Jen Bekman


Wow just listened to Debbie Millman's Design Matters podcast with Jen Bekman - owner of 20 X 200 + Jen Bekman projects.
Very interesting to learn how Jen's varied work + life experiences (and issues with authority!) eventually led to the creation of 20 X 200. Her scrappy, slightly bad ass nature really comes through in the interview and is completely inspiring.

One gem that stuck out:
"Your list of what you need to accomplish is always longer than your list of accomplishments
... But you have to look at the latter one every night and take a sec to enjoy your achievements in order to get the energy to move forward the next day."
Amen to that.

Such a good interview. Methinks required listening for any creative entrepreneur type - and extra special for the creative woman folk! Listen to it here.

Inspiration: Jennifer Egan


My sweet neighbour Jen (who works at the IFOA) recommended A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan to me and I have been savouring every word of it this month. Last night listened to a fantastic interview with her on Writers and Co. She explains that the novel explores the concept of time and how our perception of it has changed drastically since the internet. She also expressed a concern for a lack of solitude in today's buzzed out society which she feels is critical to the creative process. Highly recommended.
ps. Winner of the Pulitzer Prize. ooh ahh.

Inspiration: Biz Stone Cofounder of Twitter


Great interview on Fresh Air with the cofounder of Twitter Biz Stone. I found his description of Twitter's creation very interesting. He explained that he + cofounder Jack Dorsey were supposed to be working on their podcast company Odeo but were uninspired and felt the need to 'scratch an itch'. This description fit nicely into one of my theories of work: that often the most exciting projects for creative folks are the ones they aren't supposed to be doing!