Make an impression. That is the goal. Whether you are an entrepreneur, a small business owner, a company, or just a person at an event or party. But how? Be different. There is a need to stand out and be different. No one will ever notice you if you are the same as everyone else. But here is…
How to win the competition? You can challenge your opponents on a head-to-head competition. Suppose that your target is to book 200 contracts each month. In order to fulfil the target you can compete on pricing. It means that you should give bigger discount than your opponents. But head-to-head competition has its own limitation. There…
Artists are people who make art. Art is not a gene or a specific talent … Art is the unique work of a human being, work that touches another … Art is who we are and what we do and what we need. Art is not a result; it’s a journey. The challenge of our…
Art is the work of a human being, something a person does with generosity to touch someone else to make a change for the better. We can see art in the way the nurse in a doctor’s office treats us when she knows how much pain we are in. She is not just doing her…
Back to my definition: Art is a personal gift that changes the recipient. An artist is an individual who creates art. The more people you change, the more you change them, the more effective your art is. Art is not related to craft, except to the extent that the craft helps deliver the change.…
In one of my favourite books Linchpin, Are You Indispensable? Seth Godin talks about the difference between a job and work as follows: The job is what you do when you are told what to do. The job is showing up at the factory, following instructions, meeting spec, and being managed. Someone can always…
Roy Simmons (a painter) coined that phrase and I like it a lot. “Most artists can’t draw.” Seth Godin in his book Linchpin added: “But all artists can see.” Meaning we can see what’s right and what’s wrong. We can see opportunities and we can see around corners. Most of all, we can see art.…
The first time you bake cupcakes, you will certainly follow the recipe to the letter with energy. The third time, you might improvise and screw up a bit. Learning your lesson, you will follow the recipe again and again as closely as you can. By the fifth time, some people actually learn to bake. They…
James Elkins points out that schools of art used to divide the arts into two categories: fine art and industrial art. Then the intellectuals expanded the categories to: painting, sculpture, architecture, music and poetry. From there a quick leap to: performance, video, film, photography, fiber, weaving, silkscreen, ceramics, interior architecture, industrial design, fashion, artists’ books,…
My definition of art contains three elements: Art is made by a human being. Art is created to have an impact, to change someone else. Art is a gift. You can sell the souvenir, the canvas, the recording... but the idea itself is free, and the generosity is a critical part of making art. By…
This is how companies die, how brands wither and, more cheerfully in the other direction, how careers are made. Gradually, because every day opportunities are missed, little bits of value are lost, customers are ignored. We don't notice so much, because hey, there's a profit. Profit covers many sins. Of course, one day, once the…
The Writer Files is an online interview I conduct with various writers about their books and their writing styles. It is a form of getting to know the writer, their writing style and to tell their stories. The Writer Files will be featured on my blog (rochemamabolo.wordpress.com) once a week featuring various writers. ABOUT THE…
