Here is a list of 10 things I've learned the hard way that every photographer, designer, creative--hell, every creative person--should know. 1. Experts aren’t the answer. The blogs, the teachers, the mentors, the seminars aren’t the answer. They’re not there to tell you exactly what you need to know. If they’re good, then they are there to give you some ideas, some guidelines, or some rules to learn and subsequently break. This isn’t about the... read more ›
84.8K reads
Oct
24
Jun
21
Once upon a time, Jenna Kutcher was just like many young college graduates - goal-driven, ambitious, and eager to take on the world of work. She envisioned a future of high-ranking corporate jobs and corner offices ahead. Or in other words, what society tells us is the only acceptable version of success. But it didn't take long for things to become clear and for Jenna to realize that the beaten path was not right for... read more ›
994 reads
Jun
19
He’s back! Christopher Jerard is joining us today on the podcast, we’ve had great conversations lately. I’m thrilled to have Christopher join me again because it’s so much fun for us to act as co-hosts! We get to switch things up, bounce ideas back and forth, and share with our podcast community. Christopher is the VP of the Outside Creator Studio, which is responsible for the content, socials, and events for Outside Interactive. Christopher is... read more ›
721 reads
Jun
14
Steve Turner is a multidisciplinary musician who played in three of the Grunge genre's most iconic bands - Green River, MudHoney, and Monkey Wrench. While groups like Nirvana are more well-known today, he is largely credited for inspiring the artists behind them. It wouldn't be an overstatement to say that this man helped birth and shape a universe of music that's now listened to around the world. That's a pretty big accomplishment. One that makes... read more ›
846 reads
Jun
12
Shiny object syndrome is the insidious trap of constantly seeking out the next best thing, the newest gadget, the latest tool or platform to give us that extra edge in our work. Creators are particularly susceptible to this syndrome because we are wired to explore, discover, and experiment. We live in a culture that prizes innovation and encourages us to constantly push the boundaries of what is possible. The problem arises when this urge to... read more ›
811 reads
Jun
07
Becoming a family-first entrepreneur is all about balance. When Steve Chou, a highly renowned entrepreneur and educator in the e-commerce space, creator of multiple 7-figure businesses, and founder of BumblebeeLinens.com asked me if I heard the four burner theory before, I was intrigued. Steve Chou, has a bachelor's and master's degree in electrical engineering from Stanford University. He contributes to leading industry publications and has created multiple 7 figure businesses. Over the course of a... read more ›
918 reads
Feb
06
Getting personal and a little scientific here... Once our basic three needs are met (and often even when they're not), there exists within the human species a hard-wired desire to pursue happiness. For me, happiness has always been inextricably linked with creativity, the two enjoying a direct relationship. The happier I am, the more creative I am. Or more metaphysically speaking, the happier I am, the more open I am to inspiration and creativity. As... read more ›
4.7K reads
Jun
25
Guess what? I made a shoe. When KSWISS reached out to see if I was interested in collaborating, my 8-year old self jumped at the chance. It was one of those childhood pipe dreams I never thought would come to fruition and I'll be honest I felt like a giddy little kid throughout the process. Like so many of my other creative pursuits, my photography career, building CreativeLive, writing Creative Calling, to name a few,... read more ›
949 reads
Apr
19
Even at our most creative moments, we could go further if it were not for that little voice inside our head. And that little voice puts up roadblocks. Sometimes those roadblocks are real, but more often those roadblocks are completely constructed from nothing but irrational fear or the most basic of actions. Perhaps knowing that other people share many of the same silly roadblocks--and even knowing what some of them are--will help us all move... read more ›
1.4K reads
Jan
11
A lot of my breakthrough creative thoughts come to me when least expected. I've talked about "finding creativity" and "creative inspiration" all over the place... on podcasts like this and this (twice for example) or given a keynote on it here at SWSW. That said, I've also learned from an entire life in the trenches as an artist what DOESN'T contribute to them (abusing myself, bad head space, partying too much), but more importantly, what... read more ›
10K reads