Kitchen Side: How Do You Develop Taste?

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In this episode of the Long Game podcast, hosts Alex Birkett, Allie Decker, and David Khim, members of the Omniscient Agency team discuss the concept of taste, its development, and its significance in various domains like movies, content, and SEO. They explore whether taste is innate or can be developed, and the difference between genuine taste and posturing. Personal experiences and the influence of mentors in shaping their taste are shared. They also express concerns about the outsourcing of content creation and its impact on society’s taste. The episode concludes with a discussion on the importance of being intentional and thoughtful about the things one cares about.

Topics

• The concept of taste 
• The role of taste in design 
• Differentiating taste in movies 
• Taste and Parroting Tropes 
• Appreciation vs Creation 
• Expertise and Content Creation 
• The importance of taste and its development 
• Taste and experience in content creation 
• How taste is cultivated through reflection 
• Taste Development and Excellence 
• Developing Taste through Guidance 
• Experience and Observing 
• The importance of taste 
• The development of taste 
• Editing process and taste 

Show Links

• Connect with David Khim on LinkedIn and Twitter
• Connect with Alex Birkett on LinkedIn and Twitter
• Connect with Allie Decker on LinkedIn and Twitter
• Connect with Omniscient Digital on LinkedIn or Twitter

Key Takeaways

[00:03:15] The concept of taste
Discussion on the importance of taste in holding high standards of excellence and its relationship to standards of quality.

[00:04:22] The role of taste in design
Conversation about how having taste informs design choices and the importance of being able to execute on taste.

[00:06:35] Differentiating taste in movies
Comparison between artful and complex films and entertaining, action-packed movies, discussing how taste is not simply about enjoying “fine things” but about personal preference.

[00:09:22] Taste and Parroting Tropes
Discussion on the concept of taste and how people often parrot tropes without substance.

[00:10:12] Appreciation vs Creation
Exploration of the relationship between appreciation and creation in the context of taste.

[00:16:56] Expertise and Content Creation
The importance of subject matter expertise in content creation and finding the right balance between expertise and comprehensibility.

[00:18:49] The importance of taste and its development
Discussion on the concept of taste, its significance in different domains, and how taste is developed through experience, reflection, and mindfulness.

[00:20:22] Taste and experience in content creation
Exploration of how experience and mindfulness contribute to taste in content creation, using examples of following professionals who have practical experience in their field.

[00:22:44] How taste is cultivated through reflection
Discussion on the connection between experience, mindfulness, and taste, emphasizing the importance of reflection and digesting what has been learned to develop taste.

[00:26:47] Taste Development and Excellence
The speaker discusses their experience of learning about good and bad content, statistics, and case studies, and how it shaped their understanding of taste and excellence.

[00:27:40] Developing Taste through Guidance
The speaker mentions their mentor, Pep, who helped them set a standard for excellence and explained why certain things were good or bad in terms of presentation and content.

[00:32:27] Experience and Observing
The speakers discuss the different types of experience in developing taste, whether it’s through actively doing something or observing and analyzing it. They use examples like business operators vs. investors and painters vs. art critics to illustrate the point.

[00:35:37] The importance of taste
Discussion on the significance of taste in different domains, such as content creation and SEO.

[00:36:36] The development of taste
Exploration of how taste is developed over time and the effort it takes to cultivate good taste.

[00:40:01] Editing process and taste
Reference to a quote by George Saunders on the revision process, highlighting the role of taste in making micro decisions during editing.

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