Category: Creator Confidential
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Democratized gatekeeping
“When I started, I couldn’t beg a fashion writer to write about my project. But with Instagram, I took an open-source tool and made it my magazine. I once said to Kevin [Systrom, Instagram co-founder], ‘You made it possible for me to have a fashion brand without using the traditional system.’” Virgil Abloh’s words, via…
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Misunderstanding
It’s almost always worth giving someone else the benefit of the doubt. The experience of rejection, whether it’s as simple as a request to reschedule, or a long overdue response, can be a deceptive moment. Then there’s the bigger stuff: declined invitations or applications, missed weddings, missed connections in travelling. There’s no hint here; just…
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Craigslist
Whether you’re looking to hire, or for your next career opportunity, try Craigslist (or Facebook Groups, or really any other job board or set of classifieds). Wherever people are, go to them. Listen. Respond. See Walter Chen on hiring from Craigslist, also Eddie Huang finding his first Food Network media opportunity through Craigslist.
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The case for consistency
On its own, consistency isn’t a particularly magical virtue; your work won’t magically improve on its own just because you show up every day. Deliberate practice and improving taste are still crucial parts of the practice. Rather, as a structure, consistency tends to build something of a keystone habit. If you commit to writing every…
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It’s the climb
If you’re considering using artificial intelligence and generative technology in your creative process, just remember these two parables. First: An old man in Calcutta would walk to get water from a well every day. He’d carry a clay pot and lower it by hand slowly, all the way down, careful not to let it hit…
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“I don’t believe in titles, I believe in work”
Via Abloh-isms by Larry Walsh; a sentiment shared by Armando Zambrano and Karl Lagerfeld. The original interview with this gem—supposedly here—has disappeared from the internet; another reminder to rescue lost stories and collect them. Each idea gets new life when it’s mentioned. See also multi-hyphenate careers.
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Graceful embarrassment
Porsche recently shipped its first NFT, to little traction. It’s a 91-year-old company, turning 92 this year, with tons of cash in the bank. If you were being critical of it, you’d probably make the case that the team should’ve known better. It should have spent more time building ties to the community. It should…
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Contentions: Describing your work
The way you describe your work is incredibly important. Not only is it how other people know what it is you do; it’s also a chance to show what you believe in, and to make the case they should believe it too. For example, Debbie Millman distinguishes between the image of “personal brand,” and the…
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Solomon’s Paradox
“Solomon’s paradox of wise reasoning, in which performance of wisdom differs when reasoning on an issue in one’s own life vs. another’s life, has been supported by robust evidence,” write Wentao Xu, Kaili Zhang, and Fengyan Wang in Frontiers in Psychology. Sometimes, we’re too close to the problem; maybe it’s directly in our blind spot.…
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Ship it anyway
There’s a story Nahnatchka Khan tells about recruiting Ali Wong as a writer for Fresh Off the Boat; Khan asked Wong’s manager for samples and a spec script, and receives a nine page script—a fraction of what she was expecting. Still, Khan had seen Wong’s standup and familiar with her work, and she was interested…