Category Archives: Creativity

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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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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Steve Jobs on Failure

Posted on January 6, 2012 by AJ Kessler

I’ve never found anyone who didn’t want to help me if I asked them for help.  Most people never pick up the phone and call; most people never ask.  And that’s what separates, sometimes, the people who do things and … Continue reading →

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Chase Permanent Wins, Then Throw Them Away

Posted on January 3, 2012 by AJ Kessler

When I spend 100 hours working to create a photograph, I produce a finished product.  It’s tangible.  It’s also permanent: I get to look at it forever, anybody can see it, and I can even sell copies of it. All … Continue reading →

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There Are No Shortcuts

Posted on December 8, 2011 by AJ Kessler

If you searched for diet books right now on amazon, how many results do you think you’d get?  Diet books are pretty popular, remember.  Definitely more than a couple hundred, right?  I would have guessed a couple thousand.  I would … Continue reading →

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Choose Your Friends Wisely

Posted on December 5, 2011 by AJ Kessler

Who has a bigger influence on the person you turn out to be: your parents or your friends? Since at least the days of Freud, psychologists believed parents were the overwhelming factor in how their children turned out.  But, it … Continue reading →

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Plans Are Good, Goals Are Better

Posted on November 26, 2011 by AJ Kessler

Plans, the individual steps you think you’re going to take to accomplish something, are good.  But, plans have this nasty tendency to fail pretty regularly.  One of the steps just wasn’t feasible, or other people don’t do what they’re supposed … Continue reading →

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The Problem With Old People

Posted on November 17, 2011 by AJ Kessler

They’re afraid of breaking shit. Put some technology in their hands, and they’re afraid to do anything. “I don’t want to break it.”  “What if I mess something up?” So, of course they never learn how to use it.  You … Continue reading →

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The Joy of Swearing

Posted on November 12, 2011 by AJ Kessler

It’s not necessary.  As if that should stop one from doing it.  It’s not necessary to have colored socks.  Things not being necessary is what makes life interesting.  Little extras in life. Stephen Fry Great thoughts from Stephen Fry on … Continue reading →

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Skill Rot, or Why You Shouldn’t Learn That

Posted on November 7, 2011 by AJ Kessler

It’s not like riding a bike: you can’t hop right back on and it doesn’t come back easily, even though you still might end up getting your groin impaled by the contraption you’re trying to control. Skill rot is what … Continue reading →

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Look Better and Get Better By Culling

Posted on November 2, 2011 by AJ Kessler

It’s important to go back and review your old work.  Just a little time away from it and you can look at it with fresh eyes.  Enough time away from it and you can look at it with someone else’s … Continue reading →

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The Tipping Point Is Bullshit

Posted on November 1, 2011 by AJ Kessler

The concept of “the tipping point” has been bastardized.  People now seem use the expression to mean that there’s some sort of silver bullet or fatal flaw.  If you could just do this one thing, or eliminate this one flaw, … Continue reading →

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On Being Prolific

Posted on October 31, 2011 by AJ Kessler

Picasso created somewhere between 50,000 and 100,000 pieces of art during his life.  If we take the low estimate and assume he starting making real art at about 6 years old, this means he had to create about two pieces … Continue reading →

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If You Can Easily Describe What You Do, You’re Fucked

Posted on October 27, 2011 by AJ Kessler

If you’re hanging out with the spouse of someone who is very successful, it’s hilarious to ask them what their spouse does.  Most of the time, they have no idea.  They’ll know what field he’s in, “uh… she works with … Continue reading →

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The Small Change in Perception That Can Change Your Life

Posted on October 22, 2011 by AJ Kessler

Who has a higher tolerance for pain: those who experience an acute injury, lots of pain at one time, or those who constantly suffer from pain?  The answer is counter-intuitive, and the potential reason is fascinating. Dan Ariely has found … Continue reading →

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