Following The Pursuit Of Creative Excellence
(2)
HEY! You're a genius. You're creative, you're talented, you're passionate, you're critical. You're an artist. But maybe you're not making enough money or think that your work is s**t. I'm gonna help you out with that. Click here to learn more.
HEY! You’re a genius. You’re creative, you’re talented, you’re passionate, you’re critical. You’re an artist. But maybe you’re not making enough money or t…
What truth about human psychology lies behind the fear of an artificial intelligence? What are we, as a species, truly afraid of? We're afraid, we say, of this weird, fake intelligence. But it's not the fakeness of it that scares us, not the surface level visual archetypes that scare us, not the shiny metallic claws or Daft Punk robot voices that scare us....
What truth about human psychology lies behind the fear of an artificial intelligence? What are we, as a species, truly afraid of? We’re afraid, we say, of this weird, fake intelligence. But i…
No, they’re not always politicians. Very often they’re just regular people living regular lives, with a habit that is, unfortunately, becoming more and more regular: the habit of controlling the way people speak and think. That’s the habit of a tyrant. If you encounter somebody who desires to moderate your speech and thus control the way you think, these are some of the most appropriate responses, only second to never giving them even a second of your time....
http://paullecrone.com/2022/09/26/to-the-people-who-wish-to-control-you/
No, they’re not always politicians. Very often they’re just regular people living regular lives, with a habit that is, unfortunately, becoming more and more regular: the habit of controlling the wa…
There are people who think that a cynical attitude towards the supposed fu**ed-upness of the world is the only appropriate response to how supposedly fu**ed-up the world is. Cynics are people who desperately need the world to be fu**ed up (or, at least, perceived to be fu**ed up) so that they can continue to point out how fu**ed up it is, so that they can keep laying back to take their never-ending bl****bs from their equally cynical friends. The world is a wonderful place because people inhabit it. Have babies, make art.
http://paullecrone.com/2022/07/30/have-babies-make-art/
There are people who think that a cynical attitude towards the supposed fu**ed-upness of the world is the only appropriate response to how supposedly fu**ed-up the world is. Cynics are people who d…
What you need most right now is not another fact or statistic or piece of knowledge from some New York Times Bestselling Book. What you need, what I need, what pretty much everyone needs is encouragement to keep going despite failing yet again.
http://paullecrone.com/2022/05/12/what-you-need-most/
What you need most right now is not another fact or statistic or piece of knowledge from some New York Times Bestselling Book. What you need, what I need, what pretty much everyone needs is encoura…
Skill requires an obsession with knowledge of the game. Knowledge of the game - knowing what to do and when to do it (which includes when not to do it) - will make you robotic at first, and you'll lose to players who understand the game. A player who understands the game will apply what they know differently each time they play, knowing that if they stick to 'what works' they'll become predictable to players who know how to beat 'what works'....
http://paullecrone.com/2022/04/24/getting-better-at-games/
Skill requires an obsession with knowledge of the game. Knowledge of the game – knowing what to do and when to do it (which includes when not to do it) – will make you robotic at first,…
Your skills are valuable. Your perspective is valuable. There’s an audience for everything. Persist. Change course as often as you need to and find the work that brings you the deepest sense of fulfillment.
http://paullecrone.com/2022/03/31/persist/
Your skills are valuable. Your perspective is valuable. There’s an audience for everything. Persist. Change course as often as you need to and find the work that brings you the deepest sense of ful…
Hey, I just uploaded a video based on my earlier post about self-improvement via a hobby taken seriously. Please enjoy!
http://paullecrone.com/2022/03/15/video-want-to-improve-your-life-you-need-more-than-just-a-hobby/
Hey, I just uploaded a video based on my earlier post about self-improvement via a hobby taken seriously. Please enjoy!
Alas, the blog vs newsletter debate rages on. I’m not sure how many people read the blogs or newsletters of even their favorite businesses - I can’t imagine too many people reading the Starbucks blog or the Peleton blog or, hell, even the small family-owned pizza joint down the street blog. If the product is great, people will buy regardless of how much time and money gets pumped into a weekly advertisement disguised as a blog or newsletter....
http://penguinlatte.blog/2022/02/12/blog-or-newsletter-who-cares-write/
Alas, the blog vs newsletter debate rages on. I’m not sure how many people read the blogs or newsletters of even their favorite businesses – I can’t imagine too many people reading the Starbu…
If you find yourself in the marketplace of ideas and someone’s trying to sell you cynicism disguised as a good faith argument, you have my permission to turn down the offer. It’s a ridiculous notion that you need to be friends only with people who agree with you. Ridiculous still that you owe anyone who challenges your political or religious views your time. You don’t.
http://penguinlatte.blog/2022/02/10/in-defense-of-disagreeable-friends/
If you find yourself in the marketplace of ideas and someone’s trying to sell you cynicism disguised as a good faith argument, you have my permission to turn down the offer. It’s a ridiculous notio…
The barriers to influence people’s thought and behavior has never been lower. Never has there been a time in which you and I can deliver an idea - opinionated or factual - to hundreds, thousands of people nearly instantaneously. The average tweeting, blogging, podcasting person wields incredible power once exclusive to a very small, very elite group. Whether you’re still rooting for team legacy media or team alternative, you must admit that this power ought to be managed with caution.
http://penguinlatte.blog/2022/01/23/influence-carefully/
The barriers to influence people’s thought and behavior has never been lower. Never has there been a time in which you and I can deliver an idea – opinionated or factual – to hundreds, …
Even if you don’t know how to edit videos, you should make videos. Not knowing how to edit videos: that’s an advantage, not a weakness. Editing often distracts your audience’s attention away from what you’re trying to say. Even if YouTube Star is the last thing you’d like to be, you should make videos. Does the world really need another YouTube star?...
http://penguinlatte.blog/2021/12/24/forget-brand-deals-just-make-videos/
Even if you don’t know how to edit videos, you should make videos. Not knowing how to edit videos: that’s an advantage, not a weakness. Editing often distracts your audience’s attention away from w…
Hello world! I’m just testing the Wordpress mobile app. Nothing to see here.
http://penguinlatte.blog/2021/12/23/testing/
Hello world! I’m just testing the Wordpress mobile app. Nothing to see here.
The corporate press controls the narrative, the narrative controls what you should be upset about, how upset you should be about it. Until you opt out of the game. The really insidious thing is that if you're not outraged, it can feel like you're missing out on a really fun party. A really fun party where everyone's drunk and having a good time, cool kids with varsity jackets drinking jungle juice and throwing up on the sidewalk outside....
http://penguinlatte.blog/2021/11/17/opting-out-of-outrage/
The corporate press controls the narrative, the narrative controls what you should be upset about, how upset you should be about it. Until you opt out of the game. The really insidious thing is tha…
I am going to teach people How To Make A Living Doing What They Love because I've done what People Love To Do and I know how to make a living doing it. Writing? Done it. Coaching? Done it. YouTubing? Done it. I know what's what and who's who in every business, every market. If you've got questions about Doing What You Love And Making A Living Doing It, I'm your man....
http://penguinlatte.blog/2021/11/13/guy-who-wants-to-help-people-make-a-living-doing-what-they-love/
I am going to teach people How To Make A Living Doing What They Love because I’ve done what People Love To Do and I know how to make a living doing it. Writing? Done it. Coaching? Done it. Yo…
Spotify | Apple | Watch on YouTube David R. MacIver is the author of Overthinking Everything, a Substack newsletter covering the ludicrously difficult arts of decision making and being human. In this conversation discuss the psychology of Twitter alts and anonymity, losing and finding one's Self on social media, the joys of self-inflicted public embarrassment, and try to make sense of our digital performative selves....
http://penguinlatte.blog/2021/11/11/davidmaciver/
Spotify | Apple | Watch on YouTube David R. MacIver is the author of Overthinking Everything, a Substack newsletter covering the ludicrously difficult arts of decision making and being human. In th…
Self-inflicted public embarrassment. It's one of those things where the more you talk about it, the more you suck out what makes it funny. So I'll keep it short. Self-inflicted public embarrassment. Making yourself the butt of a joke. Killing your own personal sacred cows. Incredibly useful. And it's a shame that no self-help book ever points to the Power Within the art of self-mockery....
http://penguinlatte.blog/2021/11/11/self-inflicted-public-embarrassment/
Self-inflicted public embarrassment. It’s one of those things where the more you talk about it, the more you suck out what makes it funny. So I’ll keep it short. Self-inflicted public e…
I'm 3 semesters into studying Japanese. Having failed Japanese 101 the first time, I was off to a rocky start. I took the class again, buckled down, and eventually got the hang of things. I memorized the phonetic alphabet (あ、い、う、え、and s(お) on). I wrapped my head around the fundamental grammar and structuring. And I even beat my head against the wall trying to memorize the rules for counting long cylindrical objects....
http://penguinlatte.blog/2021/11/10/understanding-slowly-birthing/
I’m 3 semesters into studying Japanese. Having failed Japanese 101 the first time, I was off to a rocky start. I took the class again, buckled down, and eventually got the hang of things. I m…
It's a conversation. Between two people. Without much of an agenda. Conversation and interview. Two different contexts. An interview is formal, structured, with more at stake. A conversation is spontaneous, playful, a lot like coffee with your best friend or like happy hour with your coworkers. And the distinction isn't always black and white. Conversations can feel like interviews. Interviews can feel like conversations. Every week I have conversations with internet people across the globe. You can listen to the latest episode by clicking here.
http://penguinlatte.blog/2021/11/09/this-isnt-an-interview/
It’s a conversation. Between two people. Without much of an agenda. Conversation and interview. Two different contexts. An interview is formal, structured, with more at stake. A conversation …
Games played in a competitive manner are often played as a metaphor for how well one handles problems. And how well one handles problems is no different than how one handles the circumstances of his or her life. If you find yourself in a competitive environment, say, a tennis match or a game of chess, ideally your psychic situation should look something like this:...
http://penguinlatte.blog/2021/11/08/hittingtheball/
Games played in a competitive manner are often played as a metaphor for how well one handles problems. And how well one handles problems is no different than how one handles the circumstances of hi…
On Sundays I sometimes hike a nearby trail. There's a small rocky mountain at the end. It used to be an active volcano some thousand years ago. Now it's just rocks all the way up. Nothing but rocks, unstable ground. Not much room for your feet. Climbing this thing really focuses the mind. One misstep and you hurt your ankle. I climb up one step at a time....
http://penguinlatte.blog/2021/11/07/rocks-up/
On Sundays I sometimes hike a nearby trail. There’s a small rocky mountain at the end. It used to be an active volcano some thousand years ago. Now it’s just rocks all the way up. Nothi…
"What if...?" It's a reasonable question - what if something bad happens? What if I get in trouble? What if something breaks? What if they don't like it? What if the expected sequence of events falls short of my expectations? And it's a reasonable answer. "Then I'll deal with it." If and when it happens. You can't predict the future. You can only prepare for it.
http://penguinlatte.blog/2021/11/06/what-if/
“What if…?” It’s a reasonable question – what if something bad happens? What if I get in trouble? What if something breaks? What if they don’t like it? What if t…
Hi. Lots of video editing this week. Big News: I've signed onto a client project for a very popular online course. I won't reveal who it is yet, but I will say this. Back in 2019 I read his article on freelancing, inspiring me to sell my editing skills online. Now here I am making a video for him! Definitely a full-circle feeling....
http://penguinlatte.blog/2021/11/05/small-trailers-and-big-news/
Hi. Lots of video editing this week. Big News: I’ve signed onto a client project for a very popular online course. I won’t reveal who it is yet, but I will say this. Back in 2019 I read…
Spotify | Apple | Watch on YouTube Benjamin Boyce () is the pleasant and witty host of Calmversations, a podcast featuring lucid and nnnnnnnnnnuanced conversations on all things triggering (read: complicated). In a Nietzschean attempt to transcend the burdens of terminology, in this episode Benjamin and I reevaluate the woke vs anti-woke debate. We discuss how Benjamin built trust with his YouTube audience of more than 70,000 subscribers, how he handles conversations on race and gender without grifting, Benjamin's artistic inspirations, the dangers of the Diversity Inclusion Equity ideology, media literacy, literature literacy, coffee literacy, critics, fame, the most productive thing to do when western civilization dismantles itself, and more....
http://penguinlatte.blog/2021/11/05/benjaminboyce/
Spotify | Apple | Watch on YouTube Benjamin Boyce () is the pleasant and witty host of Calmversations, a podcast featuring lucid and nnnnnnnnnnuanced conversations on all things trig…
Salty chips are delicious. Masago-topped takoyaki (that's fish eggs over fried octopus) is also delicious. ...for entirely different reasons. Salt is something that just about everyone is biologically designed to enjoy. Salty chips taste good not because of some magical ingredient, but because potato chip engineers know that nobody can resist the tongue-tingling sensations of salt. Excess salt is a cop out....
http://penguinlatte.blog/2021/11/04/creativity-is-fish-egg-fried-octopus-balls/
Salty chips are delicious. Masago-topped takoyaki (that’s fish eggs over fried octopus) is also delicious. …for entirely different reasons. Salt is something that just about everyone is…
This Friday on The Penguin Latte Podcast I'll be speaking with Benjamin Boyce (). Benjamin Boyce is the host of Calmversations, a podcast featuring lucid and nnnnnnnnnnuanced conversations on all things triggering (read: complicated). In the mean time, here's 2 cats. See you Friday.
http://penguinlatte.blog/2021/11/03/the-shape-of-pods-to-come-the-benjamin-boyce-interview-trailer/
This Friday on The Penguin Latte Podcast I’ll be speaking with Benjamin Boyce (). Benjamin Boyce is the host of Calmversations, a podcast featuring lucid and nnnnnnnnnnuanced c…
Having good taste means knowing what you like, and, more important, knowing what you won't touch with a 50-foot pole. Having good taste means being allergic to certain design choices because those design choices trigger your gag reflex. When you like only 1% of what you see and abhor the rest - not out of artsy-fartsy negligence but out of respect for the craft - that's when you have good taste....
http://penguinlatte.blog/2021/11/02/what-it-means-to-have-good-taste/
Having good taste means knowing what you like, and, more important, knowing what you won’t touch with a 50-foot pole. Having good taste means being allergic to certain design choices because …
いただきます。I-ta-da-ki-mas. A Japanese expression usually spoken at mealtimes, it means both 'thank you' and, 'I humbly receive.' It's this second, more literal translation that I love. To be receptive to this moment. To be open to this moment. To place yourself not over and above this moment, nor below, but at the center. Here and now. Itadakimas. To humbly receive. To acknowledge generosity....
http://penguinlatte.blog/2021/11/01/itadakimas-i-humbly-receive/
いただきます。I-ta-da-ki-mas. A Japanese expression usually spoken at mealtimes, it means both ‘thank you’ and, ‘I humbly receive.’ It’s this second, more literal translation…
Like a sink towering with dirty dishes, on my hard drive are hundreds of miscellaneous .mp4s, memes, and screenshots I've yet to clean up. With however many miscellaneous habits and beliefs no longer serving me, am I any different than my cluttered hard drive? How much of me is made up of habits that no longer serve me? Mistake: deriving your sense of Self from trash, scraps, habits and things way past their expiration date....
http://penguinlatte.blog/2021/10/31/digital-plaque-psychological-scraps/
Like a sink towering with dirty dishes, on my hard drive are hundreds of miscellaneous .mp4s, memes, and screenshots I’ve yet to clean up. With however many miscellaneous habits and beliefs n…
Answer: they don't just chop up video files and do flashy stuff with Adobe Premiere. Equipped with typography, graphics, and music, video storytellers breathe new life into the raw material of .mp4s and leftover zoom meetings. Video Storytellers build bridges between audience and podcaster, between customer and client, between idea and world. If you want to learn more on making video stories to promote your brand, product, or content, consider taking my online course: Video Storytelling Class. P.S: it's self-paced and designed with video editing beginners in mind. I hope you'll check it out.
http://penguinlatte.blog/2021/10/30/what-do-video-storytellers-do/
Answer: they don’t just chop up video files and do flashy stuff with Adobe Premiere. Equipped with typography, graphics, and music, video storytellers breathe new life into the raw material o…
Criticize. Scrutinize. Debunk. Examine. Question. But don't remove. Don't ban. And whatever you do, don't burn. Even if a particular book is incompatible with an institution's reigning political dogma, wouldn't it be educational to examine, to criticize the book by the criteria of that reigning political dogma? Banning books benefits absolutely nobody - even the most crystallized ideologues. More on this: P.S: somewhat related, here's my conversation with Jake Orthwein about pro (fake) wrestling and political (fake) discourse.
http://penguinlatte.blog/2021/10/29/banning-books-benefits-nobody/
Criticize. Scrutinize. Debunk. Examine. Question. But don’t remove. Don’t ban. And whatever you do, don’t burn. Even if a particular book is incompatible with an institution& #8217…
Spotify | Apple | Watch on YouTube Jake Orthwein () is the creator of Frame Problems, a YouTube video essay channel covering philosophy, politics, art, science, and culture. Jake is currently working on Part 3 of a series titled How Politics Became Pro Wrestling, which explores Eric Weinstein's ideas on American political discourse and economic stagnation. I recommend watching at least part 1 of the series before indulging in this 2-hour conversation....
http://penguinlatte.blog/2021/10/29/jakeorthwein/
Spotify | Apple | Watch on YouTube Jake Orthwein () is the creator of Frame Problems, a YouTube video essay channel covering philosophy, politics, art, science, and culture. Jake is cu…
Progressive or conservative, it doesn't matter. Don't "update" your school's curriculum to match your political ideology. According to that article, the school board simply agreed with the student's observation that Lord of The Flies = White Supremacy. That's all it took! A simple agreement! "Yes, you're right! We did not know that Lord of The Flies = White Power Structures....
http://penguinlatte.blog/2021/10/28/please-dont-ban-books/
Progressive or conservative, it doesn’t matter. Don’t “update” your school’s curriculum to match your political ideology. According to that article, the school board s…
Here's Marry Harrington on the potential dangers to being radically transparent online. Are we, on one extreme, putting on a performance? A show? Faking our lives for clicks? Or are we, on the other extreme, turning our private lives inside out? Not faking our lives, but sharing everything private and sacred with the world? And what happens when we start making stuff up, when it turns out that our private lives aren't as interesting as we hoped?...
http://penguinlatte.blog/2021/10/27/danger-radical-transparency/
Here’s Marry Harrington on the potential dangers to being radically transparent online. Are we, on one extreme, putting on a performance? A show? Faking our lives for clicks? Or are we, on th…
A formula for success? Repeatable, quick, easy to copy, with guaranteed results 100% of the time or your money (but not your time) back? There's no such...wait, yes there are. There are formulas, and you could copy them. The secret formula to being a successful creator isn't much of a secret. Just do what the creators with (arbitrary number) followers do....
http://penguinlatte.blog/2021/10/26/no-secret-formulas/
A formula for success? Repeatable, quick, easy to copy, with guaranteed results 100% of the time or your money (but not your time) back? There’s no such…wait, yes there are. There are f…
Here's graphic designer and Wednesday enthusiast Craig Burgess on how a fixation on views and likes does nothing but suffocate your creativity. When you're obsessed with views, likes, and clicks, your creativity suffers immensely; your work becomes formulaic, predictable, and artificial. By far the most dangerous thing an internet creator could do: ignore one's own artistic values and create stuff only to satisfy the algorithm designed by programmers hired to write algorithms....
http://penguinlatte.blog/2021/10/25/craig-on-numbers/
Here’s graphic designer and Wednesday enthusiast Craig Burgess on how a fixation on views and likes does nothing but suffocate your creativity. When you’re obsessed with views, likes, a…
You record your first podcast. One person listens to it. You make zero dollars. You never record another podcast ever again. You failed. Kidding. Mostly. This happens quite often. "I'm a failure if my podcast/blog/youtube channel/twitter reaches less than 100,000 people regularly." Oh, so those 68,754 people you do reach...they don't matter? Few people reach the top. Fewer see the starting line.
http://penguinlatte.blog/2021/10/24/reaching-small/
You record your first podcast. One person listens to it. You make zero dollars. You never record another podcast ever again. You failed. Kidding. Mostly. This happens quite often. “I’m …
I haven't written anything today but uh, as part of my goal to take myself more seriously here's this Lucky Star Dance In Real Life TEST (it's JUST a test!!!! Please keep that in mind when righting a comment..........)
http://penguinlatte.blog/2021/10/23/lucky-star-dance-in-real-life-green-screen-test/
I haven’t written anything today but uh, as part of my goal to take myself more seriously here’s this Lucky Star Dance In Real Life TEST (it’s JUST a test!!!! Please keep that in …
Nearly everything I've made - podcasts, trailers, etc. - bares little resemblance to what I initially had planned. Because planning is for architects, politicians and statesmen. Creativity is an emergent thing. You can plan to be creative, but you can't plan how creative you'll end up being.
http://penguinlatte.blog/2021/10/22/creativity-and-planning/
Nearly everything I’ve made – podcasts, trailers, etc. – bares little resemblance to what I initially had planned. Because planning is for architects, politicians and statesmen. C…
Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Penguin Latte posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.
Want your business to be the top-listed Media Company?
