Category Archives: Business

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 →

Posted in Advice, Art, Business, Choice, Creativity, Food For Thought, Inspiration, Quotes, Seth Godin | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

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 →

Posted in Advice, Art, Business, Creativity, Food For Thought, Leading, Quotes, Relationships | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Should I Go To Business School?

Posted on April 18, 2012 by AJ Kessler

Generally, business school is a poor investment.  If you want to go to a top 20 school, you’re going to spend at least $100,000 and two years of your life (easily another $100,000 or $200,000 in lost earnings).  Realistically, your … Continue reading →

Posted in Advice, Business, Choice, Money, Quotes, Rationality | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

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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Make Yourself Redundant

Posted on April 15, 2012 by AJ Kessler

There’s a lot of career advice out there that implores you to make yourself indispensable.  Taken the right way, this is clearly good advice.  But I’ve seen this misinterpreted any number of times.  Making yourself indispensable or irreplaceable in terms … Continue reading →

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Psychology of Morality

Posted on April 11, 2012 by AJ Kessler

At least one study shows that our default setting might be to cheat.  Only when we have a bit of time for reflection does our penchant for morality kick in: Dr Shalvi, Dr Eldar and Dr Bereby-Meyer gave each of 76 … 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 →

Posted in Advice, Art, Business, Choice, Creativity, Food For Thought, Inspiration, Productivity, Self-Improvement | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

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 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 →

Posted in Advice, Art, Business, Choice, Creativity, Food For Thought, Inspiration, Persuasion, Productivity, Psychology, Quotes, Rationality, Self-Improvement, Video | Tagged , | Leave a comment

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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How To Write

Posted on March 24, 2012 by AJ Kessler

More excellent advice from David Ogilvy, founder of one of the preeminent advertising firms in the world: The better you write, the higher you go in Ogilvy & Mather. People who think well, write well. Woolly minded people write woolly memos, woolly letters and … Continue reading →

Posted in Advice, Business, Marketing, Quotes, Tips | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

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 →

Posted in Advice, Art, Business, Food For Thought, Psychology, Self-Improvement | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments