Eric Rothman

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... See more

Yeah, we don’t believe in a 30-person crew. We don’t believe you should emulate the look of a major Hollywood film. I like the indie game philosophy, where two guys make a whole game with pixel art and pick an aesthetic and a style that matches the scope of their budget and team. We believe in small and slow. Four people over 12 weeks can make a... See more

Don’t be lame, don’t be corny. The craft has to be there. I feel like I’m just such a craft snob. I just don’t respect people that don’t... I mean, whatever, it’s your thing if you don’t care about it, but it’s like, if you know about it, you know it when you see it. Also, every masterpiece has incorporated so much craft into it, and there’s no way... See more

“I commit to using my creative superpowers as an artist to give extraordinary value and service to those I deeply wish to serve; while sharing my vision, ethos, and philosophy along the journey.”

I think for years I was looking at my feet, I couldn’t look people straight in the eye, I was uncomfortable, I mean uncomfortable all the time, whereas today I enjoy being uncomfortable. It amuses me to understand that, yes, I have many doubts, that is what makes me alive, in fact. It allows me to move forward, I really like it.

You should write because when you know that you’re going to write, it changes the way you live. I’m thinking about a book I read called Field Notes on Science & Nature , a collection of essays by scientists about their notes. It’s hard to imagine a more tedious concept — a book of essays about notes ? — but in execution it was wonderful. What it... See more

Fantastic advice, for software builders:

Headline driven development

Here is a simple process for shipping software projects that works. First, decompose the project into a stream1 of headlines. Then pick an aggressive date to ship the first headline and work like hell to meet that date. Have everyone work only on one headline at a time– the

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Everyone wants to know how to be liked. But I think we all know, actually, how to be liked, it’s just that it’s hard. It takes attention and openness, and the confidence to present your character like it’s a fun mask you’re wearing rather than a lesson you’re desperate to teach someone. If you have that, it’s simple: when people put energy into... See more

The secret to being an artist and creator , which is, I think, to not give a fuck about what anyone thinks about you, or your work, but with integrity to your personal greatness. To create without inhibition, from a state of pure un-self-consciousness, without (dare I say) ego — which is the golden place where magical things happen. The place of... See more