Bigger Better Faster Cheaper
 by A.J. Wood

The Illusion of Success – Five Truths Revealed

I’ve been kicking’ around this blog post for a while, but then I saw some updates from Justin Seeley & Glyn Dewis this week that motivated me to put hands to keyboard.

How many times have you heard or even thought the following to yourself,

“Why can’t I be lucky like [name]?”

“I want to be like [someone you admire], they catch all the breaks.”

“How did an idiot/moron/jackass like [name] get that promotion?”

“I’d trade places with [coworker/manager] in a heartbeat.”

“[person you envy] must live a charmed life.”

“There are already established leaders in what I want to do.”

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in Motivation 13 comments
 by A.J. Wood

Top Five Exercises To Get Your Creative Juices Flowing

Something that students often ask me is “Where do you get your ideas?” which is generally part of a larger conversation that begins with “What do you do when you’re totally uninspired?” This is often referred to as writer’s block, creative apathy, and “the blahs”. Throughout the years, I’ve been fortunate to have met a handful of truly creative people. The type of people you envy as they seem to burst at the seams with endless creativity. I have found that to be the remarkable exception, not the norm. For the rest of us—myself included—that Earth shattering idea or creative impulse takes a bit more nurturing, and a lot more effort. Yes, that’s right, despite what you may think—given the prolific amount of content I generate—even I have those moments where the creative energies seem absent. Here are some of the things I do to spark ideas:

1. Mix up your creative energy.
If I’m focused on writing, I’ll take a break to listen to some music or watch unrelated video content. I prefer to write with little distractions, but sometimes I’ll put on talk radio as background chatter to get my mind wandering. Other times I pump high-energy beats just to get the foot a tappin’. My goal is to get into a creative flow without forcing my hand or my brain.

2. Give yourself assignments.
I’m horrible when it comes to routine practice, but I’ve found having an assigment gives me a focused creative project. Lately, I’ve been focused on my writing so I use pictures as a creative exercise. The idea is to select a photo, then write something about it. Could be a phrase, simple poem, or expanded story, but it’s drawn from the photo. Photographers have been giving themselves photo assignments for years. Google+ is a great haven for such photo-themed posts. Try it, pick a subject then use your creative talents to execute an idea from that subject.

3. Practice Practice Practice.
You read #2 right? How does practice spark creative energy? It’s simple. The less you have to think about the mechanics of the task, the less you’ll think period. And thinking is what got you here in the first place. Thinking about how you don’t have any ideas. If you’re constantly having to think about your camera controls or how to light a scene, you’ll quickly become frustrated and lose that creative moment. If you can’t remember the shortcut key to Deselect in Photoshop or how to duplicate a layer, it quickly becomes like spellchecking a document in the middle of writing every sentence. Michael Jordan wasn’t good simply from inherent DNA. He practiced, and worked on his weaknesses in the off-season.

4. Take a break.
OK, now you probably think I’m just messing with you. I just told you to create regular assignments as a means to get you to practice, and now I’m telling you a take a break? Yeah. The fact is if you’ve been staring at that blank piece of paper for a while, or clicking off a number of photographs that you just don’t like, it’s time to step back and take a break. Sometimes I need to completely disengage from the creative activity. That’s a really good time to find something else productive or relaxing. Get some house chores done, or spend some time playing in the yard with your kids, or take a nap. Yes, there will be real moments where you are not creative at all. Accept it, and move on.

5. Nobody has to see your mistakes. Just finish it.
I’ve experienced this quite a bit, but I see it the most in my colleagues and the students I teach. You’re in the middle of creating something, and it’s not your best work so you drop it. In fact, you have a collection piling up of hundreds of started ideas, but nothing finished. If you wait around for that “perfect moment” you’ll miss out on creating anything at all. So just finish it. There will be time to critique the idea later.

I’ll admit, I don’t always perfectly execute my game plan. But then nobody does. Whether you write, paint, take photos, draw, sing, act, etc., just know that creative energy will beat inside you until you use it. So use it. Make mistakes, learn from them, practice, it’s an endless cycle that has the potential to enrich not only your life but those around you.

What about you? What do you do to get the creative juices flowing?

in Arts/Media / Motivation 3 comments
 by A.J. Wood

To Maximize Your Talents You Have To Recognize & Acknowledge Where You Suck

Last week I mentioned that I had recorded new video tutorials for Layers Magazine & Psdtuts+. I have been creating videos for Layers Magazine for a while, and I was excited to have met Grant Friedman at Photoshop World. Our conversation at PSW Vegas led to the opportunity to create videos for Psdtuts+. My first tutorial Use Curves Adjustment to Turn Day to Night was posted last Friday and sent shockwaves throughout the community. Never before in the history of Psdtuts+ had such a horrendous-putrid-God-awful-stink of a tutorial ever been posted. At least, not until Saturday when my second tutorial Create a Planet Using Photoshop’s 3D Capabilities went live on the site…

*sigh*

I would be lying if I said that I wasn’t disappointed with the outcome. No one wants to hear that their work isn’t acceptable. How could this happen you ask? Simple. I clearly didn’t know my audience before creating the tutorials. I have never claimed to be an artist, anyone who follows my work knows I’m more artisan & engineer. My talent lies not in what I create, but my ability to communicate & teach. I could argue the merits of both tutorials, but that would be like telling an Apple fanboy why they should by a PC. Bottom line, I missed the mark. I failed. I laid a big fat goose egg. Twice.

To Maximize Your Talents You Have To Recognize & Acknowledge Where You Suck

A colleague recently suggested I was living in a bubble of positive feedback where everyone kissed my ass and told me how wonderful I am. I can assure you, THAT is not the case. It would be easy to pass on creating future tutorials for Psdtuts+, but I’m not one to shy away from a challenge. The shortcomings in the videos I created were the final images. Can I create better images? ABSOLUTELY. Will all the readers on Psdtuts+ love my work? Probably not, but I’m willing to bet the positives results outweigh any negative reviews.

in Arts/Media / Motivation / Published / Tutorials 1 comments
 by A.J. Wood

My Sister the Punk Rocker Coach on MTV’s MADE

If you’re a fan of my website, then you already know about my sister Lesli. To say she’s a superstar is an understatement. My sister is a force of nature, unbridled, and calling the shots since she was 12yrs old. She’s proof that Gary V isn’t the only person who’s been in tune with their DNA since childhood. If you live in Seattle than you might know her as the “Punk Rock Attorney”. That’s right, when she’s not rockin’ out the clubs on tour, she’s kickin’ ass in the courtroom.

People ask me all the time, “Why in the hell do you work so hard?” There’s your answer.

My sister recently appeared on MTV’s MADE where she helped transform a fresh highschool chick into a punk rocker. See the episode below.

Here’s Lesli Covering Depeche Mode

Lesli used to perform with the band Ms Led

Lesli with her current band The Redwood Plan

The Redwood Plan “Push” at Bumbershoot 2010

in Editorial / Entertainment / Family / Motivation / Music 3 comments
 by A.J. Wood

Everybody Cheats

Try as you might the fact is inevitable–one day you will cheat. Perhaps it will be out of habit, maybe under the influence of some person or event, but a decision will need to be made, and you will cheat. Some of you will feel immediate guilt & anguish. Others will try to rationalize their decision as if they were owed something. A few will freely admit their mistake, take their penance knowing they will simply cheat again. Then there is you. You don’t want to cheat. You don’t even think of cheating. You despise those who do cheat. You are a hypocrite.

When you text back & forth with your buddies while at the movies, you’re cheating everyone else from a good show.

When you berate your kids in public, you’re cheating their trust in you.

When you give in to an addict repeatedly because they’re family, you’re cheating their chance for recovery.

When you lie about your involvement with steroids, you’re cheating your fans.

When you drive recklessly in residential areas, you’re cheating your son’s safety.

When you sit there moping thinking, “Why me?” you’re only cheating yourself.

I freely admit I have my moments where I’m paralyzed by the sensory overload of my immediate circumstances. The “easy” decision usually presents itself as the one with the least amount of difficulty or risk, coupled with a desire to avoid embarrassment.

“What if I fail?”

“What will people think of me (if I fail)?”

Sometimes we just allow situations to sort themselves out by not making any decisions. We didn’t actively participate, how could that possibly be cheating? There’s a time for navel-gazing, but it’s simple to sow the seeds of our own self-doubt.

Many years ago, a good friend of mine stated very clearly, “Why don’t you just suck it up, and stop whining?”

My sister Lesli takes a simpler approach. She lives by the concept that she can live her life exactly the way she wants. Self-centered you might say, but then she is a Virgo after all. (Alright, quit with the giggling, can I help it if I dated an astrologist many MANY years ago?) I envy her brash decision making because she’s bold, and has taken adventures I’ve only thought about.

And that’s when I realize cheating is a choice, and choosing gives you control.

You can make a choice to work late hours or spend time with your family. You can make a choice to submit your resume for that job. You can choose to ask out that pretty girl or handsome guy. You can choose a Mac or PC. You can make a choice to stand around and accept your circumstance, or do something about.

Just don’t cheat yourself by thinking you don’t have any choices.

in Editorial / Motivation 4 comments