Groove Theory #4 - Nothing Business
How Marina Abramović built a global phenomenon by doing literally nothing - and why your next big moment might need less doing, more being.
Howard Gray
Creative Business
The truck stop where Led Zeppelin, The Who, and Hendrix met
The Blue Boar at Watford Gap was just a motorway service station. But it accidentally became the nerve center of British rock. Sometimes the best creative breakthroughs happen by accident.
Howard's Riffs
If it's new to you, it's still new
In a quiet NYC coffee shop on July 4th weekend, the 90s electronic music playlist kicks in - along with the late afternoon cold brew
Mindsets & Growth
Meet the person you could have been: What a $150B CEO does on weekends
Shopify CEO Tobi Lutke races cars not for fame or money, but to close the gap between who he is and who he could become. His approach to finding fascination and practicing at 99.99% offers a path for anyone looking to meet their future self
A.I.
The hidden layer in Spotify's CTO's take on AI vs. machine learning
Gustav Söderström's insight reveals why creative professionals need to master the feedback loops AI can't touch.
Creative Business
The $2.5M Decision That Changed Everything
A screenwriter turned down Harrison Ford and Tom Cruise for unknown actors. He had no way of knowing if he was right. But he trusted his vision anyway.
Journal
Swimming
Friday afternoon. Hot, sticky, NYC summer.
Early pickup. We hot footed across hot streets, eased past the lulling construction site.
Learning Innovation
Always do a run-through. No exceptions.
24 hours before our big workshop, we spotted a problem that could've killed the room. One case study had to go. Here's why the final check saved us from disaster.
Newsletter
Groove Theory #3 - The Empty Stage Test
What UK rapper Loyle Carner learned from indifferent festival crowds - and how to find what really works when nobody knows who you are.
Learning Innovation
The case for all-age everything: lessons from PBS Kids
I'm shopping for my 4-year-old and keep thinking "I wish they made that in Dad size."
Mindsets & Growth
The question I immediately stole (and you should too)
A new collaborator asked me something that cuts through all the noise: "Send me the most interesting article in your space." Simple question, powerful results.
Best of...
Making it in America: What international founders & creatives actually need to know
The cultural paradoxes, identity costs, and hidden rules nobody explains
Newsletter
Groove Theory: #2 - The street food rebellion at a Michelin restaurant
Most of us deliver what's expected without noticing what's actually needed. Here's how to change that.
Best of...
The Creative Technologist comeback
How a misunderstood role from the digital agency era is becoming essential for the AI age
A.I.
Pascal's Wager for AI (and why you should bet on Scenario 2)
Dan Hockenmaier just cut through all the AI noise with a simple framework. Here's why his "scenario 2" bet makes perfect sense.
Creative Business
What happens when you collapse the talent stack?
Adobe's Chief Strategy Officer says the magic happens when designers code and engineers hack growth. But here's what he doesn't say: the specialist roles are about to dissolve.
Music
What Brian Eno knows about learning (that we've forgotten)
The ambient music pioneer's new theory about art as "adult play" reveals why case studies don't stick - and what does.
Future Of Work
The AI displacement wave is here (and it's not what you think)
Real professionals are losing work to AI right now. But the solution isn't just learning new tools—it's becoming harder to replicate.
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