Yarn bombin' artist, entrepreneur, and eternally curious man
Stephen Duneier is not the only Yarnbomber in existence, but he is the first to grab the domain name. "It was a way to deflect attention from myself," he explained in our talk.
For those who were hiking Santa Barbara trails in 2012, you might have heard of the tree or the boulder that was wrapped with yarn. And while Stephen Duneier isn't the first to do this, the photos of his work took off and suddenly people the world over were contacting him with their work, donating work, and more.
The man behind the yarn is equally fascinating. He's a former hedge fund manager who likes to challenge himself, give himself tasks, and learn everything. In this way, he kind of reminds me of people like Tim Ferris, who are obsessed with what they call these days "life hacking." But if you look back in history, you'll find a lot of these autodidacts, who tried to figure out how to learn things quickly, if not adequately. (Leonardo daVinci is one of the most famous.)
In this discussion we go back to 2001, where everything changed for him.
Topics discussed include: How the iPod changed Steve's life into "living life deliberately" How Steve learned German intensively Setting resolutions and being naturally curious How to use peer pressure Breaking through the mystique level Learning racing under Skip Barber Bija - the seed of future results Breaking down your goals into small tasks 2007 - a year hiking every single trail in Santa Barbara 2009 - Reading 50 books in a year Christopher McDougall's "Born to Run" and going barefoot "Mindful hiking" The best hiking trail in Santa Barbara 2012 - Learning 12 new things; and 12 charitable things Learning unicylcing and then...knitting Steve's first yarnbomb Woza Moya from South Africa Crochet Grenade Being called an artist and what it means How and why artists devalue themselves How yarn bombing adds value The future of the "Alien Campsite" Growing up from Long Island to Florida to Santa Barbara Where he learned his entrepreneurial spirit His other life as a economic newsletter writer/former hedge fund manager Plans for this year and beyond "You need to produce" and how not to waste time
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