a fragment of foliage in an etching

the blog.

exploring AI, uncertainty & creativity

a blog estd. 10 December 2021
during the global pandemic

The offical destination of thisisuncertain.com

“The search for knowledge is not nourished by certainty: it is nourished by a radical absence of certainty.” – Carlo Rovelli

Marcus Baumgart Marcus Baumgart

A diatribe about how to write (and how not to write): More from 2021

The author rejects outlining as "busy work" and advocates "start anywhere and just get on with it." Drawing from Arthur Ashe's wisdom and mindfulness meditation's concept of equanimity, they embrace beginning where you are, using what you have, doing what you can. Unlike professional architecture work, writing can happily abandon expertise and authority. They reference Fernando Pessoa, who wrote prolifically without seeking publication or financial rewards.

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Marcus Baumgart Marcus Baumgart

Arrival and Departure: Revisiting 2021

The author celebrates Pessoa's naked commitment to writing without seeking perfection or publication. After fifty years of eclectic reading, they experienced a decade-long creative drought until discovering "The Book of Disquiet" during the pandemic. They draw parallels between Pessoa's fragmentary masterpiece and Humphrey Jennings' "Pandaemonium"—both posthumously assembled collections that defy categorization. Pessoa became their long-sought gateway, inspiring their next creative departure.

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Marcus Baumgart Marcus Baumgart

Unknowing and uncertainty: Revisiting an old post

The author, a twenty-year architectural consultant, professionally banishes uncertainty for clients who pay to eliminate risk. This Sisyphean labor involves staying one or two steps ahead, managing indeterminacy for profit. However, in personal creative time, they embrace the opposite approach—taking up residence in uncertainty. Free from financial pressures, they abandon professional tools designed to control risk, surrendering to panoramic ignorance and trying to "unknow" rather than solve problems.

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