taste can't be optimized
what remains human when everything can be measured and improved?
In a world where we are surrounded by infinite choices and AI, let’s take some time to analyze taste.
If you’ve known me for a while, you probably know I absolutely love making short form (kinda crappy) video content on social media about emerging technologies (and what I ate). Some people love my content, some people hate it. If you love it you probably have good taste. Just kidding. Either way, I’m grateful for all the experiences that came with it. Making short form content genuinely makes me so happy.
Fast forward to today, my taste in content creation has slightly shifted. I’ve been obsessed with writing these days….. hello Substack!
What is taste?
There’s no formula. Much of what we call taste is actually discernment and judgement. What do we keep, and what do we cut? Good discernment is deeply human and can’t be optimized. Taste is not about having more things, but about having better filters.
Taste is shaped, not bought.
It is shaped by everything you have experienced, the places you have lived, the cultures you have encountered, the books you read, the music you listen to, the people who influence you, and the moments that change you.
Taste is absorbed, before it is learned.
Predictive taste
The people we often describe as having exceptional taste tend to notice things early. They recognize the artist before the world recognizes the artist. They see cultural shifts before it becomes obvious. This is not because they have a better algorithm, it’s because they have developed sensitivity. They pay attention. They understand history. They understand context.
Predictive taste is not guessing the future, it’s understanding the present deeply enough to see where it might go.
We are currently in a world where content creation has become so abundant. Plastic surgery has become more common. Luxury brand items are more accessible. But taste has never been about creating more options or having more access.
AI can analyze patterns, but culture is not just patterns, it’s human experience. AI can generate and algorithms can recommend but good taste chooses.
Taste as a social language
Taste is a form of communication, a social code.
The clothes you wear, the spaces you create, the art you collect. They all communicate something about who you are.
Are you performing taste for an algorithm?
While the algorithm rewards visibility. Taste rewards meaning.
The evolution
Taste evolves, but it is not a race. You can’t optimize your way into it. Taste is developed through different stages:
Instinct
Taste is about function
What do I need?
What helps me survive?
Identity
Taste evolves into identity
What does this say about me?
How do others see me?
This is where many people stop. Taste becomes a performance.
Intuition
Subtle understanding
Real taste does not announce itself, it is recognized.
Worldview
Taste becomes less about objects and more about the quality of mind.
It can be cultivated through a lifetime of paying attention and seeing.
When two tastes collide
The interesting thing about taste is it’s not about everyone agreeing.
Enter Jean. Jean is a former colleague of mine who might just be the polar opposite of me. We think, act, and dress differently because we have completely different life experiences. We also live on the opposite sides of the world from each other. But something that we have in common is we care deeply about art.
I think that the best curators are not people who simply have strong opinions, they are people who can understand why someone else sees beauty somewhere they do not.
