Herbert Lui

Blog on creativity, marketing, and the human condition.

  • About
  • Creative Doing
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  • Today, now

    A sense of immediacy means doing something today, now. Not tomorrow, the day after, or someday. Not putting it on a to-do list or into a task management system. Not until you feel ready or confident. Today, now. Backlogs don’t exist. You can delete them. Clear your mind as well. Spontaneity is a driving force.…

    Herbert Lui

    September 12, 2025
    A Matter of Time, Creativity, Creator Confidential, Turning Stories
  • Progress happens between practice sessions

    In response to my post on voluntary discomfort, marginalia_nu writes:  I think expectations matter quite a lot. For example, when practicing a practical skill, the actual practice session itself will likely suck. Not only will you see no progress, you may even feel you’re going backwards. You’ll also get mentally and physically tired and quickly…

    Herbert Lui

    September 11, 2025
    A Matter of Time, Creativity, Creator Confidential, Expectations, Turning Stories
  • Creative competition

    A recording artist had started writing a book about creative work. Not long after, he read The Creative Act by Rick Rubin. “Every page made me feel better about my own artistic pursuits,” the artist writes.  Then, doubt came over him. Rick’s book was so good that the artist wondered if he needed to write…

    Herbert Lui

    September 10, 2025
    Creativity, Creator Confidential, Turning Stories
  • What I got out of business school

    In university, I attended a business school. It was good, with a decent reputation, nothing fancy enough to name drop. I picked it because I wasn’t entirely sure what I wanted to do after studying, and the skills seemed flexible enough to apply to all sorts of jobs. Worst case, maybe I would be able…

    Herbert Lui

    September 9, 2025
    Creativity, Creator Confidential, Expectations, Turning Stories
  • Stop trying to fill an acceptance shaped hole with ambition

    If you tune into any type of media—traditional, social—you will receive the message that success will fix everything. Except it doesn’t work. Success promises to make you happy, but it can’t. You don’t need to look very far to see a successful person do something a happy person would not. The next time you crave…

    Herbert Lui

    September 8, 2025
    Creativity, Creator Confidential, Turning Stories
  • Find things that give you energy

    “Find” because it’s a verb. It requires intention. If you’ve been waiting a long time to be found, you can flip the script and start to find. “Things” because what you’re looking for could be anything. Keep an open mind. Activities, people, and places, are good starting points. Walking down a new street. Going to…

    Herbert Lui

    September 7, 2025
    Creativity, Creator Confidential, Expectations, Life
  • Tying my hands to the siren song of social media

    In Greek mythology, The Odyssey tells the story of a man, Odysseus, making a decade-long journey to return home to his family. Along the way, he and his team come across many obstacles and come up with plans to get past them. For example, Odysseus and his team encounter sirens at sea—beings who sing beautifully.…

    Herbert Lui

    September 6, 2025
    Creativity, Creator Confidential, Life
  • A place is a tool that people maintain

    A place is a tool. The library helps you focus and work. The gym helps you work out. Your home helps you relax and unwind.  A nice restaurant is a tool for you to get together with friends and family, share a meal, and create a new experience. If you walked into a nice restaurant,…

    Herbert Lui

    September 5, 2025
    Around the World, Creativity, Creator Confidential, Expectations
  • What Terry Fox started

    When he was 18 years old, Terry Fox was diagnosed with a rare, aggressive, form of bone cancer. In order to contain it, Terry’s doctors amputated his leg. While he was in the hospital recovering, Terry saw how little money was being allocated to cancer research. Terry wanted to make a change. When he saw…

    Herbert Lui

    September 4, 2025
    A Matter of Time, Expectations, Life
  • Turn a difference of kind into a difference of degree

    “Once you start making things, once you take that leap, you have the same status as any other artist,” Questlove writes in Creative Quest. “I’m not saying that you’re as good. I’m not saying that you’re as important. But all of a sudden it’s a difference of degree rather than a difference of kind.” If…

    Herbert Lui

    September 3, 2025
    Creativity, Creator Confidential, Turning Stories
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