Author: admin
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Love on the Rocks
When I was a kid, I watched a movie called The Jazz Singer. It featured the unlikely combination of Laurence Olivier and Neil Diamond. I remember the struggle of a Jewish son trying to break free of the religious traditions of his strict father. But I also remember the creative struggle depicted. Some fool tried…
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“You start writing the next one.”
There’s this amazing scene in the movie tick, tick… BOOM! that I had to watch again. It happens after Jonathon Larson has his big presentation of a new musical that nobody on Broadway wants to produce. He says, “So what am I supposed to do now?” Rosa Stevens says, “You start writing the next one.…
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Networking Effects
When trying to solve complex problems, a diverse network of skilled people tends to outperform even the most extraordinary individuals. Having said this, coordination matters. Networks of people can get derailed, just like individuals, although for slightly different reasons. Whereas individuals have personal biases that lead to blind spots, networks of people can be brainwashed…
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The Unknown
Here’s what I love about creativity. Each time we attempt to write a screenplay, paint a picture, dance in a new way, perform a monologue, play a musical instrument, engage in a conversation, or present a poem, we are jumping into the Unknown. If we know how to balance a checkbook, that’s great. It’s pretty…
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Being Remembered
Not many people are known for making history. Some stories have survived. While most people do not know who Eratosthenes was, you can find out. The same is true for many people who have played some role in making history. Others are more well-known: Hitler, Einstein, Gandhi, Darwin, Shakespeare, Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Jesus, Caesar,…
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Too Much Time…
When I was in grade school, one of my first record albums was Paradise Theatre, by Styx. It includes the song Too Much Time on My Hands. Often, I catch myself thinking that I don’t have enough time to do all of the things I want to do. The reality is I have 24 hours…
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Filmmaking
Film is a visual storytelling medium. Most movies that get awards at film festivals are “cinematic”. The cinematography is gorgeous, and the visuals go a long way toward telling the story. This is certainly true of Portrait of a Lady on Fire, a movie I just saw. It’s hard to imagine seeing this story on…
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Writing Blog Posts
I started writing a post the day before yesterday on another computer. Because it wasn’t ready, I didn’t post it. Now, I want to write a post about the act of writing routinely. It takes time. It takes effort to write something interesting. It takes patience because thoughts don’t always arise when it’s convenient. I…
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Michael Lewis has a Masterclass!
I love to learn! It’s one of the reasons that I keep a Masterclass membership active. Today, I discovered that Michael Lewis, one of my favorite authors, has a new masterclass. I haven’t delved into it yet. I’m too busy with my own projects to take a learning break. However, I’m incredibly excited to take…
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Partial Solar Eclipse
I considered going to Texas to watch today’s solar eclipse. Didn’t happen. Instead, I used a pinhole camera, a colander, and the blinds in my daughter’s room to watch a partial solar eclipse from our home in Colorado. While these photos may not be as awe-inspiring as the ones I could have captured in Texas,…