal one from an abandoned fortune teller shop (in a stolen car) and install it themselves in their flat.
The installation was poorly done.
Water leaked.
The flooring cracked.
And one evening, everything - the ceiling, bathtub and all - crashed from the first floor down to the ground floor, on top of a bustling Jewish restaurant.
Needless to say, Ken and Tony were kicked out of said flat.
And he spent a miserable 2 weeks wandering around New York before eventually finding a new place that would lead him to Roy Cohenโs doors.
*
This is just the tiniest glimpse of Kenโs life and it was so epic - we ended up having a 3 hour conversation! - that I had to split his story into 2 parts.
This is Part 1.
So are you ready?
Letโs go! ๐
Listen here: YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcastโ
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