Jul 22, 2022It Sounds Different to Me Every Time I Play it BackWe could mark the very moment that we stopped laughing at the laugh track. Yesterday I released a new single, “Silicon in My Soul.” That makes four in total so far this year, one per month. I doubt I can keep up this pace: It’s expensive, it’s a ton of…Technology2 min readTechnology2 min read
Dec 29, 2021Desktop Publishing Is BackJust kidding. It's not 1994, and we're not "desktop publishing" anymore: No One Wants to Read an Email Newsletter.1 min read1 min readDesktop Publishing Is BackJust kidding. It's not 1994, and we're not "desktop publishing" anymore: No One Wants to Read an Email Newsletter.----
Nov 19, 2020Member-onlyRefocusing (When Focusing Is Difficult)Listening, Learning, and Some Unlearning Too — Everyone seems to be making major life changes lately. It’s only natural that during a pandemic of this scope and scale, we realign our priorities. We focus on what’s important to us. If there’s anything positive to come out of the past 10 months, it’s this. As I mentioned in…Creativity3 min readCreativity3 min read
Nov 9, 2020Now We KnowWe will soon be rid of Trump. But not Trumpism. — Well, now we know. I don’t just mean the results of this election. Now we also know a little bit more about the state of our culture. And it’s not great. Turnout was supposed to be the solution, but in actuality it revealed that 70M people approve of the past…Election 20203 min readElection 20203 min read
Oct 13, 2020Member-onlyHow to Attract an Agent, Publisher, or LabelFrom Portfolio to Platform to Preparing Your Pitch — In the publishing world, most agents won’t even consider a prospective author without an established platform. Same goes for the music industry. Without a platform, you are simply not worth the risk to them. …Publishing9 min readPublishing9 min read
Dec 11, 2018Growing Your Audience: Taking Your Talent to the Next LevelGetting Serious About Marketing Your Creative Work — You love what you do. It’s your passion. You’ve devoted every waking moment to your craft — be it writing, music, or visual art. You find yourself thinking about it all the time, capturing ideas, sketching concepts, and planning projects. It’s invigorating. In some ways, you may feel like…For Musicians7 min readFor Musicians7 min read
Oct 9, 2018Creativity in Business (and the Business of Creativity)Breaking Down the Myths that Hold Us Back — There’s a myth that creativity and business don’t mix. That creatives can’t be good at business, and that business can’t be creative. I think that the opposite is true: It’s never been more important to bring creativity into business. There’s never been a better time to make creativity into…Creativity8 min readCreativity8 min read
Aug 21, 2018The New Business MindsetGoing Against the Grain to Find Success in Building Your Business — There are a set of new business principles that fly in the face of the lessons I learned when I was in the corporate world. These principles are often relegated to the back row, because conventional wisdom cements the status quo every day. Business is still about relationships —…Business Planning9 min readBusiness Planning9 min read
Jul 24, 2018The New Marketing and SalesCounterintuitive Strategies for Attracting Customers and Earning Their Business — Marketing is different now. This is great news for smaller players like you and me. The old “spray and pray” model of marketing never fit well with us anyway — it was expensive and ineffective. There’s a good reason that traditional marketing often feels “icky” to small business owners…Content Marketing7 min readContent Marketing7 min read
Jul 3, 2018Defense Wins ChampionshipsWhy You Should Support the ACLU — Anyone who has watched any sport with me knows that I love the defensive game. It doesn’t matter what sport — it’s fascinating to me. From the pitcher’s mound in baseball to incredible catches by Jackie Bradley Jr. out in center field, I love it. …Politics4 min readPolitics4 min read