Creation, curation, and the future of work
ft. Bri Kimmel (Founder of Worklife Ventures), Alex Zaccaria (Co-founder & CEO of Linktree), Jimmy O. Yang (actor & comedian), and reflections from LA
Hi everyone,
I got to chat with Bri Kimmel, Alex Zaccaria, and Jimmy O. Yang!
What does it mean to create, and what is the essence of human curation?
Happy reading,
City of Angels - expressionism, individuality, and creative flair
LA was eye-opening and motivating. The city has a soul you can feel through its expressionism and creative flair - a timely reminder to celebrate individuality and foster artistic pursuits.
The spirit was strong on campus at UCLA, where students from all academic backgrounds devoted themselves to music and dance groups - a core part of the college experience.
To me, art is one of the highest forms of self-actualisation, and I hope for a future where society rewarded creators as such.
Building for creators
Creators are redefining the future of work - a future where we can make a living by doing what makes us feel most alive.
A key advantage of link-in-bio offering Linktree is simplicity in user experience - it’s the reason I would recommend it over Wix or Squarespace for my auntie’s baking project.
However I’ve been noticing creators ‘graduate’ from Linktree to personal websites, and I got to ask Alex about Linktree’s product vision in front of the MCA crowd.
To me, link-in-bio offerings were closing the gap with expanded product suites and greater composability - one example being Beacons which has grown a strong community amongst top US creators (I’m on the platform and have been gratefully receiving Co-founder Jesse’s resource-packed weekly insights).
Alex emphasised the value of simplicity - prioritising ‘simple or no UX’ to democratise digital presence building in the same way Canva has democratised design stack. Those less equipped to build with complexity find empowerment in Linktree.
There is also value in focus - strengthening core offerings instead of shipping non-essential features. Focus helps creators too: an artist is likely happier with a robust unified home for music streams alongside ticket and merchandise sales than an arsenal of non-essential features.
Creators, not business managers
As best said by Bri, creators want to create, not manage businesses.
Creators often start as solopreneurs, and what begins as creating online can soon develop into partnership meetings, finances, and business operations which take away from the purest joys of creation.
Simplicity in user experience matters because the goal is to put more time into creators’ hands, and Alex confirmed MAU1 is not a defining metric for Linktree because creators shouldn’t have to constantly manage the platform. Whilst some category-defining products are front and centre in everyone’s lives, others flex their genius by working seamlessly in the background.
From creation to curation
With more creators and content than ever before, the problem is now curation, not supply.
The business of having good taste has existed for centuries, from art collectors to bookshops and antique stores. In a noisy online world, curators have assumed roles as resource hubs, tastemakers, and community leaders.
Yet as generative AI revolutionises creation, our ability to traverse this ocean is helplessly bound by the very essence of what makes us human.
Pondered by Laura Herman,
“We will come to rely even more on algorithmic platforms to sort, search, and display content … no human has the ability [to consume thousands of images in a nanosecond], leading us to become reliant on the discernment and decision-making of algorithmic platforms.”
It has become increasingly difficult to cut through the noise, and whilst AI has supercharged volume-based processing, soulful curation is still best done by humans.
There’s irreplaceable value in knowing a collection was chosen because it stirred someone’s soul - because it sparked wonder or moved them with emotions - an innately human experience.
My current favourite online curator is Patricia Mou, and I wrote about my experiences in her San Francisco third space The Commons here.
Until next time,
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