-
Shuffle mode
Sometimes, an insight reveals itself from a simple shuffle. An example includes rearranging letters in a game of Scrabble or Letter Tycoon; it’ll prompt your brain to see new words or recognize new possibilities. This applies to all sorts of creative work; sometimes, it’s worth rolling the dice. Let the magic of controlled sloppiness happen.
-
Interviewing experts to learn
I recently appeared at Rich Armstrong’s Twitter Spaces, and the topic of meeting other people (“networking”) came up (1:06:35). It reminded me of a draft for career advice that I pitched Forge (it was just sitting around, and this was an opening to unstick it). When I was a junior in college, I was at…
-
Thin layers
To elaborate on yesterday’s post: what looks like a simple, thin, layer can still be powerful (and take a lot of work!). See also improve the interface.
-
“Evolve or Die”
“Evolve or die” is one of the mottos in 50 Cent’s Hustle Harder, Hustle Smarter. He discusses his own adherence to the principle: When he put out new music in 2009, it still topped the charts, but he noticed the crowds at live shows weren’t responding to it as they used to. He observed that…
-
Unsticking
If a work gets stuck, and you need to unstick it, the best way to do it is almost always to make it smaller and simpler. What’s keeping it from launching now, this instant? What’s essential that you need to add? (vs. What is just a smart way of saying, “I’m scared”? What can you…
-
Democratized gatekeeping (redux)
When I wrote about democratized gatekeeping, I meant to include this link to Ryan Leslie describing his early videos on YouTube. He says: “Traditional channels of distribution, they seemed as though they had quite a few barriers. As much as I felt like I was talented enough that I could have my own MTV special,…
-
Put your name on it
It’s easy to hide behind a business name, a perception of mystique, or an obscure pseudonym. There are great advantages to this. One disadvantage is, if you don’t talk about yourself, you don’t end up actually putting yourself out there. You can’t bet on yourself, because you didn’t even make your bet yet. (Paraphrasing something…
-
#The100DayProject 2023
Last year, as part of #The100DayProject, I started writing every day here at my blog for 100 days. That habit has extended to today. It’s been one of the best things I’ve ever tried, and I’d highly encourage you to do the same. This year’s #The100DayProject starts February 22, 2023!
-
Practice vs. perfection
If you’re wondering if you should’ve signed that email off differently, or worried that you didn’t convey a certain detail the ideal way, or if this is your only shot at something, you’re missing the bigger picture. When the stakes feel too high, something is off. Perfection shouldn’t be the expectation for a positive outcome. …
-
8 lessons on creativity I learned from Virgil Abloh
Here are 8 lessons, and accompanying quotes, from Virgil Abloh to offer a different perspective in how you approach your creative work: 1. Don’t wait to get chosen; start where you are, and do it yourself When Virgil and Kanye interned at Fendi in 2009, the fashion world wasn’t ready to give them a real…