Read time: 1 minute, 322 words. More options can kill your creativity. Brian Eno recorded Another Green World with a limited set of synths and tape machines. In 1975, he and Peter Schmidt created Oblique Strategies, a deck of cards designed to force new creative decisions. Jack White built The White Stripes around two instruments, three colors, analog tape, and no bass player. The limits became the identity. Here are 7 ways constraints boost creativity, plus how to put them to work today....
about 10 hours ago • 1 min read
Read time: 1 minute, 362 words. A few years ago, a country artist asked about my producer fees. I explained that I don't charge fees. I also told him I probably wasn’t the right fit for his music. But he kept pushing. "But you must want something!" We both moved on, but I thought about his pitch. Every week, at the bottom of this email, I tell everyone exactly what I want. Now imagine he had started with, "I signed up 29 subscribers to your newsletter." I still wouldn't have produced his...
14 days ago • 1 min read
Read time: 1 minute, 377 words. A few months ago, I released an album, stars and static 2026. And then I forgot to share it with you. It's the second volume in my geofi series. The idea is simple: music rooted in place. Real field recordings. Captured on location. Then shaped into lofi pieces that try to express how a place feels. For this album, I sampled sounds from Naples’ central train station, Selma, the Carolina lowlands, Little Rock, Beale Street, the Willard Hotel, Lincoln Center,...
21 days ago • 1 min read
Read time: 1 minute, 271 words. How do you stay close to people who don't share your craft? I struggle to maintain relationships with people outside my creative world. Most of my friendships form through making things together. Projects, deep work, shared obsession. So when I'm buried in an immersive creative project, people think I'm ghosting them. But I'm not disappearing. I'm just deep in the work. 👉🏾 Check the infographic below for 10 ways to create and maintain friendships with...
28 days ago • 1 min read
Read time: 1 minute, 410 words.With America's 250th upon us, a yarn for you. Benjamin Franklin didn't begin by joining powerful rooms. He built one. In 1727, at just 21, he founded the Junto in Philadelphia. It was a mutual-improvement club for tradesmen and practical thinkers. Not elites. Not aristocrats. People who wanted to read, debate, learn, and make their city better. Ideas from those meetings helped lead to several important Philadelphia civic institutions. Franklin didn't wait for...
about 1 month ago • 1 min read
Read time: 1 minute, 302 words. This Memorial Day, we salute those who gave the ultimate sacrifice. But we should also ask how more of us can serve. I was working in banking when I joined the Navy Reserve. My family was against it. But serving overseas showed me the military is looking for skilled professionals. Bankers can brief clearly, make fast decisions, and optimize spending. If you are asking what comes next in life, consider service. The military could become part of your portfolio...
2 months ago • 1 min read