Don't know = huge costs

We don't have to be experts in everything, but we do need to know enough about everything to avoid getting taken. A CEO must know how everything works so she can pull in the reigns on her VP of Digital when he's building something that's way too expensive, unnecessary, or hard to pivot from.

A homeowner must know how the furnace works, where the fusebox is, and how much it costs to fix the roof.

Being conversant in many things because we've done the research that enables meaningful participation, prevents us from paying top dollar, whether in time or cash, for someone to solve our blind spot.

Blind spots are dangerous. The bottom line is, 'don't know' = huge costs.

Not afraid to be pop

It's interesting how at certain points in life, the worst thing we can be is "pop." As in, pop music. As in, mainstream.

Pop music also has perfect tone and pitch, reaches people from all walks of life, and provides a platform for the next thing we make. So you know, it's not all bad.

The connotation of pop includes a flattening of skill or talent, a simple something for the masses. But as long as we feel good making, enjoy the people we work with, and have an ethos that feels right for us, we might as well invite everyone to hear our song.

The Greatest

Why put rudders on ourselves? Why talk ourselves down? Why short our options? Why undercut our goals? There are plenty of obstacles in life as it is, the last thing we need to do is get in our own way. That's probably why I love creative expression that in a sober, victorious, heartbreaking, and emancipative way, affirms our struggles & hope while uncompromisingly showing us that every moment we're alive is a chance to get it right.

This song and the video created for it recently provided me with one of those moments when art stops us in our tracks.

Between the lyrics, the unassailable pop format, a beautiful melody, a great island beat, the incredible choreography, the best makeup, and some of the coolest art direction I've seen in a while, I found this both non-cheesy and massively creative.

Props to Sia.

'Don't give up, I won't give up Don't give up, no no no Don't give up, I won't give up Don't give up, no no no

I'm free to be the greatest, I'm alive I'm free to be the greatest here tonight, the greatest The greatest, the greatest alive The greatest, the greatest alive'

I'm a cultural spy

Being part of the cultural majority means that we have the ultimate bias. It means our version of reality is the correct one and that we get to decide what norms everyone else has to aspire to. My ethnic background provides all the advantages of being part of the cultural majority while also giving me relevant perspective on what it's like to not be part of the cultural majority.

My dad is from Argentina and my mom is from Kansas, and they met in Spain. Go figure.

Ethnically, they're both European. My father's family in Argentina all immigrated there from Calabria in Italy. My mom's family came to America from Guernsey, a little island between England and France.

That's why when you look at me, you see a white man. That's what I am.

That said, I grew up speaking English and Spanish, traveling to Argentina often, learning and living by cultural norms my dad grew up with, and generally looking at the world from what felt like two distinct perspectives.

The school I went to growing up was about 65% Latino, and I was 'one of the white kids,' while still enjoying some of the benefits of being part of the cultural majority within that community.

I was in while being out.

I enjoyed the upside and the downside, and it made me keenly aware of what either side felt like, as well as what assumptions we make when we have no reason to see things from the another point of view.

I don't say that to solicit sympathy the way some in the cultural majority do for those few seconds when they don't enjoy that perch. I say it because this experience provided me with a glimpse into the dynamic of cultural majorities from a very early age.

When I went to a white majority high school I enjoyed the benefits of being part of that cultural majority, while also being able to score a few bonus points for being bilingual and having a dad with a cool accent.

It wasn't until after college that I came up with the term 'cultural spy' as an explanation of my experience, but it feels so apropos.

I don't think any of us, regardless of grouping, have any type of monopoly on virtue. I do think that experiencing both sides of the cultural majority coin is a hugely important experience. You don't have to be multiethnic to experience it either. Travel provides the opportunity to not know the local language or be the cultural or racial exception, and it's important that we embrace those experiences as welcomed discomfort.

I've used the term 'cultural spy' a lot over the last few years, so I thought it was about time I write it down.

Learning + agility = ???

Opportunity.

Personal evolution

Personal evolution happens whether or not we're intentional about it, but there appears to be massive upside to thinking at least one move ahead. Instead of reacting to external presets, this allows us to make proactive decisions instead of reactive ones. It helps in entrepreneurship.

It helps with finances.

It helps with soccer.

But it also helps right before we hit a fork in the road.

I'm trying to drink my own kool-aid in that respect. For as much as I talk about flexibility, strategy, and creativity, I should certainly always be thinking about moves I can make that will set up tomorrow's projects and goals.

So... that's where my head is at.

Websites that rock

Over the past 5 years, I've worked with Wordpress (and now Squarespace) to develop websites for my projects and for clients. I love the feeling of coming up with a creative idea and making it so. With some practice, it has become a really fun way for me to build things - and I love that process. I recently finished a site for an incredible baritone opera singer and am super proud of it.

You can check it out here.

As with every site I've built recently, it provided learning opportunities, frustration, turning points, communication practice, and a really cool end result.

While the tendency can be to get overly precious with our websites, articles, social media posts, and blogs, the reality is that everything is an iteration. What's more, the world of web development and design is flattening, creating better solutions that take less time, and allowing us to pivot without a ton of angst.

That said, building websites that rock is constantly a reminder for me to keep learning and taking things from idea to reality.

If you need a new website, feel free to give me a shout. Helping creatives and small businesses put their best foot forward is a blast... especially when it provides me an opportunity to learn and create.

It's important that we feel activated. It's important that we have fun.

What did your monologue say today?

Isn't it funny how our lives are one continual internal monologue about our relevance, uniqueness, and vantage point? We know we're part of various communities and can aptly be defined by certain labels, but we're always looking for a way to break into and out of those boxes...

"But, I'm different because..."

"I'm more this, that, or the other...' or 'I'm just like them."

The cool part is that we're always both completely unique and unwaveringly derivative. But I find it interesting that we're always looking for a way to fit in and a way to differentiate from the crowd.

The reality is, I'm not that different... and that's OK. At the same time, each of our unique experiences as humans are incredibly complex, beautiful, mundane, painful, fun, unbelievable, and intense.

There are so many stories in people.

What did your monologue say today?

Smashed time

When we cram things in and rush around, we do ourselves and our loved ones a few disservices. Not only do we open ourselves up to additional costs, we also make the chances of stress, bad communication, and tension a lot more probable.

Time is our friend when we don't smash it.

Phases and identity

It's so easy to have our identity wrapped up in what we do. Often times that's how we earn income, support families, and build our lives, so it makes sense that we take pride in that.

I keep on telling myself that life is so much more about phases than one persistent identity. Who I am has changed so much over the years, and how I've spent my time has often reflected the existence of a phase, not a single identity that goes on unchanged.

If we think about jobs as projects and careers as a list of those projects, then maybe we can create more opportunities for ourselves and fall softer when the disappointments come.

The flexibility of phases make identity dynamic. Looking at it that way is also interesting, creates upside, and often yields independence.

So... what's next?

The gateway drug

Christoph Niemann said, "The gateway drug isn't making art, it's experiencing art."  When I heard this quote in the first episode of Abstract: The Art of Design on Netflix, it certainly made sense to me.

Being swept up by art is about those transcendent creative moments that blow our minds. A phrase worded perfectly, a mind bending guitar solo, a painting that amazes us, an artist that intrigues us... these are all gateway drugs.

Easy enough, then. It's on us to increasingly put ourselves in a position to be moved by art.

It's on us to find more gateway drugs.

Artrepreneurs

Artrepreneurs (art-truh-pruh-noors)  People who match creative output with hustle and resourcefulness, allowing their art to create opportunities and earn income. By expanding their abilities in a way that positions business acumen as a full equal to the act of making art, these artists become their own bosses.

I'm not there yet... but I think a lot of us wish we could be. Some of us need a little chaos.

But can we harness it?

After my first session with Talib of EverEvolving.ca, I think we can. So how exactly can we nurture our tendency to follow creative energy while implementing support strategies to stay focused?

If you have that answer, you better not hold out on me!

Organic reincarnation

Spirituality is fun because it's moldable. Unburdened by rigid constructs more commonly associated with organized religion, spirituality is personal. We can shape it, customize it, and incorporate science, psychology, rituals, and beliefs in varying proportions. To that point, I've never really thought of a persistent human personality as a logical extension of my own spirituality. I used to think that meant I was somehow anti-religion or non-spiritual, but that changed after my study of buddhism, mostly Tibetan and Zen.

Since then, I've found a way to incorporate a scientific understanding of the decay of organic matter with the energetic chain that connects us with the future.

I call it, organic reincarnation.

When a body, organism, or person dies, in the most direct sense, our bodies return to the earth. As such, the cycle persists, regardless of what we believe about the continuation of our soul or personality.....

Earth, birth, death, earth, birth, death, earth.

To me, this has always been the most comforting of conclusions. Afterlife as framed through organized religion doesn't pass the mustard, but neither does an atheistic view that sees death as some type of end, at least for me.

No matter what we believe, it's cool that the earth feeds us and we feed it in return... whether during life or after, this seems like a good reminder for all of us.

Art versus Supply & Demand

Art isn't amazing because every piece is 1 of 1. Sure, every original artwork is a product that births its very own market, but cost is not what makes art worthy or worthwhile. Don't get me wrong, I'm all about artists monetizing and making careers of their creative expression, but art is valuable because of the experience it provides the artist & the viewer, not because of monetary transactions.

The market is certainly an important avenue for validating solutions, but supply & demand applied to art brings more to mind than mere pricing.

It's the emotional power of making & communicating that makes art powerful. It's creative supply that fulfills an undetected demand laying latent until we're activated.

It's nice to be reminded that the purpose of something can be the experience itself.

"I'm Not Fooled So Easily"

'I've been listening to what you said And wondering if it could be true If it's as bad as you say out there I'll leave the going out to you

...

I'm not believing all I see Fabrications on T.V. Distort the news, feed us your views I'm not fooled so easily'

Listen via Youtube or Spotify.

The company we keep

Of all the ways to gauge community, one of the better ways has to be looking around and taking stock of the individuals around us. Communities are made up of people, and after all, shared values seem to dictate groupings now more than ever. When we evaluate everything from a politician's associations to our own social groups, we can figure out where we stand by honestly assessing the crew we've assembled.

To that point, we can use the following questions to figure out if we're where we should be...

Is there a disconnect between what this group values and what I'm trying to be in the world?

If I needed help, would anyone in this group be there for me?

And perhaps most importantly, can I confidently and proudly tell people who are not part of this group that I'm associated with it?

Whether or not we can speak up, wear our values on our sleeve, or compassionately pass those ideas on to others, is a good indication as to whether or not the company we keep is company worth keeping.

Harder to hate them for no reason...

When we look at election maps we see that we are divided between the urban experience and the rural experience in America. It seems as though where you live or where you were raised is a more accurate predictor of worldview than other identity politics we tend to consider as untouchable.

While the red state v. blue state divide is certainly real, it highlights something that is a lot more telling...

Regularly experiencing people different than ourselves makes it harder to hate them for no reason. The state by state schism itself is less important than what it tells us about diversity, inclusion, and regularly relating to people who are different than we are...

It opens us up, makes us more inclusive, and engenders empathy and compassion.

In this sense, people who live in cities need to visit rural areas and people who live in rural areas need to visit cities.

We can call it a 'Reality Exchange Program.'

You in?

The Edmund Pettus Bridge

In college, I took a course with Professor Mike Klein that helped form and cement my views on American equality through deep learning, shared stories, and a visit to Selma, Alabama. His course about the Civil Rights Movement was something I feel every American should have the chance to experience. When we visited Selma, we worked with the community, participated in service projects, and bonded with people who shared our deep belief in equality, justice, and living up to our creed.

The Edmund Pettus Bridge was THE location of the culmination of the Voting Rights movement, and the events of that day, March 7th, 1965, became one of the keynote actions that helped swing the tide to achieve equal voting rights for Black Americans.

(Don't let people tell you rallying behind a cause by taking to the streets doesn't do anything.)

A few classmates and I got up one morning, went for a walk, walked over to that bridge and watched the sun skip off the river. The silence of the morning gave way to songs we sang together, and I thought to myself about how places have their own energy.

It's an experience I'll clearly never forget, but it's also a testament to collective power, belief, and action.

No matter where we go or who we are, we're all regularly presented with chances to be the change we wish to see in the world.

What will be your next chance to speak up? Will you take it?

Please, pay for legitimate news

It's more important than ever that we pay for legitimate news. I highly encourage you to do so, whether through a physical subscription or digital access on your devices. We need to understand the perspective of the news outlets we read, compare and contrast them, know who owns those companies, and refrain from taking any outlet as gospel.

Most of all, we need to support good journalism with our hard earned dollars.

I have a New York Times subscription now and am loving it. It's as much about staying in touch with the world as anything else. Art, culture, technology, innovation, philanthropy, events, and more, a reputable newspaper is worth it.

To my point, honest, ethical, & principled journalism is endangered as a whole, and if we want things to get better, we're going to have to pony up.

We can also support real news by watching their content on Youtube via official channels.For those who don't purchase cable TV, this is a great way to support through clicks and views, since most popular Youtube channels are monetized.

Lets vote with our wallet. We don't have to wait every 4 years to be heard.

Our digital selves own real estate

In a world that's increasingly digital, it's been incredible navigating the creation of avatars. Join Now. Enter your email. Enter your password. (Don't forget to update your profile!) Upload a jpeg that 'best represents you' and all of a sudden our digital selves own real estate.

In a world where a parallel universe exists inside the flat box on our table or the mini computer in our pocket, new rules are created, etiquette evolves, and we get to pick which version of ourselves we want to be.

Critiques of the internet say that it allows people to front, put on their makeup, and only show you the good parts of their lives. But for the most part, people do that in real life too.

That's not the internet's fault, but it does bring up an interesting point with respect to who we are online versus who we are in the world. I believe that we should only ever be as vulnerable, honest, raw, fake, fun, happy, crass, or silly online as we are in person.

No need to magnify or amplify, we can all just be ourselves.

We'll find more power in social media by showing more than just the glossy sheen. By sharing our insights, doubts, forks in the road, and our uncertainty, we do more for each other than the superficial version of ourselves could ever inspire.

I'll (try to) take my own advice.