Herbert Lui

Blog on creativity, marketing, and the human condition.

  • About
  • Creative Doing
  • Newsletter
  • The 48 Laws of Power started with powerlessness

    Early in his life, Robert Greene wanted to be a writer. His first attempt at this started early, with a job in journalism. After working for several years, one of his editors took him out for a liquid lunch and told him, “You should seriously consider a different career. You are not writer material. Your…

    Herbert Lui

    February 1, 2026
    Creativity, Creator Confidential, Expectations, Turning Stories
  • Escape velocity

    When a rocket launches into space, it needs to reach a point where it can break through gravity, known as escape velocity. Once the ship reaches that point, gravity is too weak to pull the ship back down to earth. It can get through the earth’s atmosphere on its own. In business, particularly early stage…

    Herbert Lui

    January 31, 2026
    Creativity, Creator Confidential
  • The hungry ghost’s favorite ingredient was ambition

    In Asian mythology, there are ghosts known as pretas with insatiable appetites. They have big mouths and thin necks. They can eat all they want and never feel full.  Spoiler alert: There’s a scene in The Ballad of a Small Player, in which the protagonist is possessed by such a ghost. Together, he wins big,…

    Herbert Lui

    January 30, 2026
    Creativity, Creator Confidential, Expectations, Turning Stories
  • A return to my business writing practice

    My strategy with making and shipping creative work has, generally, involved earning money through business writing (in the form of working independently as a marketing consultant, or in a marketing full time role) and investing it into creative projects. Projects like Creative Doing, pretty much all my writing online (including Medium), Prologue, The World According…

    Herbert Lui

    January 29, 2026
    Contentions, Creator Confidential
  • Craft your little empire

    My friend Hamza works as a keynote speaker, author, and leader of a new tech company. If you asked him for career advice, he would tell you, “Be your own boss.”  This resonates with me; it’s about taking yourself seriously, investing in yourself, and reclaiming responsibility and agency. Whether you work with other people and…

    Herbert Lui

    January 28, 2026
    Creator Confidential, Expectations, Turning Stories
  • A matter of size

    Like many days, I struggled to find an idea that was the right size for my blog post today. I’d scheduled half an hour to type, and the idea I found energizing needed much more than that. I looked and looked, and all of them did. So I started pecking away at the keyboard for…

    Herbert Lui

    January 27, 2026
    A Matter of Time, Creativity, Creator Confidential
  • Celebrating the debut of Home Room

    A few years ago, Jonnie Park started his podcast, Fun With Dumb (a play on his rap name, Dumbfoundead). I remember listening to episode nine when it came out several years ago and really enjoying it. With Jonnie at the helm, the podcast went on for over 300 episodes and gathered a loyal fanbase. Along…

    Herbert Lui

    January 26, 2026
    Creativity, Creator Confidential
  • Evening constitutional

    Even during the winter, one of my favorite times of day is going for a stroll with my wife after dinner. It’s very helpful for digestion, so it’s known as a “constitutional,” or more crudely as a, “fart walk.” In Chinese, the term is, “散步.” I remember my grandparents doing this every night.  If you…

    Herbert Lui

    January 25, 2026
    Creativity, Life
  • Why people still ask for directions

    Maps were one of the first technologies. The earliest map we know of right now was etched into a mammoth tusk around 25,000 years old. Maps have come a long way, from tusk, to paper, to software. Now, an app can offer a huge, interactive, map of the world in your pocket, down to the…

    Herbert Lui

    January 24, 2026
    Around the World
  • Becoming more mindful of overcorrecting

    For almost all of my life, I’ve taken feedback very seriously. I wanted to stay out of trouble, so I learned to do this to make sure figures of authority—parents, teachers, etc.—knew that I was listening to what they said. In a way, this became one of my strengths. I learn and adapt very well.…

    Herbert Lui

    January 23, 2026
    A Matter of Time, Creativity, Creator Confidential, Turning Stories
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