source We’ve talked before about coming up with ideas, and what to do when they find us. But every creator knows that’s only half the battle. There’s a natural tendency to try and take control [...]
source The late, great Zen poet Leonard Cohen was well into his 30’s when he started writing songs. The music scene, at the time, was dominated by youngsters like Bob Dylan and The Beatles. [...]
source One of the hardest parts of any creative endeavor is sitting down and getting started. You might have the perfect idea for a bestselling novel, or maybe, a groundbreaking product or app that’s [...]
Mark Twain is credited with the line, “Wit is the sudden marriage of ideas which before their union were not perceived to have any relation.”This points to what James Altucher has called, Idea Sex: The marriage of two seemingly [...]
On one of the first days of shooting his film, From Dusk Till Dawn, Robert Rodriguez wiped the sweat from his neck and focused his camera toward a gas station filled with dynamite. It was the [...]
Have you ever wondered why it’s easy to hear your own name being called out in a screaming crowd? Or why after hearing about a new movie or specific number, you start seeing it everywhere? [...]
In Steven Pressfield's latest book, The Artist's Journey, he explains how there are two levels to the universe: "The first level is the material world, the visible physical sphere in which you and I dwell."And then the [...]
source One of my all-time, favorite commencement speeches is by the author, Neil Gaiman (American Gods, The Graveyard Book, The Sandman Series). His simple call to action of, "make good art" has become a mantra for creatives everywhere. The [...]
When we think about creativity, we think of words like playful and natural. But there is yin and yang to creativity. Where one side contains looseness, ease, and intoxication, the other side is discipline. Pure, unconditional, and sober discipline. Jocko [...]
That’s me holding it down in Disney Prison, circa 2016. If you’ve ever visited Disneyland as an adult, you know this: It’s impossible to frown on the Matterhorn. You might also notice that it's [...]