The Dark Side of Being World-Class In speed skating, a hard pivot is an aggressive turn that requires balance, focus, and courage. Blasting down the ice, shoulder to shoulder with another world-class competitor, blades on his feet, Apolo Ohno began his Olympic career in 2002, eventually winning eight gold medals and becoming the most decorated athlete in US Winter Olympics history. Stories about the commitment, sacrifice, and work ethic required to reach the pinnacle of... read more ›
549 reads
Feb
02
Aug
03
FIRST: I believe deeply that our actions cultivate our mindset and - in turn - our mindset determines our life / success / outcome. Experience tells me this. Whether from my background in art or sports or...hell...anything. As a result, I've long been paying attention to the habits (read: actions) that I do on a regular basis...which ones benefit me and which ones do not. In line with this, I've come to understand that a... read more ›
29.3K reads
Apr
26
Got a note the other day from an aspiring photographer. He wanted to know what it takes to become a pro. I thought--very pragmatically--that it's really not complicated. HARD maybe, but complicated, no. And this applies to so many FILL-IN-THE-BLANK things you aspire to be: 1. Declare yourself as that thing. That's what you ARE in life. You're not a student, not a finance-guy-slash-part-time-photographer, not a part time anything. You're a photographer, or entrepreneur, or... read more ›
21K 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
Mar
02
If you’ve been following me for any length of time, then you most likely know my M.O. by now: put your work out there early and often. Steve Martin famously said, “Be so good they can’t ignore you.” But the other side of that is to have so much work out there that people can't swing a stick without hitting something you've made/written/built/produced/directed/etc. I talked about this with fellow sharing advocate, #cjLIVE alum, and all-around... read more ›
789 reads
Feb
22
People ask me all the time if there's one thing that's changed my life the most, what is it? No question it's the ability to learn quickly...new skills whether they be for life, hobby, or career... Life long learning is quite literally what has created anything I would consider a classic "success" in my life. SO... In today's episode of #cjRAW I break down my own learning process into 3 clear, easily repeatable steps. And then I go... read more ›
11.9K reads
Feb
03
Today on the show I have a dear friend and arguably the foremost living explorer on the planet: Mike Horn. I have had the incredible fortune of traveling to some really amazing places with Mike such as the South China Seas, around South Africa and the Amazon on the coast of Brazil. Some of my most inspiring and best moments of my life have been tagging along with Mike on his adventures. Mike is also... read more ›
562 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
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 ›
4.4K reads
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 ›
7.5K reads