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  People often post things to Pinterest that are supposed to be inspirational and uplifting.  [1]   For example, today, on Pinterest, I "learned" the following:     "One thing is for sure:  If you give up too soon, you'll never know what you're missing.  Keep going and NEVER quit."     Sounds good I guess.  Quitters never win, right?   Except, in my experience, it's wrong.  We need to start using our brains to deeply think about the things we see online and stop letting "sound bites" guide us.   Earlier in life, I had what most people I knew considered a "good" setup: a decent job with decent money.  I wasn't happy [...]

An artist on my Facebook feed recently asked, "How often should I post to Instagram?"   While there were a multitude of answers, a lot of people answered specifically, regarding Instagram, that artists should only post once a day.  Many people even suggested only posting 2-3 times a week.   At BoldBrush, when we started getting serious about social media about a year ago, we were actually given that same advice:  no more than one post a day.   But the more I think about it, and the more I observe social media influencers,  I don't think that advice is correct.   It's an artificial limit and [...]

  Let me be crystal clear about two things, up front, before I dive into this topic:    1.  I'm a 100% Pro net neutrality.  I would support a real law to protect net neutrality.   2. The article that follows reflects my understanding and opinion of the current situation.  I could be wrong.     SYNOPSIS:  In late 2017 the FCC reclassified ISPs in a way that switched them from being HIGHLY regulated to LOOSELY regulated.  It reverted regulation to how it had historically been from 1996-2015.  While I originally thought the change meant the "end of net neutrality", and was very upset, after researching the issue, [...]

In my last post, I promised to take a crack at writing BoldBrush's origin story.  Here it is:     Clint Watson founded BoldBrush to solve a big problem for fine artists.  Artists were dissatisfied with the slow process of working with expensive designers to create & update their artist websites. As an owner of the nationally-known Greenhouse Gallery of Fine Art, Clint knew first-hand, that anything that impedes the process of sharing art with the world directly costs artists time and money.  And that was a problem he knew he could solve. The year was 2000.  Clint, having begun outlining a solution to the [...]

Origin stories are important.  There's a reason that Marvel and DC keep churning out superhero origin stories.  They're one of the most interesting parts of a person's journey.  It's not that mind-blowing to see Batman catch a bad guy, we already know that Batman's a bad ass.  But it's compelling to watch a young Bruce Wayne struggle to overcome his fears, fumble in early attempts to become a hero, and finally, to re-invent himself into a mythical figure who can protect Gotham.The best origin stories are told in a way that can become a myth.  When that happens, they can almost be reduced to one or [...]

  Not long ago, I read Tribe of Mentors by Timothy Ferris.   In the book, the author asks dozens of thought leaders several interesting questions.  Many of the answers were fascinating.  As I read the book, I started wondering how I would answer the same questions.   So I did.  My answers are below:   What is one of the best or most worthwhile investments you’ve ever made? Exercise In 2002, my wife and I decided that exercise was like brushing your teeth:  non-optional.  We've worked out six days a week since then.  Sometimes we love it, sometimes we hate it, but it's always non-optional.  It was that [...]

  I recently surprised myself by realizing that I have an internal wariness of the to-do list.  This revelation would probably shock anyone who knows how I work. In fact, I use tasks lists all the time.  Most days I start by listing the things I want to accomplish on a list.  And, during the day I proceed to check items off the list. Task Lists are Efficient Recently I took it further.  One day, I figured I had approximately seven focused hours to work.  I calculated, based upon my tasks, that I could complete roughly three tasks per hour.  So I listed the 21 (7 hours x 3 per hour)  items I [...]