Reflections on creativity, work, and legacy.
I just finished devouring Josh Linkner's Disciplined Dreaming. In it, Linkner asserts, in my opinion correctly, that we live in an era in which business cycles are measured in months, not years, and that the only way to sustain long-term innovation and growth is through creativity - at all levels of an organization. Said another... Continue Reading →
Last Thursday I watched in horror as my neighbor's house, which belonged to an elderly couple, burned down. I was even more horrified and saddened to learn later that evening that one person, the wife, was killed. Her name was Patsy. I did not know Patsy, but I saw her working in her beautiful garden... Continue Reading →
I showed up at my computer early this morning with a fragment of an idea to build out in this post. It wasn't coming out right, so I got up from my chair to get a second cup of coffee to clear the cobwebs. I noticed the November issue of RealSimple on the kitchen table,... Continue Reading →
On Sunday, I walked into Michael's studio and immediately noticed that my painting - I'm still working on the study of Rouault's The Old King - was on the easel, but the photo of the original was not. I was on to Michael and said, "You are taking away my crutch." He replied that yes, indeed,... Continue Reading →
Today I saw the phrase "show up" three times. The first time was in Seth Godin's blog around 7 am, where he reminds us that we have to do more than show up, that our job is "to surprise and delight and to change the agenda." Around 9 am I got an email from a friend with a... Continue Reading →
First, full disclosure: I am 8,143 miles away from achieving Platinum for life (FOR LIFE) frequent flyer status on American Airlines. That means I've flown almost 2 million miles with the airline since 1995. I've been a loyal customer despite luggage loss, two emergency landings, countless non-weather-related delays, and rude flight attendants. American has delighted... Continue Reading →
In my last post I described how I was coming down with a bug and that my creativity suffered as a result. The silver lining was that I was forced to pause, and in doing so, I remembered why I love to paint and was able to share this realization and gratitude with you, my... Continue Reading →
I was feeling under the weather all day today. Thinking it was allergies (molds were unusually high today in Austin, the allergy capital of the world), I pressed forward at work. Around 4 PM, I was about to text Michael, "Can't make it to art class today. Feel sick." But I didn't. I thought, "What... Continue Reading →
Before the holidays, I gave some ideation homework to the marketing core team I lead at work, thinking that the time away from the office would be a great opportunity to take a step back to let the mind flow freely to enable creativity to flourish. We've been stuck on a particular problem and had... Continue Reading →
Last week I arrived at Michael's studio with no ideas or images for my next painting. The holidays had worn me out, and I just hadn't had a chance to think about what I wanted to do and learn next. Michael pulled out one of his art books and turned to an artist named Georges Rouault. I... Continue Reading →
Where's my paintbrush? 