March 17, 2014
SXSW Interactive can be overwhelming. The hype, the parties, the crowds. It is sometimes difficult to separate the noise from the real insights and connections you are there to make. (Well, some of you are there to make. A lot of you are just there to party and get noticed. That’s OK too.) Every year is different. What you get out of it is different.
Continue readingNovember 29, 2013
Goldieblox is a toy company for girls that “builds games for girls to inspire future engineers.” Great concept. Great message, right? Absolutely. Well, recently they produced a very creative commercial that used a “reinterpretation” of Beastie Boys, song, “Girls.” Only one problem. They didn’t get permission to use the song. They claim that it is a parody, therefore, completely fair use. I claim common sense and that it’s a blatant theft of creative material they did not create in order to sell their product.
Continue readingOctober 2, 2013
I’ve worked in the creative industry and in a startup town my whole career. During that time, I’ve found myself confronted with a consistent misconception. It’s one I used to believe myself. It’s really easy to believe. Possibly because it feels like magic. It’s a myth. I’ve seen this myth in movies and books because it’s a dramatic tool used to tell a good story—they are signature moments.
September 30, 2013
Creative culture has become something of a buzzword over the last few years. In the business world, companies are starting to believe they need to have a creative culture in order to compete in the marketplace. This, of course, depends entirely on the business and the market, but overall I think it’s true.
In my experience, creative culture can’t be engineered. It can be fostered. It can be grown. But the roots have to be there. And the roots are the people.
Continue readingJuly 9, 2013
WDS2013: When people would ask me what WDS was about, I really couldn’t tell them. I didn’t exactly know why I was going. I saw this video from WDS2012. I read the $100 Startup. I love entrepreneurship, adventure, travel, community—all the buzzwords I read on the site. But I still didn’t really know what to expect.
Continue readingJanuary 7, 2013
A while back, I discovered Niall Ferguson via a TED talk that he gave on what he called the 6 Killer Apps of Prosperity. It was a fascinating take on why Western Civilization rose to prominence. The last few years I’ve become a bit more preoccupied with history—especially the history of The United States. Change seems to be coming at a rapid rate. A lot of it not so good. The general rationale for the success of the U.S.A runs the spectrum from “American Exceptionalism” and divine providence to exploitation and war. None of those rationales ever really seemed right to me. They are too simplistic.
Continue readingSeptember 28, 2012
Life tends to get in the way of our plans. We think we are in control of our lives(and our plans), but really, we are only in control of how we respond to our lives. Life doesn’t care. It throws up roadblocks. Stress at work. Strained relationships. Weakened immune systems. It gets in the way of what we think we should be doing. So we roll with it.
Continue readingSeptember 3, 2012
Once upon a time a graphic designer got hired to do some work for a client. He did the work. He didn’t get paid. The end.
Sound depressingly familiar? I bet it does.
If you work long enough in the design business and you will come across a client who won’t pay. You may be halfway through the work. You may be completely done with the work. You may even have given them a discounted rate. Doesn’t matter. It will happen. Possibly more than once. What matters most is how you deal with it. And how you learn from it.
Continue readingAugust 26, 2012
Mutiny Bikes is a small company owned by my neighbor, Gaz. I’m not very knowledgable about the sport, but damn it makes for compelling video. These guys are doing some pretty amazing feats of body control and this is really well shot—especially the tracking shots. Watch it. It will entertain you. And make you grateful for your health insurance.
Continue readingAugust 22, 2012
