Cyan Banister (Website, X, Substack) is an investor, artist, and co-founder and General Partner of Long Journey Ventures. Previously, Cyan spent four years at Founders Fund and has a legendary angel investing track record alongside her husband, Scott, including early rounds in SpaceX, Uber, and DeepMind.Cyan is as original as they come: she grew up on a Navajo reservation and was homeless by 15, with a series of unlikely serendipitous moments combined with optimism, agency, and love of capitalism taking her to a very different life than the one she grew up with. I focused this conversation not on Cyan's work, but her unique approach to living.We begin with Cyan’s “church”: a weekly visit to see Bobby McFerrin and co. do live, jazz acapella in Berkeley, CA. We discuss how this space ties to presence, openness, and play, and then talk about the tension between novelty and consistency as she continues on her own path toward self-love and mindfulness. She also tells me about her radical approach to accountability and the empowering results of assuming that everything is her fault.One of Cyan's favorite words is the French dérive, or an intentional drift, and it embodies her approach to the world. She moves with childlike wonder, seeking to see things and people from new perspectives and challenging others to react beyond their default settings. She daydreams about the outcomes she wants and has remarkable conviction and faith even when others do not believe her.We wrap with a grab bag representative of Cyan's diverse interests, from filmmaking and performance art to the US Constitution to Bill Murray. Cyan manages to combine randomness and intentionality, naiveté and sober-minded awareness, humility and conviction. I hope you are are as inspired as I am to live more playfully, seriously, and courageously.Full transcript is available at https://dialectic.fm/cyan-banisterTimestamps0:01:23: Intro0:03:45: Cyan's "Church"0:16:21: Stillness, Mindfulness, and Introspection0:28:47: Learning to See in Original Ways0:39:38: People: When the "Light is On," "Collecting Minds," and Conjuring Friends0:46:55: Cultivating Childlike Joy and Refusing to be a Victim0:52:30: Radical Accountability0:56:28: Randomness, Faith, and Experimentation1:06:22: Conviction and Peter Thiel1:12:54: Returning to Seed Investing and Long Journey Ventures1:18:23: Thoughts on Art1:23:42: Performance Art1:26:37: Cyan's Creative Projects1:32:51: Boredom1:36:06: Living Around Elderly People1:42:14: Pete Buttigieg1:45:57: Being a Role Model1:48:26: Young People's Future1:52:46: Scott Banister and Lessons for Her Kids1:55:35: "It Just Doesn't Matter" And Who Pulls the StringsKey LinksCyan - by Kevin Gee and Dan Scott - Cloud ValleyCyan Banister — From Homeless and Broke to Top Angel Investor - Tim FerrissInvesting for a Higher Purpose - Invest like the BestBobby McFerrinUniversity of Texas at Austin 2014 Commencement Address - Admiral William H. McRavenExample of Motion and Bobby's performanceThe Magic Glasses - Frank HarrisMy Life and Loves - Frank HarrisLee JacobsBILL MURRAY TALKS ABOUT THE PAINTING THAT SAVED HIS LIFEThe Diamond Age: Or, a Young Lady's Illustrated Primer - Neal Stephenson | GoodreadsIt Just Doesn't Matter! - Meatballs (1979)The Razor's Edge (1984)Bill Murray gives a surprising and meaningful answer you might not expect. (Charlie Rose)Dialectic with Jackson Dahl is available on all podcast platforms.Join the telegram channel for DialecticFollow Dialectic on TwitterFollow Dialectic on InstagramSubscribe to Dialectic on YouTube
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