don’t you dare give up
How did Robert Longo become an artist? The answer includes a trip to Sicily and, more surprisingly, an unfortunate incident with a pigeon in Florence. In the latest episode of Artforum’s Under the Influence series, Longo reflects on the moments and people who have shaped his career, from Douglas Crimp to Cindy Sherman and Jannis Kounellis. The... See more
instagram.comArt is a marathon not a sprint
One of the hardest and loneliest battles you’ll have to fight as you work to build the life you want is maintaining unwavering self belief that you will make it despite having *nothing* to show for it over a 2-3 year period before you see “overnight” success. You’ll feel like an imposter telling others what you’re building and who you believe... See more
Bx.com
When you believe the work before you is the single piece that will forever define you, it’s difficult to let it go. The urge for perfection is overwhelming. It’s too much. We are frozen, and sometimes end up convincing ourselves that discarding the entire work is the only way to move forward. The only art the world gets to enjoy is from creators
... See moreCeline Nguyen • Everything I Read in February 2025
I’ve hosted events where only two people showed up. You have to keep at it. Big things start small, but when you have all these pressures and limited resources in a growing company, it’s tempting to quickly ditch anything that’s not working. You can’t hopscotch over the hard bits, as much as you might want to
From Instant Pot to Instagram: Critical Lessons in Startup Community Building
The first Philz location used to be a bodega. Here’s a picture of the first coffee station and my dad (Phil) tucked in the corner of the bodega (you can see bottles of Rémy Martin on the right).
The first several years of business weren’t pretty, but my dad and I obsessed over quality and every customer interaction.... See more
“Thankfully, persistence is a great substitute for talent.”
― Steve Martin, Born Standing Up: A Comic's Life
“You go back to work. You take advantage of the quiet time that a failure allows you. You remind yourself that no one is paying any attention to you and it’s a perfect time for you to sit down in front of your computer and make another game. You try again. You fail better.”