Creative Business
Act or artist?
A small distinction I noticed as a talent agent that applies far beyond the music industry—and changes how you approach your work.
Creative Business
Building creative careers and ventures that actually work
Creative Business
Yes, Chef
Most knowledge workers dive straight in. But what if we borrowed from the chef's secret weapon - mise en place? Some prep tips...
Best of...
Shakepeare & Co's Proustian Questions
In Paris, there's a bookstore called Shakespeare and Company (hey, who said the Brits and French don’t get along?). Next door is Bob's Cafe. Together, they do something wonderful.
Mindsets & Growth
The Shadow Brief
Carl Jung said every person has a shadow - the other version of themselves, shouting in silence. Turns out, every
Creative Business
Two ways to define 'Good Enough'
Ever found yourself endlessly tweaking a project, chasing that elusive perfection? Yeah, me too. But here's a thought.
Best of...
7 ways to improve a conference speaking proposal
I’ve just finished evaluating proposals for SXSW 2025. Here are 7 things that separate the standouts from the rest.
How-To Guides
How the creator of 'Peaky Blinders' uses one word to unlock new worlds
Picture this: A working-class kid from Birmingham, youngest of 7, no silver spoon in sight. Fast forward, and he'
Entrepreneurial Endeavours
Two essentials for building distributed teams
Jeff Bezos once said to bet on things that won't change. Here's one: talent is everywhere.
Future Of Work
Tyler Cowen's two questions to unearth hidden talent
How do you find talent with a spark? Can you predict who’s going to be most creative, energetic, curious, or successful? Here are two unusual questions the economist Tyler Cowen asks to figure it out…
Creative Business
Goodbye Google Slides. Hello, Figma
Death by Powerpoint? Perhaps ‘Death of Powerpoint’ is more apt. Because Figma just launched a slide design tool, and it’
Creative Business
The Player-Commentator
Ever pretended to play like Messi, Ronaldo or Rapinoe?
How about the people who tell you what’s going on
Best of...
Carl Cox's timeless creative career advice
Two simple tips for a successful long-term career, courtesy of a one-of-a-kind artist & entertainer
Independent Paths
The wallet, the CV, and me
A simple but effective method to design any kind of creative career.
Creative Business
Steve Albini's letter to Nirvana (No business lessons required)
The legendary producer who died this week wrote one of the best professional letters ever. You'll see why without me explaining it.
Creative Business
(De)Risky Business
A few years ago I went to an event featuring a talk by William Reeve. He’s co-founded no less
Future Of Work
Future Jobs: The Fractional Company Historian
Disney has it. So does Levi’s. IBM definitely do. Stripe probably will soon. Even Theranos has one (albeit an
How-To Guides
How to use Figma for building online courses
Over the last few months I’ve been using Figma as the design engine for building our new online course.
Portfolio Career
Full Stackers
I've long believed in the value of cultivating "Lowercase Skills" - being a an uppercase Strategist