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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!…
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“Art changes people and people change the world”
A great reminder, attributed to John Butler. I saw this on a brick wall in Tokyo; I’m glad that they posted it. As I previously wrote: “We can choose a responsibility, every day, to collect the best of what came before us, to embody it, and to preserve it by sharing its charms with other…
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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…
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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…
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Contentions: Predictions drive great brands
A great brand is driven by a prediction. (That’s not the only starting point; a great brand can start as a lighthouse, too.) These visions of the future are the fuel for where the business goes. Ideas and people matter more than the product. Eventually, these ideas and people bear resemblance to religion; Apple, Soulcycle,…
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In praise of the obvious
When you’re playing a word game like Scrabble, it helps to move your letters around. Just a simple shuffle of the same letters will show you combinations that your brain couldn’t see before. There’s a similar case to be made for writing about something that seems obvious. Even if the idea or story is the…
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One with the people
Even if you come up with the most brilliant business, product, or creative idea, you’ll be limited by how well you can connect it with the people who get value out of it. You don’t just magically find these connections (and ideas!). You discover it through spending time with people and listening to what they’re…
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I wrote every day for 365 days. Here are my results and 5 insights
In February 2022, I started #the100dayproject with the goal of writing a new blog post every day. (Here’s post #1.) Day 100 came, and I didn’t stop. I was having way too much fun. I’ve since written 110,126 words, enough to fill two nonfiction books. Over 88,106 people have visited my website. I’ve often been…
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Contentions: Writing to understand
Writing can be a tool for marketing, creating media, and building an audience. But it’s definitely not the most valuable use of it. Many people and teams are constantly patterning themselves after what they see and believe to be successful. That’s because if they didn’t mimic the best practices, they don’t know what they would…
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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.