Published inForge·PinnedMember-onlyAre You on ‘Clock Time’ or ‘Event Time?’What happens to your creative work when you redefine your relationship to the clock — Before moving to Colombia, I spent my first winter here. Once I arrived, I quickly found just how different the pace of life is compared to Chicago. People talk slower, walk slower. The U.S. custom of standing on the right side of the escalator so people can pass you on…Time Management4 min readTime Management4 min read
Apr 20Member-onlyThe Mechanics of MediaWhy messages sink or spread — Every message is shaped by the mechanics of media. Whether it’s a tweet, a TikTok video, a news article, or a movie, the characteristics of the medium determine how it’s made, how it’s consumed, and whether it spreads. …Media11 min readMedia11 min read
Jul 14, 2022Member-onlyFifteen Years as a Creator. (I’ll Never Make It.)Five years ago, I wrote about how — after ten years as a self-employed independent creator — I hoped to “make it.” I now realize, I never will. Five years ago, I sat at my keyboard to have a serious conversation with myself. It had been ten years since I…Creativity8 min readCreativity8 min read
Published inGetting Art Done·Jun 16, 2022Member-onlyE.R.A.S.E. F.E.A.R. and Finish Your Creative ProjectsIn fifteen years as a self-employed creator, I’ve learned how to finish what matters. I follow a nine-step process that makes an easy-to-remember acronym, that also describes what this process does: E.R.A.S.E. F.E.A.R. Fear is Resistance Fear is at the root of most struggles to finish creative projects. Even when you think you’re…Creativity4 min readCreativity4 min read
Published inGetting Art Done·Jun 2, 2022Member-onlySurround and Conquer (Your Biggest Dreams)When Facebook was first expanding, they used a timeless military strategy to win their most-crucial first users. You can use this strategy to attack your toughest projects, by leveraging hidden complexity to lend devastating power to simple actions. Facebook faced tough competitors When Facebook was starting, in the mid-aughts, it was only available at…Creativity6 min readCreativity6 min read
May 25, 2022The mourning doveToday in Colombia I heard a mourning dove. It was the same call I heard thirty years ago in Nebraska, so I asked myself, How many generations of mourning doves have been born in thirty years? …Life1 min readLife1 min read
Apr 7, 2022My Self-Published Book, On A Times Square BillboardHow I bought the most sought-after ad space on Earth for $20 — Recently, my book was advertised on a Times Square billboard, right between Forever 21 and McDonald’s. Pretty cool, right? Here’s how I did it. Blip Billboards lets you advertise all over the U.S. I used a site called Blip Billboards ($25 free credit). It allows you to advertise on billboards all over the U.S., …Self Publishing4 min readSelf Publishing4 min read
Apr 4, 2022Why I don’t like musicMany years ago, I was filling out a profile on eharmony, and their questionnaire asked what kind of music I liked. I chuckled as I read the ridiculously-restrictive options: “Rock,” “R&B,” “Country,” and that was about it. …Music3 min readMusic3 min read
Mar 30, 2022Use the ‘Surround and Conquer’ technique to make hard things easyThere’s something you want to learn, or a project you want to take on. But it’s too big or too hard. The walls of that city are too high to scale, too thick to bust through. Some challenges are too great to face head-on. Instead of doing the one big…Creativity2 min readCreativity2 min read
Mar 29, 2022Pros and amateurs both fail. But here’s the difference.The main difference between pro and amateur creators: Amateurs expect everything to work. So, the amateur leaves in their wake a trail of half-finished and failed projects. The pro also leaves a trail of half-finished and failed projects, but by a different name. They’re called prototypes. The amateur tries to…Creativity2 min readCreativity2 min read