July 27, 2010
“I’ve never defined myself as a writer, or, God forbid, an author. I’m a person—someone who goes to work every morning, like the plumber or the television repairman, and who goes home at the end of the day to think about other things. I can’t imagine not going to work as long as I can. …
I try to refocus my frazzled writers on the process of writing, not the product. If the process is sound, the product will take care of itself. Recently I got a letter from a young woman writer who was back home in California after her annual visit. She said, ‘Your office is a sanctuary of craft amidst the hullabaloo of publishers, editors, and agents. You have no idea how liberating that is.’
It may seem perverse that I compare my writing to plumbing, an occupation not regarded as high-end. But to me all work is equally honorable, all crafts an astonishment when they are performed with skill and self-respect. Just as I go to work every day with my tools, which are words, the plumber arrives with his kit of wrenches and washers, and afterward the pipes have been so adroitly fitted together that they don’t leak. I don’t want any of my sentences to leak. The fact that someone can make water come out of a faucet on the 10th floor strikes me as a feat no less remarkable than the construction of a clear declarative sentence.”
Source: Life and Work by William Zinsser, Writer, Editor, Teacher
Via: The Casual Optimist
Labels: Work | Writing
July 18, 2010
Fail, it’s not in my dictionary. I’ve got a good dictionary up there and the words ‘fail’ and ‘failure’ have been ruled out for years. I don’t know what people are talking about who use that word. All I do know is temporary non-success, even if I’ve got to wait another 20 years for what I’m after, and I try to put that into people, no matter what their object in life.
Bryce Roberts
Venture Capitalist
Source: Bryce Dot VC
Via: VentureSwell
July 15, 2010
The mathematician’s patterns, like the painter’s or the poet’s must be beautiful; the ideas like the colours or the words, must fit together in a harmonious way. Beauty is the first test: there is no permanent place in the world for ugly mathematics.
G. H. Hardy
Mathematician
Source: A Mathematician’s Apology
Via: ‘Disappearing Number’: A Vivid Theatrical Equation
July 9, 2010
Big Think: “Can social identity exist without visual identity? Where does design fit in the way people connect with the causes and ideas bettering their community and society at large?”
Hyperakt: “Not really. Everything has a visual identity of one sort or another. The question is how effective and well crafted it is, if it is crafted at all.
Through design, we help people fall in love with brands that make the world a better place. Great design can determine whether someone is excited or not about belonging to a cause, believing in a brand or buying a product. It is a gut reaction, followed by the assumption that if a brand is together enough to present its core ideas elegantly, it is a trustworthy, high quality brand that is likely to succeed. These are the kinds of brands people are excited to connect with and tell a friends about. Apple and Nike have known this for years. The Obama campaign understood this and many grassroots organizations learned that inspiring writing and great design can be catalysts for action.”
Source: Hyperakt: Meaningful Design for the Common Good by Big Think
Via: Design Observer
Labels: Meaning
July 8, 2010
“Our intentions are good.
There. That’s it. Our big, sweeping, trademarkable agency philosophy. Go ahead and throw a ™ on it.
WHAT? Your intentions are good? Who the hell cares about your intentions? I want your work to be good. Your thinking. Your people. Here’s a crazy one—I want your results to be good. I’d even take your client dinners to be good. But your intentions?
Ah, patience, Grasshopper. Sure our work is great and we have tremendous passion, yadda yadda yadda, but it honestly all starts with a couple of simple intentions. Namely, 1. Do right by our clients.…
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Source: About Us by Venables Bell
Via: WorkWorkWork
July 7, 2010
I feel the reason Supreme has been able to stay relevant after 15 years is because it has never tried to be something its not. I can proudly say, since I have been at Supreme, the word ‘trend’ has never come up in a meeting.
It has to make sense. You ideally want to work with a company that is the best in their field or has a common bond with the culture. Since there had been an over saturation of collaborations in the market, it is even more important than ever for our projects to have meaning.
Angelo Baque
Marketing Director at Supreme
Source: Interview with Angelo Baque by Inventory Magazine
Labels: Meaning
July 3, 2010
“Actual bare bones development, time spent on the product, and months and years of hard work are what can be attributed to a company’s success. …
Rather than trying to invent a ‘make it big’ idea, having good instincts, foresight and putting together a team that can execute has much greater value. If you spend time putting together a group of people than can actually deliver the goods, an idea becomes nothing more than a showcase for your talents. With the ability to execute, ideas become distilled down to their essence. This makes way for knowledge and communication.
The industry…
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Source: You Don’t Need a Big Idea, You Need a Great Team
July 2, 2010
“This is a lesson I’ve learned and relearned from all kinds of companies that are winning big in tough economic circumstances. You can’t be special, distinctive, compelling in the marketplace unless you create something special, distinctive, compelling in the workplace. Your strategy is your culture; your culture is your strategy. The most successful companies I know understand that the most important business decisions they make are not what new products they launch or what new markets they enter. What really matters is what new people they let in the door—who they hire—and how they create an environment in which everyone…
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Source: Why We (Shouldn’t) Hate HR
Via: WorkWorkWork tumblr
Labels: Culture
