My foundation for what it is that I do. The how, the why, and the where it comes from. This is how I frame all my presentations and was the basis for my 5-year self-evaluation. Read that marvelous piece of work on Medium. And after five-and-a-half years of independence, these 3 philosophical framings still hold. All intermingled yet profoundly important enough to stand on their own. So punk, so political, so just another guy from the good life, land of the flat water.
Road Trip!
A story about tips from the Tiperosity blog.
Whether with the biggest, most epic road trip to date or the simplest dish in my repertoire, I’ll be the first to admit, I love the starting point. The first cup of coffee in the morning, the first play on a highly anticipated vinyl release, and where to start after getting off the plane on a trip abroad. There’s magic in the beginning, as it hopefully leads to something meaningful and memorable.
Oh what to do...
... when you find yourself locked in a meeting with a blowhard. In my experience, the blowhard is the least effective member of any team. They talk and talk, and talk and talk. And seek to fulfill no other purpose other than to firmly assert themselves in the middle of something. A lot of times this thing they feel compelled to insert themselves into is moving along just fine without them. But of course, they couldn’t give less of a shit about this fact. Instead, they must pontificate, insult, assert, and simply assume to be the end all be all of anything and everything. It’s what they do.
If you are unlucky enough to find yourself in such a situation, I suggest this approach; listen, play nice, seek clarity, and reiterate the fact that you are going to keep things moving. If you’re feeling bold, you can, of course, thank him or her for wasting everyone’s time.
The Top 10 Albums of 2015
These are the ones that left the biggest imprint. The albums that, when I look back on this year, I can feel them shake my being and alter the standard course of my day-to-day trajectory. Without further ado, in no particular order:
Kendrick Lamar, To Pimp A Butterfly
Sufjan Stevens, Carrie & Lowell
Modest Mouse, Strangers to Ourselves
Jamie xx, In Colour
Young Fathers, White Men Are Black Men Too
Father John Misty, I Love You, Honeybear
Purity Ring, another eternity
FKA Twigs, M3LL155X
Doomtree, All Hands
Desaparecidos, Payola
And if I could have 11, I’d include Wolf Alice, My Love Is Cool. But thems the breaks.
How do you plan to evolve?
How do you plan to keep at it? How will you stay nimble? How will you change, adapt, and stay relevant? How will you get new skills or new solutions or new ideas? How will you get better? How will you maintain? How will you not get mediocre? How will you continue or grow or pivot or scale or rotate? How will you stay interested? How will you stay hungry? How will stay above the fray? How will you stay in the thick? How will you work? How will you make it? How will you be constant? How will you be different? How will you be the same? How will you come to understand all of it?
What we learned in Schuyler
Project complete. From SWOT to final document, Sessions 1–6 went off without a hitch. Looking back, it was so awesome to get to collaborate with Katie on something like this. Aside from the workshops, there was lots of drive time, lots of planning time, and lots of extra computer time in an already packed work schedule. But it all was worth it. We just published a story on Medium about what we learned. Take a look, let me know what you think. And be sure to tell your friends about the good things happening in Schuyler, Nebraska!
Tuesdays are for giving
On this global day dedicated to giving back, here are a few wonderful organizations to support today and through the end of the year. They truly do amazing things. The Union for Contemporary Art unites artists and the community to inspire positive social change. They have big, exciting things planned for next year. Nebraska Appleseed advances the fight for justice and opportunity for all. Bold Nebraska has a store stocked full of great stuff. And a friendly reminder to save the date for next year’s Omaha Gives!: May 25, 2016.
