May 16

Beware of Inspiration

Chase Jarvis at the podcast microphone
Mike Tyson once said, “everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.” What do you do when a brilliant idea hits you unexpectedly? We all know the feeling- that little creative jolt of inspiration… but it’s not always convenient to drop what you’re doing and immediately begin working on this fantastic new idea. And even if you could, would you want to rely... read more ›
Feb 21

The Way Stories Shape Us with Nicola Yoon

“Stories are the way we know ourselves, and the way we know other people.” - Nicola Yoon At a time when divisiveness and polarity seem at their all-time highs, the stories we tell matter more than ever. Stories contain the power to lift us up during our most difficult moments, and unite people around shared values and ideas. So what contributes to an effective story? And what makes a skilled storyteller? Nicola Yoon is here... read more ›
Apr 19

I’d Be More Creative If…

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 15

Visual Fuel: 5 Websites Worth the Click [Creative Inspiration]

ChaseJarvis_Dazed Digital
As a creative you likely already have your 'go-to' sources for visual inspiration. There's certainly no shortage of them; from 500px.com to the Atlantic's In Focus blog, the internet is a massive library of outstanding eye candy. And, like any good library, there are always hidden gems down less-frequented aisles. Here are 5 sources that are a bit off the beaten path - but worth the trip. This Isn't Happiness (NSFW) [caption id="attachment_18033" align="alignnone" width="620" caption="This... read more ›
Jul 24

Forced Perspective: Reality Bending Photography

One of the most powerful things about creating images is the magic of bending reality with a camera. In the middle of a city of steel, a single flower can be framed to create the illusion of nature. No one even knows the surrounding scenery exists. Forced Perspective photography is intriguing: it manipulates human perception with things like size, positioning and scale. Click through the tabs above... read more ›
Feb 03
Aug 11

Never Let Them Define Who You Are

"Sometimes in our industry, our professionalism, we get [put into] silos...it should be all of our goals to break out of those silos. The more you work, the more people want to put you in a silo so they can define who you are by their terms. Our job is to never let anyone define who we are..." John Jay--W+K's Global Executive Creative Director--on creativity and breaking out of silos. There's a lot... read more ›
Mar 01

It Ain’t All About You

Whenever us creative types get together, or--come to think of it--even when we're alone, it's usually all about "me", "my", or "we" or "I". What is MY next gig, what am I doing to improve MY portfolio, MY solo exhibition, MY client list, MY ad campaign, MY blog, MY bank account, gear locker, self-promo mailer, vision... You get the point. Don't deny it. As a result, we can be overly paranoid, competitive, frustrated, cocky, going... read more ›
Nov 02

Make A Lot of It

I'm certainly not a chef, but whenever I'm asked what the "key ingredient" is to making good photographs, good ART, the answer I give is a simple one: make a lot of it. We often talk about how vision is everything, but vision doesn't come from the womb full grown and mature. It's cultivated. And that cultivation takes time and effort. Certainty and control might be your friends while performing surgery, but they are not... read more ›
Oct 18

Proof of a Portfolio Vs. Promise of a Resume

People that have "done it" will be able to do it again. Whether it's shooting a successful commercial assignment, hanging in a museum, making a music video, or whatever. It may not be a de-facto truth, but that's what's believed on the open market. It's SAFER for the person hiring a creative if they can point to something that you've already done. One reason I get a lot of work is that I've done a... read more ›