Billy Oppenheimer (Website, X) is a researcher and writer who works closely with Ryan Holiday and Rick Rubin, and publishes the “Six at 6” newsletter. Billy is also working on his first book, The Work is the Win.We kick off by discussing one of my favorite new ideas: "looking for clues," a process and philosophy for creativity that Billy learned from Rick Rubin. He shares the story Rick told him when he learned and adopted this language, which is so representative of how Billy (and I!) research in our work.From there, we talk about Billy's robust research process and how he has created an external brain of the ideas and patterns that inspire him rather than relying on memory. We also talk about the importance of time as a filter and a series of maxims that underpin his work and creativity. We discuss the importance of inputs over outputs and his big idea and book title, "The Work is the Win," as well many related ideas on success, complacency, compounding, standards, initiative, local maximums, and more. We finish with some lessons from Billy's favorite people.This conversation is a field guide for making things, pushing through the messiness of progress, and attuning yourself to the richness of the world that often takes the shape of clues.Full transcript and all links: https://dialectic.fm/billy-oppenheimerTimestamps:0:00 - Intro 1:20 - Looking for Clues with Rick Rubin 27:08 - Balancing Listening to the Market and Finding Unique Influences 31:17 - Memory, Notecards, and Billy's External Brain 37:13 - Making Notes for an Ignorant Stranger, or Leaving Clues for Your Future Self 45:09 - Lingering and Time as a Filter 52:51 - Billy's Book and Big Idea: "The Work is the Win" 1:00:07 - Be Great Regardless 1:04:31 - Following Up Even When Your Abilities and Standards Don't Match 1:10:10 - Fending Off the Wolf at the Door1:15:55 - Unfolding and Planting Seeds 1:18:17 - Taking Initiative and Opening Doors: "He Who Hesitates is Lost" 1:24:58 - Stupid Bravery and Getting Past the Sewage 1:30:16 - Local Maximums and Resisting Personal "Folklore" 1:36:14 - Some of Billy's Favorites: Ryan Holiday, Rick Rubin, Steve Jobs, John Mayer, Greta Gerwig, Jerry Seinfeld, Ralph Waldo Emerson 1:56:45 - Side Quests 2:02:26 - "I Know What We Do Here" and Creative Environments 2:05:28 - Bringing Familiar and Unfamiliar Together 2:09:26 - Mastery and Compounding 2:12:44 - The Real Life of Appearances 2:15:43 - "Ton-goo-ey" and The Gifts We Give Ourselves Links:‎McCartney 3, 2, 1 (2021)The Way of the Tracker: The Path of “not this” - Boyd VartyEddie Murphy Is Tracy Morgan's Favorite | Comedians In Cars Getting CoffeePoetry UnboundWhen We Cease to Understand the World- Benjamín LabatutFill Up To Pour Out - Billy OppenheimerAtomic Habits - James ClearThe Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck - Mark MansonThe Psychology of Money - Morgan HouselLeBron James shows off photographic memoryThe Notecard System - Billy OppenheimerRobert GreeneMike Nichols: A Life - Mark HarrisThe Journal of Eugene Delacroix - Lucy Norton19. Henrik Karlsson - Cultivating a Life that Fits - DialecticStadium of selves — Steph Ango8. Steph Ango - Tools for Amplifying Our Light - DialecticThe third chair - Henrik KarlssonSecrets of the Creative Brain - Nancy AndreasenSetting down the snow globe - Jackson DahlBilly on RESTFace it: you're a crazy person - Adam MastroianniTennessee Williams – The Catastrophe of SuccessCritique of Pure Reason - Immanuel KantBilly on Constraint, Gide, and Kant's Dove‎There Will Be Blood (2007)The War of Art - Steven PressfieldBilly on unfoldingHe who hesitates is lost - Joe Rogan & Jordan PetersonUnfolding - Henrik KarlssonBilly on John Mayer, HubermanSteve Jobs on folkloreThe Making of Prince of Persia - Jordan MechnerMake Something Wonderful - Steve Jobs‎Lady Bird (2017)‎Frances Ha (2012)Billy on Greta GerwigBilly on "I know what we do here"The Art Spirit - Robert Henri