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 ›
Jun
12
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 ›
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 ›
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 ›
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 ›
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 ›
Dec
14
Give. Whether to yourself or to a fellow artist in need. Every photographer, director, painter, writer, creative, entrepreneur, whatever mold into which you fit (or don't) has basic needs. And thankfully, these needs are mostly free of charge. I've read 100 artist biographies, studied my own life and the creative LIVES of those around me and distilled some of the commonalities -- and the outliers -- for how and when, under what circumstance creatives kick... read more ›
Dec
19
Every holiday season, I get an influx of DMs, tweets, texts and messages from followers, friends and family asking for my photo gear recommendations. This year, rather than putting together a list of all the high-tech cameras and lenses that come with high-price tags to match – I wanted share some affordable add-ons that thrifty photographers should have in their arsenal. As I like to say, the best camera is the one you have with... read more ›
Dec
19
Dan Pink is a bestselling author and was the host & co-executive producer of "Crowd Control", a television series about human behavior on National Geographic. He's appeared frequently on NPR, PBS, ABC, CNN, and other TV/radio networks worldwide. His provocative books include Drive, A Whole New Mind, To Sell is Human, and his latest book, When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing. I love Dan's books. He's a ruthlessly practical thinker and in this episode... read more ›
Oct
23
Ever felt STUCK with something in your life? Blocked, like you can't get past this mental state, this hurdle, this creative block, this bad habit, this... Wait a minute. Why am I even asking that question? Of course you've been stuck before. We've literally ALL been stuck before. And by extension we all know how much it sucks to be in this state of mind. AND - on the flipside - how amazing it is... read more ›













