“An artist never works under ideal conditions. If they existed, his work wouldn’t exist, for the artist doesn’t live in a vacuum. Some sort of pressure must exist. The artist exists because the world is not perfect. Art would be useless if the world were perfect, as man wouldn’t look for harmony but would simply […]
Emergent Challenges Aren’t Obstacles, But Opportunities to Make Better Work Read More »
“One forges one’s style on the terrible anvil of daily deadlines.” – Emile Zola, Born Apr. 2, 1840. What’s it take to be a good writer? Write every day. What’s it take to build a business? Make offers every day. What’s it take to build an audience? Add new followers every day. What’s it take
Consistent And Decent Always Outperforms Sporadic Excellence Read More »
“When people approach me about my films it is usually to tell me how much they hate them.” – Michael Winterbottom, Born Mar. 29, 1961. Any time you create anything, there are some people who seem to just want to tear it down because it exists. Because you bothered to try. I’m talking about haters.
Worried About Your Work? Here’s Whose Opinions Really Matter… Read More »
“If there be anything that can be called genius, it consists chiefly in ability to give that attention to a subject which keeps it steadily in the mind, till we have surveyed it accurately on all sides.” – Robert Quillen, Born Mar. 25, 1887. If you look at anything long enough, you’re going to notice
The Secret of Acquiring (And Portraying) Mastery Read More »
“Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful.” – William Morris, Born Mar. 24, 1834. I want to talk about this in three ways. First…. While you can eventually apply that to your house, let’s at least start with your work space, wherever that may
Productivity is Dictated by Where You Work, and How You Practice Read More »
“Movie directors, or should I say people who create things, are very greedy and they can never be satisfied… That’s why they can keep on working. I’ve been able to work for so long because I think next time, I’ll make something good.” – Akira Kurosawa, Born Mar. 23, 1910. Today, let’s talk about defeat.
The Fear of Failure Feeds Your Forge – FEEL it, then USE it… Read More »
“All of my favorite creators started with zero… So you’ve got to make that first video. It’s not going to be your best, but you will learn as you go.” – Tyler Oakley, Born Mar. 22, 1989. Q. How do I get started writing copy? Just start. Q. What do I need to read to
How to Start Being a Copywriter: Start Writing Some Copy… Now Read More »
“Any activity becomes creative when the doer cares about doing it right or better.” – John Updike, Born Mar. 18, 1932. A lot of writers worry too much about creativity, and not enough about consistency of output. If that’s you, let’s talk about manipulating your mind out of making that mistake, shall we? Creativity is
Creativity Comes to Life When You Feed it Something to Improve Read More »
“Technique is what you fall back on when you run out of inspiration.” – Rudolf Nureyev, Born Mar. 17, 1938. “I don’t have a good idea.” Shut up. Write anyway. “I don’t have anything to say.” Stop it. Write something anyway. “It didn’t come out the way I wanted.” Fuck you, publish it anyway. We
Discipline and Foundations are What You Build On (Because You Can’t Build On Nothing) Read More »
“The fact of storytelling hints at a fundamental human unease, hints at human imperfection. Where there is perfection there is no story to tell.” – Ben Okri, Born Mar. 15, 1959. Clients fuck this up when they write about themselves. And sometimes they get mad when they work with a writer who knows better. I’ve
Stories Sell, But Only if They Start Out With Sucking Read More »
