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Staying Up All Night and Getting Lucky
Are you trying to get lucky? No, not that kind of lucky, I mean, are you trying to get a lucky break? Trying to get on the fast track to success, become an overnight sensation? In The Dip (a short book that’s worth reading twice), Seth Godin shows that there’s no shortcut to success. In…
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“Creative” Isn’t a Noun, It’s a Challenge
“Creative” is a funny word. We use it to describe people, as if “creative” is trait they possess, as in “she has brown hair, glasses, and she’s really creative“. We even use it to describe a thing, like a script or advertising graphics. “The campaign starts next week, so the creative needs to be ready…
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Answer “Why”, Win Your Audience
Remember that kid who sat in the back in math class who, in the middle of the teacher’s explanation of some theory, would raise his hand and ask, “Why is this even important?” The teacher, sensing the underlying defiance of this free-thinker, would fumble some answer, trying to avoid the “just because” response. (I, for…
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Introducing Toastimer
William Morris once said, “If you want a golden rule that will fit everybody, this is it: Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful.” Useful and beautiful. It’s this aspiration that drives great web design (and great speeches too). The best web tools are…
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When the War Wins
When the battle keeps two people from seeing the humanity in the other, the war wins. When a skirmish about the minors overshadows the majors, the war wins. When fighting to uphold the image of God, we hurt those made in his image, the war wins. In Speaking of Jesus, Carl Medearis describes a soccer…
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The Woman in Purple
I love photos that tell a story. Still images often contain living, breathing stories that invite us to participate in their telling. Above is one of the favourite photos I’ve ever taken. Sitting on the steps of the Gazi Husrev-beg Mosque in Sarajevo, a bright pop of colour between those great pillars, this woman in…
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Four Years
Four years ago I accidentally made a new year’s resolution. I decided to show up at least every week and write something. Over four years I’ve managed to ship 258 posts, 57,299 words and 2 ebooks. This platform has been an opportunity to share things I’m learning, while processing things I’m learning through the very…
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Christmas Reflections
I’m always amazed how quickly, after months of anticipation, Christmas comes and goes each year. November and December are a flurry of preparations and celebrations all pointing to Christmas Day. The Day itself is gone in a flash, after which we all wake up and carry on life as usual. Maybe early Christian traditions were…
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Just Marketing
These days our marketing radar is on high alert. We see straight through big ad campaigns that are all talk. We expect to be let down by loud promises. We don’t bother clicking on the banner ads. Like Ralphie, we’ve put our hopes in these promises, only to find out that it’s just a “crummy…
