From the Inspiration Archives

This Year, Resolve to Forget About Your Goals

This New Year’s Day forget about the resolutions. Instead, implement a set of systems. Goals & resolutions alike are for losers because they have no endgame. If you’re trying to lose 20 lbs, and you reach your goal, then what? Most likely you’ll put that 20 lbs or more right back on because you’ve hit… Read more »


Dear Honda, Red Bull, & Monster

12 O’Clock Boys Exclusive Trailer. This is what raw talent looks like. Can you imagine the riders these kids would be if they had the opportunity to get off the streets and ride a real track. It would only take a fraction of the money and resources Red Bull spends on one of their stunts… Read more »


How My Grandma is Making Me a Better Designer

Grandma stood under 5 feet tall, but she left some big shoes to fill. Even after her death, she continues to inspire me to do better on both a professional and personal level. My grandmother’s death was unexpected. While ultimately better for Grandma, it was a shock for the family and the many lives she… Read more »


Own Your Work

Design is not only an act of creation, but an act of what to create… You are responsible for the work you put into the world as well as for the effects that work has on the world. Mike Monteiro from Webstock 2103 Mike’s call to arms, which is posted below, should be mandated viewing… Read more »


Day 1 – Just Go Outside

Today’s day one of the digi-cleanse. My advice to you. Turn off and take a walk. Leave your phone, change your perspective, borrow a dog, put a leash on your stupid cat even. Just get the fuck off the internet and go outside.


Erik Spiekermann on Owning Your Inspiration

If I find something that I really like, that I think would work for the client, but it’s already used by someone else, or it’s too old, or I can’t afford to buy it or it would be a rip off, then I look at it for a long time, look through the books, draw… Read more »


Following Your Passion is Bad for Business

Dilbert creator, Scott Adams has a recent piece on his secrets to success in the Wall Street Journal. Among them, following your passion is bad for business. But the most dangerous case of all is when successful people directly give advice. For example, you often hear them say that you should “follow your passion.” That… Read more »


The Strangest of all My Friends

The man is totally committed to the muse of music and he’ll do anything for good musing. And sometimes it’s very strange, I was at Neil’s ranch one day, just south of San Francisco, and he has a beautiful lake, red wing blackbirds, and he asked me if I wanted to hear his new album,… Read more »


Wise Words from cityhome

You know that saying about how if you love what you do, then you’ll never work another day in your life? I call bullshit. If you love what you do, more likely than not, you’ll work harder than you ever have before. You’ll wake up early, stay up late, shed blood, sweat, and tears. You… Read more »


See Ya Later Fall…

Fall was short and sweet this year in Utah. Which may be a sign of good things to come considering the past two years we’ve had back-to-back indian summers that have made for exceptionally poor snowfall totals. So here’s to you Fall.