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Pre-AI essays

These essays are a record of me trying to understand myself and language. I did the thinking and writing offline, then shared the work here, before generative AI became part of everyday writing. There are errors, loose ends and half-baked ideas. I’m keeping them here because the process matters to me, including the parts I hadn’t figured out.

AD AGENCIES DON'T RUN ADS

If ads work, why don't ad agencies run more of them?

WHY I LOVE HOCKEY

I pissed my pants playing hockey in the third grade.

VITA EX MACHINA

AI could save human lives. But at what price?

RAISING A CHILD YOUR AGE

I thought my little brother was dead. He was missing.

THE CASE FOR A BORING LIFE

Variety is the spice of life. Monotony is the meat.

A FAREWELL TO ADS

Bullshit makes for bad news. It makes worse branding.

WHAT TOUGHNESS LOOKS LIKE 

Perspective takes you far. Specifically, to adulthood.

FLUNKING FORWARD

This is how you innovate: fail your way to an answer.

THE RISK TAKER'S PARADOX

The truth is, you failed because you were scared.

THE STORY DOCTOR

Reflecting on Robert McKee’s ‘Story’ seminar.

ART VS. BASKETBALL

Trying to make sense of the business of advertising.

Fresh ingredients and a knife on a cutting board — photograph by Katie Smith
THOUGHT FOR FOOD

Like cooking, good writing lets one ingredient shine.

White brushstrokes on a dark canvas — photograph by Luca Nicoletti
WRITE STORIES, NOT WORDS.

Words aren’t the heart of a story. Look closer.

JAZZ IS GREEN

Smelling colors, hearing textures and feeling ideas.

A school of fish underwater — photograph by Sebastian Pena Lambarri
FIGHT OR FLIGHT

How do you change a mind without scaring someone off?

Vintage Printing Press
THE BIG DANCE

Overused phrases usually get that way for good reason.

A closed red theater curtain — photograph by Rob Laughter
THE WAY FORWARD

Ads were a necessary evil. They powered important work.

An ornate library reading-room ceiling and tall windows — photograph by John Angel
TRANSITIONING TO DEEP WORK

The limits of half-assing a thousand things at once.

Hands shaping a clay vessel on a pottery wheel — photograph by Earl Wilcox
THE UPSIDE OF DOWNTIME

Know the difference between ‘done’ and ‘finished.’

JUMP TO MOST RECENT
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