Category Archives: Blog

Let’s Get Creative

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create something!

create something!

The world is a crazy place. Frankenstorms, economic roller coasters, political wastelands, but you know what? We are lucky enough to live in some amazing times.

Forget the craziness. Let’s focus on being creative.

I came across a couple great blog posts today that offer some creative inspiration. So, I figured I’d pass the inspiration to you.

First, here’s a post by Seth Godin that offers some much needed perspective.

Seth is good; amazingly creative. But I tend to shy away from him because he’s become a bit to popular for my liking – the Dude tends to have an irrational aversion to anything mainstream. Sorry Seth.

But I love these thoughts…

  • There’s never been a better opportunity to step up and make an impact, while we’ve got the chance. This generation, this decade, right now, there are more opportunities to connect and do art than ever before. Maybe even today.
  • It’s more important than ever [t]o persist and make a dent in the universe[.]
  • We’ve all been offered access to so many tools, so many valuable connections, so many committed people. What an opportunity.

It’s time to create. It’s time to “Make Good Art.” It doesn’t matter what it is. Just create.

Numero dos, a post by the CTO (Chief Technology Officer) for TwitPic, Steven Corona. I just started following Steve’s blog the other day (can I call you Steve? Thanks. :)). I think this is the first post I’ve received. But it’s a gem.

Steve synchronictically builds on Seth’s post by offering some advice to get the creative juices flowing…

  • You don’t need to be an expert to solve a problem and it doesn’t need to be perfect the first time. Cut before your measure.
  • Block off a chunk of time; 6 [hours] is good 12 is better.
  • Write out as many actionable steps as you can in 2 minutes. After 2 minutes, stop. You now have your plan.
  • When you’re creating, Google is off limits.
  • When you set yourself up for success, creating, doing something actionable, is the easiest part.

Creativity. It’s magical. And we all have access to it. Use it.

Blogging is More Important Than Ever

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Monopolies are no bueno. Parker Brothers taught us this a long time ago with the board game.

We all know that by the end of a game of Monopoly – once all the power has been consolidated in the winners hands – Mom and Dad aren’t talking, Uncle Jim is no longer welcome at the house, and the kids are rolling around on the ground scratching each others eyes out.

It never fails, consolidation of Boardwalk and Park Place in the hands of the thimble leads to decisions made for the benefit of the few and a mass unrest for those on the losing end. And the board game is a decent corollary for the real world.

Yet, some how the masses tend to miss the formation of real monopolies…or more likely, fooled into missing the real monopolies.

Check out the below “Illusion of Choice” infographic.

  • 6 major companies dictate about 90% of the media we have access to.
  • In less than 30 years the number of companies providing our media has dropped from 50 to just 6.
  • The six companies consisting of GE, New-corp, Disney, Viacom, Time Warner, and CBS.
  • One media executive to every 850,000 subscribers.
  • To add to the craziness, check out how much GE paid in taxes…how about zero?!
    • 57,000 page tax return and paid the big donut on $14 billion in profits.
The Illusion of Choice

The Illusion of Choice

So, this leads me to my main point. Blogging is more important than ever. Mass media may be monopolized and homogenized, but the interwebs is wide open.

Turn off the TV, stop reading mainstream media, and open your eyes to the rich information on the intertubes.

I’m a blogger, so I’ll admit I’m a bit biased, but I am amazed at the quality and quantity of independent media at our finger tips. Far more than we can keep up with, but choose your interests and pursue with vigor.

Let The Man have the monopolized media. The people have each other.

Quick tip: Between work and home, I currently follow 316 blogs. Crazy, right? How do I keep up? It’s pretty easy…and fun because it’s information I’m into.

  1. Get a Google Reader account – this allows you to consolidate all of your blogs in one spot. With the magic of RSS feeds, there’s no need to go out and look for new posts
  2. Setup an IGoogle page with Google Reader, Facebook, Twitter, weather, a surf report – anything you look at on a regular basis – and make this your homepage. Every time you get on your computer, you’ll see new blog posts that you dig.
  3. Don’t get caught up in reading every post. Scan headlines, and only dig into posts that catch your attention.
  4. To take it to the mobile level, you can get apps for your smart phones and tablets that give you the ability to check your Google Reader – I use “MobileRSS” for my IPhone and “Feedler” for my IPad.

As an example, here’s a look at my IGoogle homepage…

 

Dude's iGoogle

Dude's iGoogle

Thanks to Frugal Dad for the great infographic.

Welcome to the Dude’s Breakfast Table

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Dude's Breakfast Table

Dude's Breakfast Table

“There’s something sacred about reading a blog post on someone else’s site. It’s like visiting a friend’s house for a quick meal ’round the breakfast table. It’s personal — you’re in their space, and the environment is uniquely suited for idea exchange and uninterrupted conversation. In many ways, we should be treating our blogs like our breakfast tables. Be welcoming & gracious when you host, and kind & respectful when visiting.” – Trent Walton (Gracias SwissMiss)

A breakfast table. A fantastic way to describe a blog. Relaxed. But open. A great environment for sharing ideas. But also an opportunity to practice our manners.

Welcome to the Dude’s breakfast table. Happy to have you.

I had no idea who this Trent Walton dude was before reading this quote; so as we all do these days, I hit Google. Turns out he is pretty rad. I don’t know much beyond he’s a web designer who lives in Texas and digs farming, but he has a blog, and the most recent post that I read sold me immediately.

“Into the Woods” is a great short story with a strong lesson at the end. Explore new paths. be daring. Embrace the play of childhood. Very Dude-like.

Looking forward to visiting your breakfast table Trent.