James Bond, creativity, listening, and data
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James Bond, creativity, listening, and data

John Logan, the scriptwriter behind two of the latest James Bond movies, is worried that when Amazon buys MGM, it will ruin 007. But data and corporate control doesn’t necessarily ruin creativity. It all depends on who’s making the creative decisions. John Logan’s lament for 007 Here’s some of what John Logan, co-writer of “Skyfall”…

The fundamental insights in Natalie Nixon’s book “The Creativity Leap”

The fundamental insights in Natalie Nixon’s book “The Creativity Leap”

Creativity emerges from the interplay of wonder and rigor. That is the central message of The Creativity Leap, a fantastic little book by Natalie Nixon. She taps into a background in cultural anthropology and fashion to create a book that struck me as somehow fundamental, connected to the core of what it means to be…

Why getting stuck is part of coming up with great titles and taglines
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Why getting stuck is part of coming up with great titles and taglines

I help people with book titles and taglines. It’s not a linear process, and progress is impossible to measure. That’s a feature, not a bug. I had this insight recently when working with a client on a tagline for his business, along with some other language. (A tagline is a short description of what you…

Which rules to break and when: a personal disruption guide

Which rules to break and when: a personal disruption guide

Breaking rules is necessary, because if you follow all the rules to the letter, you’ll never accomplish anything new and original. Ironically, though, every piece of advice on the Internet — including my book and my blog — is setting up new rules  (“Avoid the passive voice! Build your personal brand! Floss!). So should you break the…