The world of business is notoriously serious and results-driven. But what if we looked at work through a different lens? What if we focused on the creative, abstract side of innovation? This is a question that Mauro Porcini, Chief Design Officer at PepsiCo, strives to answer. With over 1100 design and innovation awards under his belt, Mauro is no stranger to the value of creativity in business. In fact, he's made it his life's work... read more ›
435 reads
Nov
16
Nov
14
When you’re out to start a new career, you learn quickly that hope is not a strategy. Regardless if it’s the first job, a new job, or the shake-up from the economy, these are great inflection points to take steps toward the things that fulfill us in life. Meet Yiwen Wong, he’s a recent graduate from the Boston University School of Communication. He’s originally from Singapore and he and his family lived in New Zealand.... read more ›
440 reads
Nov
02
At the starting point of our creative journey, we make choices that will either drive us toward what we want or drive us away from it. At the time, we might not even realize what’s driving us. We think outside forces play a bigger role than internal determination and intuition, which in the end is the reason we arrive anywhere. Norton Zanini is a Florida-based photographer and creative entrepreneur who left his home in... read more ›
305 reads
Oct
31
Standing Out Isn't Easy It takes a lot of courage to embrace our own creativity. It's not easy. When we declare our pursuits to those closest to us, they're not carrying the same passion for it that we are. They're not bad people that want to see us miserable. They don't understand, our passion drives us. It's the people who love us the most that will react. It's very common for loved ones to want... read more ›
549 reads
Oct
24
The stubborn myth of the “starving artist,” the threadbare but exuberant poet who has to choose between ink and food, isn’t just false, it’s toxic. Notions like this drain your energy and either get you chasing dollars for all the wrong reasons or encourage others to take advantage of you by undervaluing your work. Textbooks and Hollywood biopics usually gloss over the everyday financial dealings of great artists. As a kid, you never hear about... read more ›
501 reads
Oct
17
Beginnings are tenuous times. Getting anything substantial off the ground means making countless tiny decisions first, any one of which might assume vast importance—if you’re successful down the road. Paralyzed by Fear & Decisions The danger is twofold. On the one hand, you can become paralyzed by all the decisions you need to make. They can steal the life from your project—whatever the medium and at whatever the scale—before you’ve even begun. “What if I... read more ›
333 reads
Oct
10
We often start out thinking if we can just do the "right" work, we'll breakthrough. When in fact, it's not the what work we should focus on, but how much. We will do everything we can to convince ourselves that something other than volume is more important. Listen to the Podcast Smells like Procrastination We need a new lens to get the right shot. We need to switch to a different writing app with better... read more ›
422 reads
Oct
05
As always, my conversations with Ryan inspire all kinds of deeper thoughts to ponder. And it’s often in my reflections after we’ve talked that the concepts we spoke of really hit home in areas of my own life. Sometimes the process of a creative can be very inward and isolating; however, it is in conversation with others that we often gain new insight into our own areas of mystery. Self-Consciousness is the Enemy of... read more ›
380 reads
Oct
03
Most of us have been given the same general blueprint for success since birth. Go to school, get good grades, go to college, get a job, work hard and you'll be successful. And for a long time, this was an effective path to success. But in recent years, the idea of what it means to be successful has changed. With the advent of technology and the global interconnectedness of the world, success is no longer... read more ›
534 reads
Sep
15
When you’re creating something, there are emotions that evolve with it. What you’re building grows and develops, and as it moves forward, the question that comes up is, “Why did we create this in the first place?” We’re talking with Alex Strohl about how ideas turn into businesses and everything that comes it. Alex and I have been long time friends. You might remember him on CJRAWand he helped us dissolve the mystery of how we... read more ›
440 reads