When Worlds Within Our Ecosystem Collide
When Worlds Within Our Ecosystem Collide During a dinner several years back, my host, a noted high-tech hedge fund manager, unwrapped and showed me a painting he had bought that morning. Curious about his taste in art, I asked, “What is it about this painting that speaks to you and where do you intend to display it in your home?” Re-wrapping the painting, he replied to my second question: “In a temperature-controlled vault I have in the basement.” And, to the first: “The dealer has a good track record of picking young artists whose works rapidly appreciate in value. I figure I can sell this in 5 years or less with at least a 10X cash-on-cash return.” Peering at the painting, it was evident to me that the artist had diligently studied the Masters and had perfected her craft over years of effort. She would have produced many failures in her quest to provide illuminating, new ways of seeing the world. They were the crucible in which she forg...