Category: Inspiration

  • Love is Created

    Last week a dear friend launched his new organization website and set a dream in motion. The Art & Justice League, founded by Anthony Lee, is all about facilitating the healing of children around the globe who are victims of injustice, through creative expression and advocacy. “I believe LOVE is created. Love doesn’t just come to…

  • My Ode to the Margin

    Margins are the most under-estimated spaces on a page. I often find myself figuring out, my attempts to maximize each sheet of paper, exactly how close to the edge of a page my printer will print. I try to eliminate margins. Most all of us concern ourselves more with the content than the space around…

  • Reminiscing on a Friday Night

    It’s a quiet, snowy Friday night, and I’m feeling sentimental. Within the next week or two our lives will be turned upside down forever. Our baby girl is due to arrive any day, our jobs are coming to a close in a week, and in a couple months we’ll be moving from the city that’s…

  • Jamie Oliver’s TED Prize Wish

    I just watched this amazing talk by Jamie Oliver about the need to teach children about food, and it gave me chills the whole way through. Watch it below, or on TED. Jamie came in with a chip on his shoulder, I think it’s his strong passion that made this talk so compelling. He calls…

  • Thoughts About My Grandchildren

    Jim Wallis of Sojourners recently put out a new book, “Rediscovering Values: On Wall Street, Main Street, and Your Street” (download the first chapter free here). He was recently on Jon Stewart, where you can see that he’s trying to start a very revolutionary, and necessary, conversation. www.thedailyshow.com “I love the Native American notion that…

  • Help for Haiti

    I had the privilege of going to Thailand in 2005 to help with the reconstruction efforts after the tsunami that destroyed many parts of southeast Asia. We got there 3 months following the disaster and were surprised to find that so much restoration had already happened in major cities and tourist hotspots, while fishing villages…

  • The Creative Process: Just Do It

    Over the past few months I’ve been reading a lot about developing creativity. I’ve been inspired by those who make great books, photos, videos, and talks, and have wanted to stretch and grow my creativity, particularly in the area of graphic design. One of the big obstacles to my growth has been my perfectionism, I…

  • Dan Pink’s talk on the science of motivation

    I’ve been a fan of Dan Pink since reading his book, “A Whole New Mind”, where he talks about the growing importance of right-brained thinking in business. In the talk above, Pink explains how traditional reward systems in business (“if-then” rewards) are not effective motivating people, particularly in the increasingly right-brain-ruled business world. He describes…

  • Nelson Mandela

    This weekend we went to see “Invictus.” Great movie. Nelson Mandela is an inspiring leader. His example of forgiveness and working to put an end to the cycle of fear in South Africa was powerful. Two years ago, my wife and I got to spend three months in South Africa, working with young people with…

  • What the Dog Saw

    I got a few good books at Christmas. My dilemma this week has been figuring out which to crack into first! A couple days ago I started into “What the Dog Saw” by Malcolm Gladwell, and am liking what I’m seeing. “The trick to finding ideas [for stories] is to convince yourself that everyone and…