Tuesday March 9, 2010
March 8, 2010
Never once in my life did my parents say, ‘What you’re doing is a waste of time.’ … I know there are kids out there that don’t have that support system so if you’re out there and you’re listening, listen to me: You want to be creative? Get out there and do it, it’s not a waste of time.
Labels: Creativity
March 7, 2010
“What I’m seeing is not the failure of our economy but a reality check.
It’s okay to be cautious, to live within your means, to not get further into debt. The questions that people are asking themselves are perhaps the right questions—do I really need to buy a second car or even a car period? Do I need to buy this piece of clothing that I’ll never wear again in six months, if not sooner? What items do I really need?
For an economy and people who are used to splurging on material goods, this sort of introspection influenced by…
Source: In These Times
Labels: Economy
March 6, 2010
Irrespective of the lack of experience, knowledge & the massive budget most people think is needed to create a new business, we’ve created something against most odds; the only barrier to entry would’ve thus been the limitations that we set ourselves in our minds.
Don’t be afraid to evolve your ideas and build from an imperfect foundation. There are always ways to rectify those imperfections in the future, and being conscious of those imperfections shouldn’t deter you from gunning for your vision & ambition with utter passion & motivation.
Via: @jeremyjaymes
Labels: Passion
February 27, 2010
Source: Designing Design by Kenya Hara, Designer and Curator
Via: Designer’s Library
Labels: Creativity
February 24, 2010
Fiction, he says, gives us the time to contemplate where we are headed.
“The world is so insanely complex and fast and distracting, and one of the things I think a good book can do is slow the reader’s attention down a little bit and give them a chance to think through some of the consequences of these changes which otherwise are so quick that all you can do is react,” Haslett says.
So is literature the answer?
“It’s an ameliorative,” Haslett says with a laugh. “I don’t think it’s an answer, I don’t think it will solve our problems but I think how we pay attention to the world matters and if you can spend time inside an imaginative world then there’s a calmness and an ability to think.”
Source: ‘Union Atlantic’ Author Banked On A Coming Crisis
Labels: Writing
February 21, 2010
Interviewer Tom Goldman, National Public Radio:
And so Evan Lysacek, a fourth place finisher at the Olympics four years ago, became the first American male skater to win the gold medal since Brian Boitano did it in 1988. Lysacek did it with a technically brilliant performance, controlled jumps, nearly perfect spins. It was, he said afterwards, the fruit of his constant and sometimes maddening labor on the basics.
Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics Gold Medalist Figure Skater Evan Lysacek:
I’m so thankful, because I resisted so many times and said why am I working on such simple moves. I can do a loop already. I can do a jump already. And my coaches and choreographers said do it again.
And even in practice here I kept getting frustrated because, like, I want to work on jumps more, and they were having me work on those turns. And tonight, my focus was getting every point out of that program I could.
Source: No Quad Necessary, Lysacek Wins Skating Gold
Labels: Basics
February 12, 2010
The specialist vs. generalist debate has raged on, throughout many fields, for ages. I think it’s clear that there isn’t any answer to this debate, and that’s just fine, the debate has been and probably will continue to be an interesting one that doesn’t need, or have, an absolute answer. Having said that, I think what truly matters is a genuine interest and passion for what you’re doing, not so much the depth and breath of your skill set.
I know many successful generalists and more than a few successful specialists. But does it really matter one way or the other? Is it better to be specialized? Do you have to be specialized in order to advance your skills? Do generalists have more fun? I don’t think so. If there is an answer to these questions it’s likely the ever cliched ‘it depends.’
Depends on the person, the position, the organization, budgets, work load, team make up, et cetera.
The specialist vs. generalist argument really boils down to this: What really matters is your passion for your work, the rest is just a heaping pile of ‘it depends.’ …
Skills can be learned. Programming, design, writing, project management; all of these things can be practiced and developed. A true desire to succeed, passion for your work, a solid work ethic; these are harder to come by.
Bottom-line: if you’re willing to work hard, practice, learn and bring passion to the table every day you should do well, either as a specialist or as a generalist.
Source: Specialized Generalist
Via: Authentic Boredom
Labels: Work
February 9, 2010
At its core, innovation is applied creativity. And, it is my belief since I have seen it for years is that most employees can be encouraged to be creative, if you want them to be.
How can you encourage small innovations?
Think small. The beauty of small innovations is that they focus on immediate concerns, not on finding game-changing products. Encourage your people to find a solution to a problem, or a better way of doing things.
Try posing questions: How can accounting streamline billing? How can customer service resolve issues on the phone without supervisor intervention? How can product engineers find more time to spend with customers? Using such questions will get people generating ideas. Not every idea will be brilliant, but that’s the point. You want to collect ideas, refine them, and select the best for implementation.
Implement locally. Since most small innovations are limited to a department or a function, put them into action as soon as possible. If the idea does not work as expected, don’t abandon it immediately—see if you can tweak it. Implementation itself can be creative and sometimes it takes several tries to make innovative ideas work as expected, or beyond expectations.
Promote widely. You need to recognize those who think of and support the innovations. Many organizations provide incentives for such efforts, from gift coupons all the way up to substantive bonuses for innovations that positively affect the entire company. The important thing is to recognize the right people, and to do it in a timely fashion.
Encouraging small innovations is only part of the management equation. Execution of the innovations is critical. No amount of applied creativity can make up for slipped deadlines, blown budgets, dissatisfied customers, or unbalanced profit and loss statements. You need to focus on the details to get things done.
Source: How to Encourage Small Innovations
Via: The 99 Percent
Labels: Innovation
Photograph by Michelle Litvin
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