Category: Creator Confidential
-
From fliers to billboards
Some conceptual artists work mostly with language and words. This includes Glenn Ligon, Barbara Kruger, and Jenny Holzer. (Lots more here!) Holzer was the most familiar to me; I came across her truisms in books, and also through her collaboration with Virgil Abloh in 2017. I recently found out that Holzer’s work didn’t start off…
-
11 books that started as articles, speeches, or podcasts
For several years, I’ve kept a running tab of articles, speeches, or podcasts that have turned into books. It’s time to start publicizing it. This list is for you if you’ve ever considered—or longed!—to publish a book: start today, start small (by yourself!), and start with what you’ve got. A book is just a snapshot in…
-
Extreme affirmations don’t work, compassion does
In “Positive Self-Statements Power for Some, Peril for Others,” authors Joanne V. Wood, W.Q. Elaine Perunovic, and John W. Lee write: When people with low self-esteem repeated the statement, ‘‘I’m a lovable person’’ (Study 2), or focused on ways in which this statement was true of them (Study 3), neither their feelings about themselves nor…
-
The joys of illuminating
John Warner wrote a great piece on four categories of people who write for the public. In a separate, preceding, post, he writes: My goal is for my writing to engage readers on a “shared inquiry” level, where whatever I am saying is not viewed as a declaration that demands agreement, but an exploration attempting…
-
Icing on the cake
I’ve often written things that I don’t get paid for directly. It’s not that I never got paid directly for my writing. It’s just that I didn’t mind writing, even if I didn’t get paid for that particular piece. Writing and publishing without getting paid often led to opportunities in the long run. For example,…
-
Craft, plus
“Fashion is kinda a joke,” Virgil Abloh says to Carl Swanson for New York magazine. “I don’t get too bogged down in the clothes. For me, it’s one big art project, just a canvas to show that fashion should have a brand which has someone behind it who cares about different contexts. Social things.” Jon…
-
Declassifying secrets
“Flip your 80:20 rule for keeping secrets. Instead of classifying 80% of your information, aim at classifying only 20%. Most of the secrets you keep no one would bother reading even if you delivered them with the morning newspaper.” via The Cluetrain Todo List
-
Less mainstream, more premium
Fame is increasingly temporary, diverging away from actual influence, which means it also doesn’t generate business results like it used to. A lot of advice for creating online is built on fame and reach, almost analogous to mainstream cable. This line of advice is focused entirely on getting attention. Juice up your headlines with hooks!…
-
On quitting, failing, and, “I find a lot of people who should quit don’t”
I recently posted my friend Vin’s blog post at Hacker News, where it sparked a lot of discussion. In particular, one comment by rcme stood out to me: I find a lot of people who should quit don’t. Their taste becomes compromised and they fall in love with their own work. I have high school…
-
Contentions: If you really want to make an impact, tell a story
You may never own a pair of J’s, though there’s a chance you’ll know Michael Jordan’s story. You may not have heard one of Amanda Palmer songs, though you may know of her stories with crowdfunding. You may not watch Oprah, and you might still know her as a billionaire who started with nothing. Same…