Evaluating Events from the Wrong End
The time given by an individual attendee is more precious than the money they spend because that time is a one way ticket.
I Am Not a Content Creator
I will never be famous or wealthy for creating art in part due to my motivation for its creation.
Find the Game, Find the Path
The world is full of Bay Leaves. Find one and give yourself a prize.
How to Tell a Story | The Sweet Spot
The Teacher who makes you laugh. The Therapy Seeker who offers a lesson. My personal taste dictates that the far ends of the spectrum are the least interesting but everybody has their own taste as subjectivity is the name of the game.
On Being an Artist | Five Life Hacks from Rocky Balboa
I still love the creation of Rocky Balboa and his particular outlook on life.
How to Tell a Story | Stop Marketing?
Tell your story but ask yourself what you are selling first.
On Being an Artist | Exist. Create.
Artists refuse to stay in the box. Artists do not work within the system. Artists seek stories that show the triumph or failure of the individual versus the conformity of the System.
On Being an Artist | Belief Has Nothing to Do With It
I wrote this back when I was the regular host of The Moth Chicago StorySLAM. I find the ideas continually relevant.
On Being an Artist | A Message to Sisyphus
I'm reminded that control is a diversion. Control is an attempt to make sense of things that simply defy rationality.
On Being an Artist | Embrace Vice
Where did that badass, to hell with the consequences kid disappear? Where did that Artist go? Embracing the path of the Artist is to fully immerse oneself in a love of failure. The Artist can never beat the system and, like Terry Gilliam, can only lose beautifully.
On Being an Artist | Go on Adventures
Remember that movie about the guy or girl in an office job he or she hates?
On Being an Artist | Eight Rules of Thumb
Eight rules of thumb as your journey through the crossroads of artistry.
On Being an Artist | Give Up Control of That Which You Cannot
Control is an illusion, buddy. We build houses on fault lines and on beachfronts and then wonder what happened when nature decides to crush them or blow them away. We place our faith in institutions that do not, cannot, have our interest in mind and blow a gasket when it becomes known that we were just grist for their particular profit driven mill.
On Being an Artist | Have a Manifesto
It is compelling to justify one's participation in this machinery as individual thought and creativity are both dangerous to the hive and participation provides the rewards of reasonable amounts of kibble and a slightly more solid footing in the monied dogma.
On Being an Artist | No Backup Plan is Key
An artist whom I respect once wrote the best advice she'd ever been given was "Don't have a backup plan. You'll use it." That rings true.
How to Tell a Story | Connect Some Dots
If your goal is a five-minute one-off for a story event or a family gathering, one story, well told, is fine. If you're looking to change perspectives, do something more long-form, and mesmerize an audience, try taking three ideas and combining them into an über-tale.
Live Events | Solve Problems Because Problems Will Come
Things are going to go wrong. Venues fall through. Vendors flake. Talent backs out. Panic never helps. As the producer, detach your feelings of anxiety, focus in and get the job done.
How to Tell a Story | A Great Story Stands Apart from the Teller
If You're the Only One Who Can Tell It, the Story Dies With You.
Live Events | It's Not About You, It's About the Event
There are a number of things that can get in the way of producing a successful event. Some are unavoidable like acts of God or a vendor getting into a car accident on the way to the event. The obstacles within yourself are completely controllable and you need to be able to set them aside in order to accomplish your job.
How to Tell a Story | He Who Does Not Read Does Not Lead
To be a master storyteller, you need to expose yourself to as many different stories told in as many different ways as you possibly can.