“Is it not dangerous to have students study together for years, copying the same models and approximately the same path?” – Theodore Gericault, Born Sep. 26, 1791. People who study marketing WITHOUT doing much ACTUAL marketing will all learn the same way. They read the same books. They copy the same winning ads. They learn… Read More →
Stuff You Choose Today Must Bear Fruit in the Future (Or Else Don’t Waste Time)
“I started doing ’30 Rock’ and started writing ‘Mystery Team’ at the beginning of that. While I was doing ‘Mystery Team,’ I started practicing stand-up. While I was doing stand up, I got ‘Community.’ It’s like I planted trees six years ago, and now they have fruit.” – Donald Glover, Born Sep. 25, 1983. Here… Read More →
Put a Pin in Those Excuses. Instead: Produce. Publish. Profit.
“You can play a shoestring if you’re sincere.” – John Coltrane, Born Sep. 23, 1926. Don’t let anything be an excuse that keeps you from doing what you want to do. “I only have an hour a day.” “I need a better computer.” “I’m working on my game plan.” “I was busy this weekend.” “I… Read More →
Become Yourself By Imitating All Your Heroes At Once
“I was a pretty good imitator of Roy Acuff, but then I found out they already had a Roy Acuff, so I started singin’ like myself.” – Hank Williams, Born Sep. 17, 1923. When you get started in a field you want to pursue, it’s completely valid to begin as an imitator of the most… Read More →
Worry Less About Being Unique, Just Focus on Being Good (By Just Doing Good)
“Don’t try to be different. Just be good. To be good is different enough.” – Arthur Freed, Born Sept. 9, 1894. I don’t know that I agree exactly with this. Being different can definitely be valuable. But I don’t think you have to worry about being unique or special in that way when you’re starting… Read More →
Modern Tech Makes Many of Your Perceived Limits Into Bullshittery
“But the power of science lies in open publication, which, with the rise of the Internet, is no longer constrained by the price of paper.” – Michael Shermer, Born Sep. 8, 1954. This technological fact of publication has changed the face of advertising, too. No more paying for printing prep. No more collating. No more… Read More →
If You Want to Write Better, Practice Writing Faster
“I can’t write without that urgency. Something is wrong if it takes more than five days to finish a screenplay. A story created this way will always be full of life.” – Werner Herzog, Born Sep. 5, 1942. Whatever you’re working on, you’re probably taking too long. Do it faster. Stop fucking around. Focus on… Read More →
How To Overcome Impostor Syndrome Forever: Kick It In the Jim-Jams and Bolt Past It
“I think it’s healthy for a person to be nervous. It means you care – that you work hard and want to give a great performance. You just have to channel that nervous energy into the show.” – Beyoncé Knowles, Born Sep. 4, 1981. When I mentor people or consult with them, I frequently hear… Read More →
Use That Big Beautiful Brain to Build Your Business (Because Almost No One Else Does)
“If thinking men are few, they are for that reason all the more powerful. Let no man imagine that he has no influence. Whoever he may be, and wherever he may be placed, the man who thinks becomes a light and a power.” – Henry George, Born Sep. 2, 1839. Most people hate to think…. Read More →
It’s Not Enough to Simply Love What You Do
“If you don’t write stories you love, you’ll never make it. If you don’t write stories that other people love, you’ll never make it.” – Ray Bradbury, Born Aug. 22, 1920. Your best work is going to occur in that intersection or overlap where what you are passionate and enthusiastic about is the same as… Read More →