Two great things on the horizon.

Coming fast is the Musea get-together hosted in my office in Brooklyn. That’s happening Friday November 30th at 7:30, and it’s free! You’ll get to hang out with yours truly and chat it up with Michael Howard, as he talks about the future of photography and what Musea is up to. Don’t miss out! Get the deets here.

Around the bend is the Musea Gathering New York. That’s happening from February 26-28. You’ll spend three intense days supercharging your photography business with Samm Blake, Holger Thoss, John Dolan, and me. If you haven’t heard any of them speak, put this on your calendar. It’s well worth the price of admission. You … Read more...

Too many people want to be good. Hell, everyone wants to be good. But trying to be good is the wrong point of reference. To be good is to externalize your worth. It’s to rely on your estimation of what others deem appropriate. To be good, you just look at what’s out there and match the commonly accepted standards of goodness. It’s a hunting expedition. You pin every picture you like, you review every blog, and if you conform yourself to the good ones, then you’re good. But where do you go from there? Good is a ceiling. Going for good leads to mediocrity.

Even being the best is wrong target. Going after the best fixates the mind on bloat … Read more...

“We’re so proud of that brand, we put our name on it.” So says JC Penney about it’s new line. Or is it JCP? Doe anyone care? The problem is that this isn’t Abercrombie or Uniqlo or J. Crew. It’s Penney’s.

JCP failed on two fronts, here. First, generic brand speak is DOA. Marketers so reflexively turn to it when they talk about their company that consumers tune out. That’s true for taglines, for descriptions, and for advertising. Brand speak says nothing. Forget talking about timeless memories captured in an editorial style. Humans don’t talk that way. Business owners creating copy for magazine blurbs do. That’s not who you want to be. There is no greater benefit of running your … Read more...

What if you had everything to lose? Are the answers different? Why?

We all have life to worry about. But you have to know whether what you’re doing is for the future or for the past. Is it about legacy decisions that are slowing you down in the present? Or is it for tomorrow? To get where you want to go?

We can accomplish more than we know. But not when we limit our dreams to the incremental. You will never achieve more than you dream. Focus your actions on the here and now. Make sure you get things done. Trust your ability to react and live in the moment. But use that progress and freedom to help you look … Read more...

You can game the system, or you can be good. Good means quality instead of quantity. Content instead of keywords. Usable instead of sellable. Good is a hell of a lot harder, but it lasts. Once you’re there, you never forget it. It’s part of you. Good means you get to live life in the first person. You take the journey you want. You care about the things you want. People remember good. They trust it.

How do you get your sales? You can nag, hound, and chase. You can send more reminders, offer more deals, and make each call out louder and louder until the message is crystal clear – everyone out there is a piece of meat with … Read more...