Posts Tagged ‘General’

A Healthy Obsession

Monday, January 18th, 2010

Obsession is essential, it’s absolutely the most important component to doing anything worth talking about. Without it, we have mediocrity – we have the bored, the lethargic. With it, we have the ability to push ourselves to the limits of what we think is possible and achieve stellar results.

Ask any good designer, an obsession with perfection and getting something right visually allows for the best results. Ask any good great developer, an obsession with efficient, clean code leads to applications that run faster using less processing power with less bugs.

Make the last 10% of something the best 10%. If something isn’t right, rip it out and redo it. And then redo it again. Obsess with the details, the completion, the experience; all of it. If you don’t think you have something to obsess about, create something; or just stop reading my blog. I hope to only preach to the converted, it makes things much easier on me.

Personally, I’m completely obsessed with building a fence. What does that have to do with the internet or design? Nothing. I really just wanted to post that picture of me working on a fence in the dark – if that’s not obsession, I don’t know what is. And guess what, I re-dug several post holes, re-screwed several 2X4s, and re-cut several boards. All in the name of obsessing over the details. Getting them right gives your work longevity, for every detail you leave behind, it’s a detail you will regret.

What’s Your Balance?

Tuesday, February 17th, 2009

If I were to define balance, it would probably be finding the right combination of what you do for self and what you do for others. There are very few people that can operate at either end of the spectrum. We, normal folks that is, have to find the right balance of the, “have-tos” and the “want-tos.” But how?

a roof over my head and sneakers on my feet.

When I first entered the working world, I got a piece of advice that stuck with me and I often quote, “You either do what you love regardless of the pay, or you do a job you may not like that affords you the ability to do what you love outside of work.” While I would like to tell everyone to do the former, just like in 8th grade, not everybody can be Michael Jordan. Most people are forced into the latter and it takes either high-tolerance to cope or a lot of drive to get into doing something you do love.

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Duck & Cover

Sunday, November 30th, 2008

It’s been awhile” is how I seem to launch into every blog post of late. My strategy has been the somewhat defensive, “duck* & cover.” If I were to drink the blogging koolaid, I would know that blogging is essential to my business. If only…

So how does the, “duck & cover,” strategy fit into my bigger broader strategy of doing great work on the web? It doesn’t – it just means that I’m scared. I’ve started countless entries only to have them peter out into random generalizations. None of them have been post worthy, not one. If I’m going to write something, it better be good, or else what’s the point?  The web is already so full of noise.

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Death of an Icon

Thursday, August 14th, 2008

When I stumbled into my early teens, or maybe even before that, I had a strong draw towards music and more specifically bands. Being born in Seattle made me gravitate towards the scene there, even if I lived in Alaska. And what band is synonymous with Seattle? Nirvana of course.

Before the internet we had TV or magazines to get information about bands. Back then, MTV played music, on television. Hard to imagine such a radical concept now. Anyways, this brings me to the topic of the post – Rolling Stone Magazine. One of the first Rolling Stones I ever picked up was the one showed below. Walking by it in the store, I had to have it. As with most kids, this involved begging and pleading with Mom. Eventually I convinced her of all the reasons it was necessary for me to obtain this magazine and she caved.

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I am a horrible blogger AND a decent hustler

Tuesday, July 22nd, 2008

I’m always reading these “how to blog” lists, well not so much of late, but I was reading them.  They all say consistency is key!

“Blog on a consistent basis, if it’s one time a week, then make sure you do it…”

In reading that, it seemed easy enough – but nope! Anyhow, it’s retarded for me to even blog about blogging (no offense to the retards who read my blog). I’ve been so busy doing that I haven’t had time to really tell about any of it – so here goes.

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The Choices We Face

Friday, July 4th, 2008

The always on mentality – it’s a choice. The quality of your work – another choice.  The quantity of your work – another choice. There is only so much you can control and the rest you have to let go and enjoy the ride.

Occasionally, I hit a speed bump. Something that doesn’t feel quite right in my gut, something that brings me to the uncomfortable conclusion, yes, I still have much to learn. Don’t over-extend-promise-deliver, all of these things get you in trouble in one way or another.

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2007: A Tri-Fecta of Favorite Things in Review

Thursday, December 27th, 2007

Most publications start making predictions around this time of year, but I hate being wrong. It’s not so much that I don’t have ideas of where things are going – it’s more the fact making future predictions is a bit trite. Rarely are there any groundbreaking revelations and the novelty wears off quite quickly, usually by the third bullet point. In light of keeping it lite, there are three innovations which I feel are noteworthy for 2007 – the iPhone, the Wii, and Twitter.

Granted the Wii came out in November of 2006 and Twitter in March of 2006 – they really didn’t “blow up” until 2007. The Wii continues to have shortages and Twitter ballooned after SXSW 2007, where I first signed on. I had a conversation with Snook once and he talked about (and continues to blog about) staying away from hopping on any bandwagon as well as staying fair and balanced. This post will not be that way – I will gush and adore praise for my three favorite things of 2007.
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Transparency and the Old Guard

Sunday, December 16th, 2007

Wired wrote about it, but even before that it was in our hearts and on our minds. If trade-secrets ruled the day in the 20th century – transparency will rule the day in the 21st. The words competition and secrecy will be exchanged with collaboration and openness. Companies that fail to see this will find it harder and harder to gain the devotion of us, the “e” generation.

The “e” means we are empowered. As consumers, as professionals, as social networkers, as voters, and as evangelists. Believe me, you want us on your side. What we lack in numbers we make up for in determination and knowledge. Leveraging the internet to make real changes is second nature – and it will happen. We can’t be bought or sold by a television network – we really aren’t into TV, it’s too – linear, too “photoshopped,” or too fake. Our real news media has become satirical and our satirical news media has become real, and we recognize that.

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Good, Cheap, and Fast

Friday, November 23rd, 2007

Theresa Tran, of Tease Marketing, once said something to me in a conversation that resonated heavily, “You have good, cheap, OR fast, you get to pick two.” After mulling it over in my head for a little while, it made perfect sense. And as I broke off to go start my own business, it’s something I chalked up as a cardinal rule.

“You have good, cheap, or fast, you get to pick two.”

I have been on my own freelancing (or running my own business) for nearly six months, a few things have occurred to me. Cheap is a relative term – relative to the client paying the money as well as relevant to what you’re making across the board for all projects. Good, when doing business for yourself, isn’t so much an option as it is a requirement. And lastly, fast is the speed at which we do business period – people want everything yesterday. So do clients really ever pick two out of three? Or do they just automatically assume to run the table. After all, the customer is always right.

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Disassembled Assembly, aka Weekly Wrap Up 8/27

Friday, August 31st, 2007

No, not my new band name (but keeps it for future reference), I just had a few things cross my plate, all of which were too big to warrant a twitter, yet too small to warrant their own post. I dunno, that could all be a lie as well. You never know with these internet blogs.

First off, congrats to Tease Marketing, for they(we) have officially refreshed their homepage to include a sign up for their new newsletter, “The Tease Effect.” Sign up, these ladies throw lavish parties and seem to know just about everyone. The newsletter is for upcoming events they sponsor.
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