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Category Archives: Art
Real Art Doesn’t Use Crutches
The other day I talked about how Christopher Nolan masterfully used the “mystique” trigger to propel The Dark Knight to rake in over $1 Billion at the box office, worldwide. In that post, I asked: So, since the archetype of … Continue reading
Posted in Art, Creativity, Inspiration, Quotes, Style
Tagged Art, Ending, Gimmick, M. Night Shyamalan, Movies, Sixth Sense, Twist
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How To Make $1 Billion In One Summer And Get Whatever You Want
The lights dim, just a little bit, in that cavernous, air-conditioned hall. This is my favorite part. There’s so much promise and intrigue. It’s impossible to feel let down. That familiar lime-green image flickers to life, letting the audience know … Continue reading
Posted in Art, Business, Creativity, Food For Thought, Inspiration, Persuasion, Quotes, Style
Tagged Batman, Fascinate, Hollywood, Mystery, Mystique, Psychology, Reveal, The Dark Knight
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Design Is Just Asking “How Do I Maximize Pleasure?”
For a long time, the electronics and computer industry asked “How do I make this work?” This is understandable. In any nascent industry, getting something that works out the door is priority number one. But, even after the functionality hurdle … Continue reading
Posted in Aesthetics, Art, Creativity, Food For Thought, Inspiration, Style
Tagged Design, Living, Pleasure, Tiny Home, Utility
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Invite, Don’t Sell
Windows and Orbitz provide totally open experiences: you can have whatever you like, anything is possible, but you’re going to have to work for it. Apple and Abercrombie & Kent chose a different direction: both provide totally tailored, curated experiences. … Continue reading
Posted in Art, Business, Food For Thought, Inspiration, Persuasion
Tagged Advertising, Apple, Marketing, Microsoft, Persuasion, Sales, Selling
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Why Creativity is Scary
What is creativity? Is it spawning new ideas from whole cloth? Is it wild discovery and clear innovation? Where does creativity come from? Is it that Eureka moment, that flash of inspiration that comes out of the ether? Is it, … Continue reading
Posted in Art, Creativity, Food For Thought, Inspiration, Quotes, Self-Improvement
Tagged Fear, Mark Cuban, Steve Jobs
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Understanding Exposure, pt. Practice
If you want to learn to take good photographs, you need to understand how cameras work. See my super-simple explanation here: Understanding Exposure. If you want to actually take good photographs, you need to put that understanding into practice. I’ve … Continue reading
Transparency
Polished Sausage “Transparency” has been one of the hottest buzzwords in business for a few years now. Pundits and actual businessmen alike tout the advantages of full disclosure, and maybe more importantly, the ramifications of not being forthright. But, as … Continue reading
Posted in Advice, Art, Creativity, Food For Thought, Self-Improvement, Style
Tagged Mystique, Presentation, Show, Style, Trigger
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The Cult of Status Quo
Bill Simmons, who’s nicknamed The Sports Guy and writes a comical column for ESPN, shares a very insightful response to a reader’s email about why soccer will never become popular in the U.S.: “Sometimes when people become die-hard fans of … Continue reading
Posted in Advice, Aesthetics, Art, Creativity, Food For Thought, Inspiration, Photography, Self-Improvement
Tagged Bill Simmons, Fads, HDR Photography, Sports, The Sports Guy, Trends
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Art Is Just A Story
People make a big fucking deal about art. They talk about provenance and historical relevance and cultural significance. Those things can certainly make a piece of art more interesting, but why does that make someone want to own something? There’s … Continue reading
Posted in Aesthetics, Art, Creativity, Inspiration, Style
Tagged Deborah Butterfield, Horses, Sculpture, Storytelling
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Deadlines Force Creativity
Inspiration and work ethic, they ride right next to each other. When I was an upholsterer, sometimes you’re not inspired to reupholster and old chair. Sometimes it’s just work and you just do it because you’re supposed to. And maybe … Continue reading
Posted in Advice, Art, Creativity, Food For Thought, Inspiration, Productivity, Quotes, Self-Improvement, Style, Tips
Tagged Creativity, Deadline, Jack White, Pain, Restriction, White Stripes, Work
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Change Is Good
I know a lot of people who not only fear change, but hate it. I had never really understood why. To me, change is always good. I’ve never gone through a change and said “I wish that never happened.” Even … Continue reading
Posted in Art, Creativity, Food For Thought, Inspiration, Quotes, Rationality, Self-Improvement
Tagged Change, Risk, Seth Godin
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Anxiety
Anxiety is experiencing failure in advance. – Seth Godin
Posted in Art, Creativity, Food For Thought, Inspiration, Productivity, Quotes, Self-Improvement
Tagged Anxiety, Seth Godin
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Ego Is Good
From Seth Godin’s Poke The Box: Somewhere along the way, ego became a nasty word. It’s not. When our name is on a project, our ego pushes us over the hump and drives us to do even better work. Ego … Continue reading
Posted in Advice, Art, Creativity, Food For Thought, Inspiration, Persuasion, Quotes, Self-Improvement
Tagged Ego, Greed, Poke The Box, Seth Godin, Vanity
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If You’re Not Curious, You’re Boring
I have no special talent. I am only passionately curious. -Albert Einstein I really believe curiosity is everything. Those who aren’t curious about the world are boring and never accomplish anything great. I can understand how people can go through … Continue reading
Posted in Advice, Art, Creativity, Food For Thought, Inspiration, Quotes, Self-Improvement
Tagged Albert Einstein, Curiosity, Interesting, Interestingness, Jay-Z, John Mayer, Seth Godin
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