The smell of the polish, the feel of the wood; after all these years it still brings me pleasure and no small amount of comfort to perform my ritual of preparation before I step on a stage or hit...

At the end of the day, it’s what we actually do. Professional creators in any field must contend with a dizzying array of support tasks. But the care and effort we bring to our craft is what...

My wife, Jenn is a creator of the fine art persuasion. She draws and paints and many of her creations are stunningly unique. At one point early in our relationship I commented, “Wow -...

“Sad songs, they say so much,” sang Elton John in 1984. The dark side of art was popular long before Bernie Taupin wrote those lyrics and remains so now.

Sophie’s Choice; The Road;...

This article is dedicated to all the creators out there working their butts off. All y’all (that’s Southern plural) creating content, watching trends, crunching numbers, tweaking...

The older I get, the more I see the value of taking a longer view. When I was first learning to drive, my father told me to look farther down the road to keep me from weaving around. It was good...

As an existentialist, I don’t believe that we are born with a pre-defined destiny. Consciousness does not come with a road map, so you are free to choose your own self-meaning. Let’s...

A message for my creative friends, borne of love and compassion:

There are many thoughts and behaviors that impede our progress and make it more difficult to achieve our goals. What appear to be...

It is valuable to travel to once-familiar places and reminisce. In my experience, it is often necessary to look back in order to move forward.

Memories

Memory is a powerful ally. At its core, your...

Practical Existentialism is a term I use to describe the theoretical and clinical foundation of my work. It is a particularly effective mindset and operational strategy for creators.

Practical...

A confidence cycle is the diametric opposite of the proverbial “downward spiral.”

We all know the downward spiral as it applies to health, for example.

Let’s look at a fictional...

Mental health professionals are trained to notice so-called “magical thinking” in their patients/clients. We are taught that the belief that a person’s thoughts, words or actions...

We hear the phrase all the time: “I want to make it as perfect as I can.” But there are two issues with that statement that can lead to disappointment and disillusion. To understand...

The “P" word. The habit of procrastination is one of the great killers of productivity, self esteem and success in business and life.

Procrastination wastes our time, makes us feel bad about...

Millions of people have bought Rhonda Byrne’s book The Secret. If you don’t have a copy, I suggest you pick one up. I have never met Rhonda and I’m not affiliated with her...