Tag Archives: Art

On Plagiarism

Posted on July 16, 2012 by AJ Kessler

Those who do not want to imitate anything, produce nothing. – Salvador Dali Or, as Mark Twain explains in more fervent prose: Oh, dear me, how unspeakably funny and owlishly idiotic and grotesque was that ‘plagiarism’ farce! As if there … Continue reading →

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Link Dump

Posted on July 13, 2012 by AJ Kessler

How do good hotels stay always feel so fresh and clean?  Lots and lots of manpower. How the cast of friends banded together to leverage their per episode salaries into seven figures.  Great negotiating story.  Ctrl+F “breakout”. 7 Useless Money-Saving … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Business, Inspiration, Money, Negotiation, Photography | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

Forgeries on the Brain

Posted on May 18, 2012 by AJ Kessler

When it comes to high art, almost nobody can tell the difference between an original and a good copy.  Even so, we overwhelmingly prefer the original.  Oxford scientists hooked up 14 volunteers to a functional MRI, and then showed them … Continue reading →

Posted in Aesthetics, Art, Food For Thought, Marketing, Persuasion, Psychology, Rationality | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

…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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Productivity Tips, From 1932

Posted on February 27, 2012 by AJ Kessler

Despite, or in fact because of, the 80 years of technological advancement, these tips are even more relevant today.  Courtesy of Henry Miller: COMMANDMENTS Work on one thing at a time until finished. Start no more new books, add no … 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 →

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

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 →

Posted in Advice, Art, Business, Creativity, Inspiration, Persuasion, Photography, Quotes | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The World Was Built By People No Smarter Than You

Posted on November 30, 2011 by AJ Kessler

When you grow up, you tend to get told that the world is the way it is, and your life is just to live your life inside the world; try not to bash into the walls too much, try to … 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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Your Brand Is Irrelevant

Posted on October 28, 2011 by AJ Kessler

Branding has been tremendously valuable over the last 100 years or so.  Even during the last five or ten years, pundits have been telling people to turn themselves into brands.  Brands are identifiable, they stand for something, they signify quality.  … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Business, Food For Thought, Inspiration, Persuasion, Relationships, Self-Improvement | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

A 10 Second Guide To Mastering Capitalism

Posted on October 3, 2011 by AJ Kessler

Capitalism is the ability to accumulate capital, which can then be deployed at will. The key to accumulating capital is delaying gratification.

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Minimum Viable Personality

Posted on September 30, 2011 by AJ Kessler

Excellent thoughts here on cultivating personality in your products.  Note that just about everything can be thought of as a product.  If you produce reports for a living, the report is your product.  You can create a brand out of … Continue reading →

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On Being Too Good

Posted on September 28, 2011 by AJ Kessler

When Roger Bannister broke the 4:00 barrier, a wave of runners suddenly poured through the hole he had smashed.  Before Bannister, a sub four minute mile was unthinkable.  After Banister, well, who cares if you ran a 3:59?  So did … Continue reading →

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Test Your Way To A Raise

Posted on September 25, 2011 by AJ Kessler

Testing is fundamentally important to increase your odds of success.  Yes, you may have been born an athletic freak.  You may write a screenplay that strikes the right tone at the right time and is wildly successful.  You may come … Continue reading →

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The Million Dollar Answer

Posted on August 31, 2011 by AJ Kessler

I am an old man and have known a great many troubles, but most of them never happened. – Mark Twain We spend a lot of time and money worrying.  We walk around thinking about earthquakes and hurricanes and terrorist … Continue reading →

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