Today’s office.
Re-reading “On Writing” by Stephen King. Highly recommended to anyone looking to sharpen their storytelling skills.
A friend of mine was telling me how disappointed he was that a friend had muscled him out of a job prospect. She had assured him she had no desire to move to New York for work. Of course, once she had gotten word that he had applied, she swiftly changed her mind.
It is unfortunate of course, but it’s something I understand. She’s a shitty friend, sure, but she is also like many people in her thought process. A move to New York is terrifying and uncomfortable (especially coming from outside of the United States) It is impossible to imagine yourself having the courage to up and move to a presumably cutthroat place like New York. Until someone else does it. And the fact that someone close to her was taking the steps to do what she was afraid to do was the green light. She only assumed it wasn’t realistic.
The four minute mile eluded modern runners for decades, and was even considered “dangerous and life threatening” if attempted. Until Roger Bannister clocked in at 3:59.4 in 1954. A mere two months later, Australian John Landy also broke the four minute mile (losing to Bannister in the same race). The next 50 or so years of running saw Bannister’s record being beaten by a staggering 17 seconds.
“Everything’s impossible until someone does it.” Bruce Wayne (I just quoted Batman)

I’ve always been a believer that there are two types of people: those that wish and wait for someone to fill their needs and those that fill their needs themselves.
For the past few weeks I’ve been working on the first issue of a men’s lifestyle magazine, simply because I have never found an english language magazine that really spoke to me. And now I’m building a team.
I am looking for:
Contributors:
People who are storytellers. Storytellers in writing. In photography. In video. Editorial/Freelance writers, photographers, illustrators, stylists. Interests in men’s fashion, food, culture, travel are all pluses. Living in NYC is a plus but not necessary.
Assistant:
Someone with excellent communication and organization skills to work directly with me in researching and managing the functions of the magazine. Must live in NYC.
Send your portfolios/linkedins/resumes and emails here (peter@keepsworkshop.com)
Reblog and share this with someone you think fits the bill.

John C Jay, Executive Creative Director of Wieden+Kennedy
1: Be authentic. The most powerful asset you have is your individuality, what makes you unique. It’s time to stop listening to others on what you should do.
2: Work harder than anyone else and you will always benefit from the effort.
3: Get off the computer and connect with real people and culture. Life is visceral.
4: Constantly improve your craft. Make things with your hands. Innovation in thinking is not enough.
5: Travel as much as you can. It is a humbling and inspiring experience to learn just how much you don’t know.
6: Being original is still king, especially in this tech-driven, group-grope world.
7: Try not to work for stupid people or you’ll soon become one of them.
8: Instinct and intuition are all-powerful. Learn to trust them.
9: The Golden Rule actually works. Do good.
10: If all else fails, No. 2 is the greatest competitive advantage of any career.
(Source: aiga.org)