Eric Rothman

I am an artist first and foremost. No matter how I spend my time, no matter how i make money, no matter what responsibilities or identities I take on .. I am an artist because I have the mind and soul of an artist. I am a creative force of nature, I am an innovator, I am brave and smart and loving and experimental in my approach to life. I was put ... See more

In 1985, Nike held a 24-hour shoe design contest. Nike was struggling. Their stock dropped 50%. They had to lay off people. Adidas, Converse, and Reebok were all selling more shoes. So in a panicked attempt to find creative talent, Nike held a shoe design contest. The winner was a corporate architect named Tinker Hatfield. “Two days after the compe... See more

In a world full of people who seem to know everything, passionately, based on little (often slanted) information, where certainty is often mistaken for power, what a relief it is to be in the company of someone confident enough to stay unsure (that is, perpetually curious).

When I give of myself, when I genuinely care about others, I generate a feeling of connection, a feeling that is closely related to love. This is a feeling we long for. And it is common to think of it as something we must receive —that to feel a connection, we must find someone who sees us and who cares about our authentic self. But what people who... See more

1. Write what you're learning.

2. Have at least a tiny website that shows something neat.

3. Do things publicly. Have Twitter, Github, etc. Comment publicly, ideally with your real name. This forces you to be nicer, too.

4. Help other people.

One belief I have is that if you wish to be virtuous you will learn to eat cereal virtuously.

The novice of virtue is tempted by dreams of heroic acts, just as the novice sculptor daydreams of palatial monuments, or other grand work. But the master sculptor is extraordinary not because he has been commissioned for monumental bronzes (which may never... See more