what can i author/create in 5 weeks that can be intrinsically meaningful enough to be worth doing without expectation of outcome AND be a strong enough Batsignal to potentially attract a good job?

an unhedged bet. a cri de coeur. but doable--not so precious that it's impossible, but not so doodley that it doesn't look invested-in.

shit i've authored/created that i'm proud of even tho "no one" has seen it:

• Requiem for the Space Shuttle (created in a day, because I wanted/had to see what was possible up against an immovable use-it-or-lose-it deadline)
• my science video director reel (created in a day because I wanted/had to see what was possible up against an immovable use-it-or-lose-it deadline)
• Put on a Wider Lens (created in an evening because it was easy to begin/try-and-see and fun to continue iterating/refining)
• Text Editors I Have Loved (written in a day because it was easy to begin/try-and-see and fun to continue iterating/refining)

Themes: revealing the meaningfully personal / emotional. no permission asked or required. low stakes × now-or-never × why-not. nothing to prove. doing/discovering it in realtime is easier than planning/describing it in advance.

shit i've authored/created that I'm proud of and lots of people have seen it

• P vs NP feature for Scientific American (created over a period of months, in regular blocks of intense focus and/or many loopy exploratory paths and switchbacks and drafts, with ample support & trust)
• Antikythera Mechanism in Lego (created over a period of months, in regular blocks of intense focus and/or many loopy exploratory paths and switchbacks and drafts, with ample support & trust)
• Let's Go Tardigrading (created over a period of months, in regular blocks of intense focus and/or many loopy exploratory paths and switchbacks and drafts, with ample support & trust)

Themes: moonshot/go-for-broke/if not me, who/if not now, when. had a clear, enthusiastic vision but not necessarily a plan. graspable vision (thumbnail, prototype, sketch) generates more real TRUST than following proper procedure (descriptions, requests). had an extrinsic "spark", but beyond that, intrinsic/blue-sky/up to me. less about "proving I can do this, to/for you" and more "I already know I can do this, but I want to/have to find out how (with your support)." had ample "spare" cycles/margin for discovery/R&D. Wasn't fitting it into boxes/spackling it into cracks. It wasn't a side project, it was the work.

meta-themes?

• easy to begin × fun to continue
• use-it-or-lose-it = clarifying
• why not (me)? = good signal
• reveal ❤️ = work I'm proud of
• follow 🤔 = work I'm proud of
• TRUST is the best support
• vision > plan
• play-within-bounds > steps in a procedure
• commitment to a direction/process > pressure for an outcome/expectation
• regular blocks but with enough padding included

meta-meta distillations?

• what's worth doing: seeking and sharing the pleasure of finding things out.
• fascination is its own reward, but it's even better when shared.