Piercing the Mundane to Find the Marvelous
I’m quite fond of this quote from American journalist Bill Moyers: “Creativity is piercing the mundane to find the marvelous.” No matter how mundane something may at first appear, creative efforts can find ways to make it not only interesting, but marvelous! How’s this done?Let’s explore how creativity can transform even the most ordinary aspects […]
The Dangers of Over-Optimization
The 2020’s have become the age of over-optimization for everything. While I respect people’s need for maximum efficiency, it’s quite possible to go too far. I’ve seen this be especially true in digital marketing, when people bow to the almighty search engine results to get new leads… only to be entirely unable to handle the […]
The Genius of Emily Dickinson and Her Idiosyncrasies
Emily Dickinson’s poetry is full of hyphens and capitalized words. Are these idiosyncrasies in her poetry a sign of her poetic genius? Emily Dickinson is famous for her idiosyncratic grammar, uncommon uses of punctuation, and seemingly random capitalization of words. Despite using typical poetic devices such as assonance, consonance, and alliteration in her works, her […]
Deserts in Literature
How Deserts Serve as Both Muse and Antagonist for Writers With its seemingly endless expanse of arid, sunbaked terrain, deserts have long captivated the human imagination. Often regarded as a place of harshness and isolation, the desert has served as both an awe-inspiring muse and a formidable antagonist for writers throughout history. As a palette […]
Never Underestimate the Power of Media
We must never underestimate the profound influence of media. While it’s easy to dwell on its negative aspects, it’s crucial we acknowledge the positive contributions it makes to our society. Media is a dynamic force, not only reflecting our values, but also giving people the power to shape and redefine them. So, how can we […]
How to Gain Momentum in Life and Get Things Done
You may have read a lot about how we need to build up momentum in our lives in order to find success. What does it mean to gain momentum? Once we do, what benefits does having momentum give us in life? Why We Need Momentum in Life Think of momentum this way. Say you’re riding […]
My Fascination With Bridges
I have long been a fan of bridges. Their construction, their architecture, and their beauty are an art form. More than anything else, they stand as permanent examples of making connections. After all, bridges are for crossing. Bridges are some of the most beautiful structures in the world. When you drive, bike, or walk over […]
Simplistic Solutions
Oftentimes, when life presents us with a perplexing puzzle, the answer appears too elementary, too simplistic to be true. Our minds, fickle as they can be, often betray us, leading us astray with misguided comparisons and irrational judgments. We end up overcomplicating situations where the answer is actually straightforward if we just take a step […]
Failure of Democracy
As the clock ticks down on the 2024 Presidential Election, the United States stands on the precipice of another political firestorm. With a convicted felon and a clearly overwhelmed and incompetent current president being the only options, clearly democracy is on a slippery slope in America. This pair of non-choices to lead our nation is […]