Flows and Stocks

“If you work on something a little bit every day, you end up with something that is massive.” – Kenneth Goldsmith

I learned to think about the nature of flow and stocks in the generalized sense when I read the amazing book I highly recommend, “Thinking in Systems” by Donella Meadows. The author suggests that every system whether it is a company, a biological system like an animal body, government, a savings account etc. can be described as a collection of flows and stocks with each potentially influencing each other (i.e. feedback. ex. a greater weight on my weighing scale (stock) -> more exercise (ideally) to get rid of calories (flow) from my body).

In “Show your work”, author Austin Kleon talks about the same stocks and flows in the context of making art (flow) and having a body of work (stock). Austin says, once you have a body of work and perform an artistic “analysis” of sorts, you can find patterns and themes that can reveal something about yourself that you were not aware of. You can prove your credibility as an artist. And a lot more.

Digital Art (unlike physical commodities) once created is a stock that never gets depleted. If you create art, you have the ability to distribute it freely. It grows stale maybe, but never depletes.

So, yeah. Worry about the flow and the stock takes care of itself.