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creativity

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Consistency is simpler than you think.

Why does mediocre writing and photography often get more attention than best of the best? Why do mediocre “coaches” get more attention than industry veterans with decades of advice summed up in a single book, video, or blog post? What are we missing here? The hardest problem to solve in

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Are you useful?

I preach about the miracle of constraints and their ability to boost creativity in anyone. But I see un-useful constraints being used all the time by creators, so I wanted to make a small list of examples to clarify what a useful constraint looks like. There’s only two real

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Where were we 10 years ago?

It’s been a decade since I gave this short talk at Ignite Minneapolis, titled “How to Take Perfect Photos Every Time.” I’m sure title was inspired by the sarcasm of the infamous 2009 Merlin Mann and John Gruber talk about blogging ,“149 Surprising Ways to Turbocharge Your Blog

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What do you have to offer?

I want you to write a list of what you have to offer the world — professionally and personally. I think it will be a longer list than what you’re imagining right now. This list is among the most useful you will ever create. This list is how you beat

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Brainless Tasks

When you’re burned out, in the 2pm slump, or not in the mood to “produce,” keep this in mind: 1. It’s OK to not be productive all the time. Humans were likely designed for a 15-hour work week. Go a little easier on yourself. 2. Know that you

Brainless Tasks
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Your Smartest Dumb Tech

If the resurgence of blogging and newsletters wants to remain sane, it should really be a resurgence of RSS. Email has new problem. For the longest time, I’ve advocated for publishing by email as the most independent, universal, and effective form of getting the word out about anything. That’

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How to Stay Creative Forever

How do writers stay in shape? They usually don’t. But writers (and all creators) do have to keep their minds in shape over the decades if they hope to maintain that career or hobby. The mind gym It’s now been 36 years since I started publishing and I

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Is AI going to take creators’ jobs?

Yes. Over enough time, there’s isn’t anything we do as creators that AI (as it's defined now by tools like GPT from Microsoft) won’t be able to do. AI has all the time and energy in the world to learn and improve. We don’t. That’s

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Just a Series of Garden Offices

Creator Cabins seem to be a growing business – thanks in part to the increase in remote work. Who doesn’t aspire to have a place of their own for uninterrupted creative work? Within that genre resides the more-within-the-grasp-of-an-actual-human cabins for backyards and “gardens.” This seems to be bigger in the

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Having trouble starting your next thing?

Make a list of writers, podcasters, and YouTubers who are consistently pushing out great stuff – in the ugliest ways. Refer to it often. I love slap-dash creators! I won’t name names here, but they’re not hard to find. From the CEO who records videos on his morning walks

Having trouble starting your next thing?