If you can recall the tumultuous summer of 2020, you’ll probably want to forget it just as quickly. Deaths from Covid-19 had already reached an average of 1,000 per day by May. An increasingly ugly presidential campaign had some pundits predicting the collapse of democracy come the election. And then there was the murder of…Read More
Black History Month is rife with triggers for a Black person. This may not be a surprising revelation. Every activity or message that recognizes the history of the African diaspora that built America is meticulously workshopped to maintain a balance that celebrates Black achievements–including historical contributions–alongside allyship over the atrocities still impacting Black communities. However,…Read More
There are things we avoid looking at too closely.
If we looked, really saw what was happening, we’d have to change our minds, admit we were mistaken, refactor our priorities or take action.
It’s so frightening that we even hesitate to make a list of the things we don’t want to look at. Because the list itself is frightening.
If we don’t see it, it feels safer.
It’s tempting for a creator. To make a pop hit, a song or a book or a meme that becomes a popular idea and part of the culture.
In our lifetimes, it’s become possible to imagine that you could even make a living creating pop.
But pop is a harsh mistress, because pop means popular, which is, by definition rare and unfairly distributed. As long as it’s easy to create and rare to have a hit, there will be a huge majority of people who don’t win this lottery.
And it is a lottery.
It’s tempting to believe that passion, skill and perhaps talent are sufficient to make a living in pop, but the math says otherwise.
It’s available to all of us, but there’s no guarantee that you can make a living at it.
As we continue to face difficult choices and work to make things better, it’s quite likely that the alternatives being presented aren’t ideal or even appealing.
Many organizations and communities are stuck because “none of the above” is the majority’s opinion, or perhaps the desire of those in power, or those with loud voices.
But unless you’re willing to acknowledge that you’re simply being difficult, “none of the above” comes with the responsibility to describe a path that’s better.
Because forward is the best option. Let’s go with one that makes the most sense–and if you don’t have a better plan, you should be responsible enough to back the one that’s most likely to work, even, especially, if you don’t like it.
On the one-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion, Ukraine is commemorating horrific losses — and remarkable defiance. The country’s fierce resistance on the battlefield has been echoed on the digital front — where Kyiv has unique experience. The conflict with Russia has become the world’s first full-scale cyberwar, but Ukraine was a test bed for digital weapons long before the invasion of 24 February, 2022. Since Putin’s troops began flooding across the border, the cyber tactics have shifted dramatically. These developments have made Ukraine a bellwether for digital warfare. And to the surprise of analysts, cyber attacks have had a limited impact…
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A man dressed in a period-perfect Benjamin Franklin costume–identified as an “affordable impersonator”–tastes a new product and declares it “actually not that bad.” And if you don’t believe one of the founding fathers of our country (or his somewhat reasonable facsimile), then how about the faint praise of a shirtless tattooed guy, an Olympic trainer,…Read More
Santa Monica, Calif. is a predominantly white city, but it was once home to the thriving Black community of Belmar, which was established during the Great Migration but destroyed in the 1950s to build the Santa Monica Freeway and Santa Monica Civic Center. Indie agency RPA, which has been based in Santa Monica for more…Read More
130 underrepresented members of the global creative community and emerging talent will be given access to Cannes Lions through its new scholarship, the organizers have announced. The Lions Scholarship winners will each receive “a fully funded place” in the Cannes Lions Brand Marketers and Creative Academies next June during the festival in the south of…Read More
With the goal of establishing a long-term presence on the Moon, the European Space Agency (ESA) is working on a new project that will help determine the feasibility of growing plants on the lunar surface. Led by Norway’s Solsys Mining, the project will seek to develop a method for converting lunar soil into fertiliser for use in hydroponic farming. The study builds on previous research on lunar soil samples. While lunar soil, also known as regolith, is rich in most nutrients necessary for plant growth, it compacts in the presence of water, making it problematic for seeds to establish healthy…
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