Are you a lofi starter?

Hi Everyone,

Are you apart of the lofi movement?

A couple of weeks ago, my sister sent a text to our family group chat about the NBA Finals. I made a comment that I didn't even know the game was that night, at which she expressed her shocked (I've been a huge basketball fan(atic) my entire life). I replied to her "I know. I don't watch bball anymore and barely any TV. A new phase in my life. Lowfi Lisa."

It hit me in that moment that the growing interest in focused deep work, being an individual in the age of distraction, being effective, and having analog experiences (NY Times article; may be behind a paywall) is a new rebellion, a counter movement; it's lofi. All these streams of thought about disconnecting is a subculture, much like how lofi music was a response to high quality high technical music production. The lofi movement is comprised of lofi starters; people who effectively address and solve problems, yet value the beauty of appreciating life. It's like the people who decide to float the lazy river versus the people who run tube in hand. They all are going to the same place, but just going about it differently. And it's not to say that one movement is better than the other; but it's just a simple fact of which way are you going down the lazy river? Running, floating, swimming, etc?

As I thought more about that comment that I am Lofi Lisa, I realized it ran deeper than this new phase in my life where I am avoiding distractions. My entire life I've been lofi. Lofi doesn't necessarily mean it is lo-tech, it just means that when everyone is running in one direction; you are running either in that same direction, but to your own beat or you are going in the opposite and sometimes parallel direction. In a nutshell by being lofi you appreciate the beauty of reflecting and being authentic to who you are, not what the world wants you to be.

In terms of #lofistarter, what does it mean to be a lofi starter?

As these thoughts of lofi were developing in my head, I listened to a four-part series on starters on Behavior Gap Radio. In the first episode called "Starting Things" Carl Richards discusses how some people are great at starting things; they have a constant stream of good ideas, but often are seen as people who can't finish or execute these ideas. He goes on to discuss that it is finishers that get a great reputation, but being a starter is valuable because it is not common for people to consistently develop new ideas. He proposes that if you are a starter, that you finish enough things to give you permission to continue starting new things.

After listening to that four-part series, it clicked. I am a starter. I start a lot of things, some I finish and others I don't. My head is over flowing with ideas that I can't possibly get to in this lifetime or at least give it the attention it deserves to develop into a tangible creation. So I started to think of myself as a lofi starter; someone who starts things that run counter to the norm. I spent a few days with all these thoughts running through my head; lofi, lofi Lisa, Lofi movement. Then I realized that since my mission is to support all ideas and one of my values is sharing, why don’t I just share the ideas I know that I will not pursue; those ideas that I have been sitting on for years.

When I shared this with my sister; she thought it was crazy and that I needed to somehow figure out how to get paid. We spent some time discussing how I could get paid for my ideas. As we were scheming; I told her: trying to figure out how to make money off this particular idea goes against one of my values and this idea was developed purely on the premise that I will give away ideas. I went on to tell her that I value sharing and that everyone should have access to information and resources that will help them achieve whatever their goals are. This is me being a lofi starter. I like to start things, but I also walk to my own beat. Not many would give away ideas, but I believe sharing is caring. At the end of the day, these are ideas that I have that I do not want to pursue, so why not share it with someone who is what Carl Richards calls a finisher; someone who will take ideas and finish them.

So I am introducing a new concept series on this website called "Lofi Starters" I am going to share ideas that I have - no strings attached. Some of the ideas are developed (domain name, social media plan, etc.), others are just a sentence, and others are just a concept; a one word thought. People are free to take these ideas and run with it and if they want, they can keep me posted on how it develops.

What do you think of this concept? Are you lofi? Are you a starter; how do you finish your ideas?

***Lisa-Marie