October 2011
2 posts
5 tags
Practice.
I havent been writing in the last few months, and I can feel it. It’s taken me close to two hours to write the slop you’re reading. It’s convoluted, hardly hits a point, and feels forced. It is forced.
I’m going to write and publish it anyway. I’m convinced I’ll write something better tomorrow and even better the day after.
Intentionally writing is...
7 tags
A life well lived.
Steve Jobs passed away today.
His life was a terrific example of a life extraordinarily lived.
His legacy, vision, and contribution to humanity will live on for generations to come. The world lost a hero today, my thoughts and prayers are with the Jobs family and everyone else in the Apple community.
August 2011
2 posts
4 tags
MAKE: willyoutrade.me
I dreamt up this little idea yesterday and figured I’d give it a go.
Willyoutrade.me is an interactive mixed-media experiment questioning the nature of wealth, commerce, material and the human condition. I will trade you an object for another object of greater or equal value. Your objects worth will be valuated by narrative potency and perceived worth. If you’d like to trade, you...
6 tags
What is the bigger risk?
I think the most difficult part of doing something is in the starting.
A few months ago I was working at a great job. I was challenged, had a great community of co-workers, and was growing both personally and professionally.
I left it all behind.
Although life was great, I knew that I wanted to make something. I wanted to own something and have the creative control to breath something from...
July 2011
1 post
Brand
Is everything.
June 2011
1 post
It's possible...
to be remarkable. It’s possible to live a life of meaning and purpose. It’s possible to bless those around us for no other reason than the simple recognition that their potential is only to be recognized to be set ablaze.
What will the world look like with a humanity on fire with passion, empathy, creativity and brotherhood?
Another world is possible.
April 2011
1 post
5 tags
Ranting, art, and existentialism.
Hit by a car, or say, a horrific plane crash - what will happen to your art?
What is your legacy?
One of the most amazing aspects of a (great) company* is that mere humans are able to become the spark of organizations that can stand for something. Perhaps your organizational philosophy is to have fun, perhaps it’s to make people happy, or something else entirely - but it’s selfish ...
March 2011
3 posts
If you're going to build...
an amazing company, you need to live and breath for it.
8 tags
I want permission.
The opposite of love isn’t hate, it’s indifference. And that’s the battle for the marketeer; how does your brand, project, comedy album, or new company get the attention it needs to get over the hump?
It’s the natural tendency to start advertising and blasting our networks begging (spamming) to be discovered and accepted. However, the spamming methodology isn’t very...
2 tags
Introducing: Sprinkle Lab
When I think about the Invisible Children family it makes me incredibly proud. The growth trajectory of the organization from the beginning of my tenure, to where the company is preparing to venture today, is incredibly exciting (and has been a wild ride). I count myself as blessed to be a small part of the Invisible Children legacy, working for the organization that has (and continues to)...
February 2011
4 posts
6 tags
Army of construction
We’re an army of consumers constantly being convinced to buy more, eat more, spend more and then watch television. Once we’ve consumed the latest trend, we find ourselves in front of the television; we brainwash ourselves with commercial media to become new recycled customers for the corporation.
Their advertisers convince us that we’re broken, ugly, unhappy, fat, and insecure. It creates a void...
7 tags
There is no wrong answer.
School is incredible, but it’s also a big cultural joke.
School is not going to allow you to be remarkable – you allow yourself to be remarkable with every choice you make. If you choose school because an academic environment is a place where you can grow and become a better human – go to school.
If you think you need a break, or need to learn in a new place – go get an internship, go farm on...
11 tags
A million different ways to live it.
Maybe it seems like a crazy step to quit your job; especially when you like what you do.
Although, it’s probably crazier not to do what you love.
Since the beginning of time, humans have been working to live. Today, we live in an unprecedented age – we’re lucky that we have opportunities to live to work. It’s never been easer to find shelter, food and the bare necessities – this access to resource...
6 tags
Space matters.
I have a beautiful oil painting of a monkey wearing huge sparkling ear rings and a wonderful spinning hat. Its hanging just above a flamboyant bookshelf painted 4 different colors with a ton of books out of wack.
Anchoring icons and spaces are a useful tool to induce creativity.
Strange toys, weird sculptures, unorthodox boardrooms can change the balance and mood of an office. Are you exposed...
January 2011
7 posts
6 tags
Sorry Bebo.
You’ve got the brilliant idea to develop an application for a social network and you’re positive that the team you’ve got together are going to build an amazing product that the world will be forced to talk about one they get their hands on it…
You have the perfect team, the best engeneers.
They build the prefect product, its flawless, beautifully designed and functions...
1 tag
Small note, big idea.
The best marketing is creating an awesome product.
When attempting to build an awesome product, remember:
The majority of human living is in pursuit of curing boredom.
Cure boring.
7 tags
Build a foundation of failures.
Entrepreneurship exists in the tiny space between madness and genius; and, its journey requires a few cross border violations across both madness and genius to get to the final destination - JLM
This is brilliant. If you’re doing work that matters, you’re risking a lot and putting yourself on the line. It’s scary as hell and close to insane… or genius.
Producing real...
6 tags
No, I don't 'like' you.
Facebook, Youtube, Twitter, Tumblr…
I’m bored already.
When Southwest Airlines sold cheap tickets on Twitter, it was worth talking about; when Michelle’s Cosmetics sold discounted nail polish - bored to death.
When Blendtec posted “Will it Blend” on Youtube, it was worth sharing with friends; when the National Motor Club of America starts posting video advertisements… I’d rather take a nap.
...
6 tags
Why?
Mom, mommy, mom… why is the sky blue? Why, why, why?
On average, preschool children ask their parents 100 questions a day; according to my brother, who has two of his own, it can almost be madding, you sometimes almost wish it would end. And sadly, it does. By the time kids reach Junior High it’s pretty much over, the number of questions drop - and statistically, it’s this same time in a...
Who wants to be a wizard? Just give me an iPhone.
I used a QR code to get through TSA and to board an aircraft. Then, I took a screenshot of the code, wrote this small essay on the matter, posted it onto a massive online network of millions of people - all while barreling through the sky traveling hundreds of miles an hour! It’s cool what you can do from 30,000 feet via satellite connection.
The future is coming, utility is converging...
2 tags
Friends, not strangers.
If you’re like most marketers you’ve jumped onto Google, attached a bank account and pumped out advertisements about a service, product, store or project.
The Google magic works. You start getting lots and lots of traffic, while the thoughts of marketing glory bounce around in your head, you realize that traffic is making it to your site, but not a lot of new customers, just traffic.
You’re not...
December 2010
4 posts
1 tag
Fake Poop is Awesome.
Søren Adam Sørensen is a hero of mine.
Immigrant. Entrepreneur. Maker of Magic. Dreamer of Dreams.
If you’re familiar with the Dribble Glass, or a host of other gags that made your childhood awesome like Black Soap, or the “Snake” Nut Can you’ve been pranked by Søren; better known as the founder of the S.S. Adams Company.
Sørensen opened up shop in 1906 with the introduction of...
Lemming*
Our individual uncertainty is a surprisingly effective primer for amassing a following whom assume a collective certainty; it’s obvious that those who have the most friends and influence often have a seemingly unwavering sense of destiny, meaning and mission.
Where do these leadership qualities come from?
I think its a clear definition of goals mixed with pure unadulterated ego.
...
5 tags
Community.
Certainly one of the greatest benefits of stepping out and doing real labor is the independence that only comes from rolling up sleeves and getting real work done your way: a new business, building a wacky and colorful book-case, or stepping into a new job promotion – self-sufficiency is thrilling.
Entrepreneurship represents a tangible way to build a new culture, to realize that another world...
3 tags
How do you lose a life?
If you were to lie in bed all day, you’d most likely feel gross. You know, it’s that funny groggy feeling that makes you feel depressed – it makes you get up and do something.
Most of us have an internal mechanism that warns us when we’re wasting a lot of time participating in mundane routines – sleep, television, video games. You just get the feeling that enough is enough. Even if you don’t break...
November 2010
2 posts
Quick thought.
Never, never, never, never, never give up; but fail often and learn to love it. Success is built on the foundations of past disasters and learned from experience.
And have fun, because hard work is not as hard as it seems when you mistake it for fun. We are going to die, all of us, dead as dirt - we might as well be dead now, especially if we’re walking though life miserably. Their is...
Prompt: Write the rules.
I want you to write an essay on the meaning of your life.
It has to be eight pages, and no more than thirteen. Make sure it’s double spaced and in Times New Roman with 1” margins with a header ½” including last name and page number – you need to site 6 outside resources, make sure that you indent sources 5 spaces and that resources are included in a works-cited page.
If you misspell 4 or more...
October 2010
4 posts
3 tags
The weathermen are wrong.
It’s a good idea to set goals, its an added layer of accountably and a measurement to help get over the hump and succeed.
Smart companies set goals at work too. Sometimes they’re called balanced scorecards, internal goals, or forecasts. They’re helpful in lots of ways; they push teams and give them something to work toward.
Although, when the pressure mounts to live up to the...
5 tags
The Mesh
I was surprised when I found a package at my door-step. I was especially surprised when I opened it up and found a nice little letter from Seth with a fresh and shiny book, The Mesh: Why The Future Of Business Is Sharing by Lisa Gansky.
So I’ve been reading, and the first thing to know is that Lisa is incredible. Gansky was the co-founder of GNN the first commercial website and portal (in...
No Rules, not even biology.
There was a recently posted article in the New York Times and the gist is this,
A thin line separates the temperament of a promising entrepreneur from a person who could use, as they say in psychiatry, a little help. Academics and hiring consultants say that many successful entrepreneurs have qualities and quirks that, if poured into their psyches in greater ratios, would qualify as full-on...
We're all moving
It was never my fault for getting a D in school, it was my teacher - she just did not get me.
I couldn’t believe it when they pulled me off a work project; does my boss know how valuable I am?!
Maybe it’s time to look in the mirror, suck it up, and get past the delusion; it’s hard for anyone who is dissatisfied not to blame someone else, and especially the people nearest of all to...
September 2010
3 posts
Dont Float.
We live in a world of innumerable paths. All of us have an amount of freedom and potential to decide upon a goal and achieve it. Disney put it best, “If you can dream it, you can do it.” However, it seems that most of us take action based on cultural and logical considerations that we should take-on particular interests and then consequently take interest in them. The more I study...
help yourself
Trust is the most valuable asset that you could ever receive from a customer. The thing about consent is that a consumer gives it to your particular brand, not other brands.
If your style, service, and marketing is excellent (or getting there); and you’d like to continue to deepen the pockets of your consumers you need to build trust, and that is gained from anticipated, frequent...
No one said art was easy.
I’m coming to believe that artists are some of the bravest people on earth. The process of creation lives outside of compliance; it’s the decision to produce something that never existed beforehand.
Van Gogh lived underappreciated during his lifetime, yet he produced more than 2,000 artworks despite never receiving public affirmation. Only after his death were his paintings embraced and...
August 2010
5 posts
You, do you.
Cultural anthology class – it was my favorite.
“Culture is a tangled web which we ourselves have spun.”
That’s what my teacher said, it’s some heavy thinking. If it’s a true statement, then we’re responsible for our culture, it means we can choose to alter dogma and new systems of belief can be established.
Wild.
Cultural synchronicity is the word I’ve been using lately...
I want, I need, Irrelevant.
I love Temple Bags and clothes by Apolis –I don’t need to pay the high prices logically, I could find similar style products at a cheaper cost easily.
I’m not going to though.
I want them because I believe that the clothes and bags are made ethically, with the highest attention and scrutiny – I trust the brands because I know them. More importantly, I like how I feel when I wear them.
It’s the...
Pleasure in the Process
You’re driven, determined to make a difference.
You know that one day you’ll become the next media mogul, or perhaps, you’ll fight to make a huge difference in public policy and be the next Senator of Nebraska.
Fact is, you’ve got a vision and you are going to fight to make it reality.
It’s easy to embrace a trajectory of success and look for self-fulfillment in who you could be, rather...
Love the one you're with.
If you seek, you will be sought.
There is some ungodly statistic that says the number of media impressions that you are exposed to is something like 3,000 advertising messages a day.
It’s disgusting. Corporations spend billions vying for your attention; but it’s understandable – if you’re in business, you’re in the business of collecting eyes and ears.
Without attention, no one buys your...
Be a mover.
Want to be a better entrepreneur?
Hang out with other entrepreneurs.
Nothing is more refreshing than to meet individuals who are challenging cultural norms. People who wake up daily and ask, ‘how can I change the world today?’
If you want to do something remarkable, it’s going to be really hard to do it all alone.
Find some friends.
Tech nerds. Business Suits. Marketing Wiz Kids....
July 2010
9 posts
Fight to find the great one.
I’ve found that when I settle upon an idea that I find to be interesting it consumes me- and, after hours of construction I convince myself that the thought is the most correct.
I’ve been working on my first start-up, Swapdoodles, for about 6 months – the concept is that if you send in a doodle, we’ll mix it up with someone else’s and send you theirs. It’s a simple social way to connect.
It’s...
Chump or Champ?
If an entrepreneur is convinced that she is the greatest world-changing practitioner and feeds her ego beyond reality - sinker. The folks who lack the confidence to dream are held back from executing the campaigns that win them massive gains - sunk. Both attitudes are the result of fear, and keep them from making the jump from chump to champ. One attitude is fearful of failing and loses...
It's running. Time that is.
Time.
It’s running out.
The distraction and fear of beginning is often blamed on resources; we make the usual excuses –
I just don’t have any money.
I don’t have the connections.
I just need the right type of website.
The scary truth is that money is not the most valuable or rare resource, it’s time, and it’s running out.
Let it sink in, we’re running out of time. All of us.
You want to do the...
Broken Builders.
Listen,
You’re awesome, you really are.
It feels so disingenuous to type it all out like that – but I mean it, I really do. The potential that you have to make the world a more creative, wonderful, and beautiful place is sickening.
We’re something special.
Human. Broken. Inspired. Creative. Builders.
If you’re afraid, it’s ok, I am too.
Ok, we’re scared together; now that we’ve acknowledged...
No words.
I have the honor of working with Invisible Children to see an end to LRA violence in East Africa; I consider all of the staff at Invisible Children as part of my family.
Today, I’m devastated.
My friend Nate “Oteka” Henn was tragically lost in a terrorist attack in Kampala on July 11th by an explosion at a rugby field where hundreds had gathered to watch the final game of the World Cup.
...
Create new markets.
As a business platform I find the internet to be the most prolific and exciting opportunity in the last century. Traditionally, industries have had definitive market caps, once you tap a resource, you’re all out – the only way to grow is to increase market share over a competitor – and take their slice of the pie.
The open web seems to fix (not entirely) a scaling issue, whereas resources are...
1 tag
Press Publish.
Details are everything, ignore them entirely.
A friend recently told me about how he never pressed the publish button on his blog; the thought of a detail that could be added or the uncertainty of an unknown typo kept him from sharing.
Sadly, this is an all too common story.
It’s terrifying to be noticed, more than that, it’s petrifying to think about all the people we’ve convinced ourselves are...
Don't be stupid.
Perpetuating organizational greed by creating community cultures to generate substantial social pressure for employees to perform while under compensating is stupid.
Strong organizational community creates a group of employees whom often find personal identity and connection to a mission, purpose, and vision; this type of business relationship generates incredibly valuable emotional labor rooted...
June 2010
10 posts
3 tags
Ring. Ring. Ring.
Imagine you’re in the middle of writing your opus; it’s going to change the world – all you have to do is write it.
You’re making progress, slowly and surely, and its going to impact thousands of lives.
Then -
The phone rings, you answer.
You talk with Aunt Linda for 15 minutes about next year’s family reunion in the Poconos – then, you’re back. Creating, producing, and shipping.
It happens...
1 tag
tangible discipline.
I’ve always been interested in a wide variety of ideas, studies, and disciplines. The glory and frustration of the human condition is our ability to understand incredibly complex situations and concepts, yet, we are still incapable of reaching any kind of “academic transcendence.”
Every answer leads to more questions; it seems the more we learn, the less we know.
The troubling conclusion...