Category Archives: Art

Self Published

Posted on April 20, 2012 by AJ Kessler

Ben Franklin Ezra Pound Emily Dickinson Marcel Proust Dave Eggers Thomas Paine Jane Austen Edgar Rice Burroughs Walt Whitman Nathaniel Hawthorne Stephen Crane Nikki Giovanni Virginia Woolf The question isn’t whether or not you should wait to be picked, the question … Continue reading →

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Your Team Is More Important Than Your Idea

Posted on April 19, 2012 by AJ Kessler

The modern Hollywood approach was to put together a team for one project and then disband the team when production was finished.  We thought that was dumb.  When it comes down to it, the only way to make a good … Continue reading →

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Color and Creativity

Posted on April 17, 2012 by AJ Kessler

What color should you paint that room?  It depends on what you want to do there.  If you need to pay close attention to detail oriented work, paint it red.  If you want to maximize the chance for creative insight, … Continue reading →

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Constraints Breed Creativity

Posted on April 16, 2012 by AJ Kessler

Why would anyone constrain themselves to writing poetry in Haiku? Why would Shakespeare force himself to write entire plays in iambic pentameter?  This makes no sense.  Think about how much harder it would be to write a play where each … Continue reading →

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Plodding Wins The Race

Posted on April 10, 2012 by AJ Kessler

The hare was once boasting of his speed before the other animals. “I have never yet been beaten,” he said.  “I challenge anyone here to race with me.” The Tortoise said quietly, “I accept your challenge.” “That’s funny,” said the … Continue reading →

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Create More Than You Consume

Posted on April 8, 2012 by AJ Kessler

It’s very easy to consume.  We’ve created a culture that glamorizes it.  Television and internet access alone are unending conveyer belts, delivering as much distraction and escapism as you can possibly guzzle.  But we also have magazines, books, movie theaters, … Continue reading →

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Creativity and the Importance of Disappointment

Posted on April 4, 2012 by AJ Kessler

I’m just diving into Jonah Lehrer’s new book on creativity, Imagine: How Creativity Works.  We’ve discussed creativity here extensively, and even addressed how to be creative, but I hope to share some new insights from this book soon.  In the … Continue reading →

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How To Write, Part 2

Posted on April 3, 2012 by AJ Kessler

John Steinbeck, in a lengthy interview with the Paris Review (all of which is worth reading) shares some thoughts on writing: 1. Abandon the idea that you are ever going to finish. Lose track of the 400 pages and write just … Continue reading →

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The Most Astounding Fact About The Universe

Posted on April 2, 2012 by AJ Kessler

You may have seen Neil deGrasse Tyson’s quote about what he considers to be the most astounding fact about the universe, but it’s even more impressive when mashed up by Max Schlickenmeyer:

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How To Break A Habit

Posted on April 1, 2012 by AJ Kessler

We’ve talked before about building habits.  That’s important.  But so is breaking habits.  Luckily, unlike forcing yourself to repeatedly do something new and scary, breaking existing habits isn’t nearly as hard.  One of the easiest ways is simply to substitute … Continue reading →

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How Photographers Actually Spend Their Time

Posted on March 27, 2012 by AJ Kessler

Note that this is true for literally every profession, especially the “glamorous” ones (click to enlarge): HT: Chase Jarvis

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…But No One Else Is Doing It

Posted on March 25, 2012 by AJ Kessler

It’s scary if you’re the only one doing something.  The immediate thought is that you must be doing something wrong.  Surely, if you were right, someone else would be doing it. Sometimes, that’s true.  Nobody is selling bacon-flavored oxygen because … Continue reading →

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Problem Solving In The Real World

Posted on March 21, 2012 by AJ Kessler

From about 5 years old to somewhere between 18 and 30 years old, we’re asked to solve problems in some specific way in order to demonstrate we understand what the professor was paid to teach us.  You’re allowed to use … Continue reading →

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What You Want

Posted on March 18, 2012 by AJ Kessler

Alain de Botton with a good reminder: One of the interesting things about success is that we think we know what it means. A lot of the time our ideas about what it would mean to live successfully are not … Continue reading →

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Solve The Right Problem

Posted on March 17, 2012 by AJ Kessler

In 1959, long before the X-prize, Henry Kremer offered 50,000 pounds to anyone who could finally build a flying machine powered only by the pilot’s body power.  All an entrant had to do was fly in a figure eight around … Continue reading →

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