Category Archives: Art

How Do I Improve?

Posted on February 7, 2012 by AJ Kessler

Someone wrote to me today asking how to improve their photography.  I wrote back a short reply, and realized it is in no way limited to photography: Hi S., Thanks very much! My advice to you would be to look … Continue reading →

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The Hacker Way

Posted on February 1, 2012 by AJ Kessler

As part of Facebook’s S-1 filing today, Mark Zuckerberg wrote a letter to shareholders.  In it, he outlines the culture and process that helped make Facebook’s phenomenal success possible.  If you notice your way of doing business, or creating art, … Continue reading →

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How To Succeed At Anything

Posted on January 30, 2012 by AJ Kessler

Be so good they can’t ignore you. – Steve Martin Being good is easy to ignore. Lots of people are good. When you’re just good, you give someone else the power to decide your future. Whether it’s a hiring manager, … Continue reading →

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The First Thing You Do When You Sit Down At The Computer

Posted on January 27, 2012 by AJ Kessler

What’s the first thing you do?  Check your email?  See who needs you?  Whose problems need solving?  Maybe you “warm your brain up” by checking news, or gossip, or sports, or playing a game. (hint: you’re really warming your brain … Continue reading →

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Productive Procrastination

Posted on January 25, 2012 by AJ Kessler

Everyone needs a mental break at some point during the day.  It’s biological: mammals are programmed to experience two intensely sleepy periods during the day, the first between 2 and 4 am, and the second between 1 and 3 pm. … Continue reading →

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It’s Never Easy, Even For The Great Ones

Posted on January 24, 2012 by AJ Kessler

David Ogilvy was the “Father of Advertising”.  In 1962,  Time magazine called him “the most sought-after wizard in today’s advertising industry”.  He, and his eponymous advertising firm, were responsible for some of the world’s most iconic advertising campaigns, like “Don’t leave … Continue reading →

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Bad Career Advice: Just Network!

Posted on January 22, 2012 by AJ Kessler

If you’ve ever looked for a job, you’ve undoubtedly been advised that the best way to get a one is through your network.  If you don’t have a network, all experts agree you need to get out and build one. … Continue reading →

Posted in Advice, Art, Business, Food For Thought, Inspiration, Law, Marketing, Relationships, Self-Improvement | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

Racing To Not Fall Behind

Posted on January 18, 2012 by AJ Kessler

Distraction is the only thing that consoles us for our miseries, and yet it is itself the greatest of our miseries. – Blaise Pascal, 17th Century We have now, as a society, reached a point of near constant and total … Continue reading →

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Front-Running

Posted on January 17, 2012 by AJ Kessler

Why does it matter who wins the South Carolina primary next week?  Why, after votes in only two other states, would a win for Mitt Romney make him the prohibitive favorite?  It’s an interesting psychological question that reaches far beyond … Continue reading →

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You’re Not A Perfectionist, You’re Just Scared

Posted on January 16, 2012 by AJ Kessler

Why was Steve Jobs so good at what he did?  Not because he was a perfectionist. For all the talk of Steve Job’s perfectionism in the weeks and months after his death, most people tended to gloss over the cornucopia of shit products … Continue reading →

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A Million Little Decisions

Posted on January 15, 2012 by AJ Kessler

Why does the Mandarin Oriental cost five times as much per night as the Holiday Inn three blocks away?  Why is a BMW three times as much as a Ford?  Why is dinner at Cut ten times more expensive than … Continue reading →

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Questions

Posted on January 14, 2012 by AJ Kessler

Spend any time with a 7 year old and you’ll enjoy a never ending series of whys and hows.  Why does that happen? How does that work?  Why can’t we do this?  How can that be? But somewhere around 13 … Continue reading →

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Success and Failure: You’re Thinking About It Wrong

Posted on January 11, 2012 by AJ Kessler

We dream that someday soon, someone will recognize our genius: a big time agent reads our script and signs us; a major creative director sees our work and is compelled to feature it; the CEO reads about a project we … Continue reading →

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Nobody Cares About Your Happiness

Posted on January 10, 2012 by AJ Kessler

If you’re lucky, 10 people might care about your happiness.  That’s it. Some other people might care whether you show up for work.  They might care whether you perform, which means they care that you’re just happy enough not to … Continue reading →

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Why Taking Time Off To Figure It Out Is A Mistake

Posted on January 8, 2012 by AJ Kessler

Most people I know don’t really know what they want to do with the rest of their lives.  This includes most really successful people I know.  My grandfather, at 80 years old, used to say he didn’t know what he … Continue reading →

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