Josh Linkner's Blog, page 9

Are We Living Through Horrible Times? Maybe.

To say we’re living in a strange era would be an understatement akin to saying Amazon is just an online retailer. This week alone we witnessed a massive hurricane, devastating wildfires, the unyielding pandemic, pervasive racism that spurred civil unrest, protests from professional athletes, and economic uncertainty. To top it off, we’ve experienced the most divisive and angry political conventions in our nation’s history with both parties suggesting that the end of our democracy may be near.

It...

The Economics of Originality

Several original works by Picasso, van Gogh, Cezanne and Renoir are worth more than $100 million each and continue to appreciate at a rapid pace. “Salvator Mundi,” a 600-year-old painting by Leonardo da Vinci, sold for $450 million in 2017, making it the highest amount paid for a painting in history. Collectors appreciate the artistry and groundbreaking original works from the masters.

If hundreds of millions is out of your price range, you can commission a stunningly accurate replica of the sam...

The Creative Secret of Jazz Musicians

Jazz legends like Miles Davis and Charlie Parker are known for their stunning solos, which appear to be individual acts of artistry. The Picassos of their craft, we envision the creative process to be a lonely one. Yet even the greatest jazz musicians develop their ideas in a collaborative process, co-creating their works of art with their musical colleagues.

Having studied and performed jazz for over 40 years, I can tell you that this inventive sport is more akin to a conversation than a solilo...

The Next 20 Feet

Driving your car through a dense morning fog, your visibility is about the same as trying to read a textbook through wax paper. Even with your fancy LED fog lights, the intersection that’s less than a block away is nothing more than an opaque blur. In this scenario, just like in life, you have a few options at your disposal.

You could stop your car altogether, waiting patiently for the fog to clear. But what if the fog turns to rain a few hours later, and then hail after that? Staying stuck on t...

The One Year Test

In stressful times, it’s easy to get derailed by matters that might be viewed as trivial under ordinary circumstances. A colleague shows up late to a Zoom call, the client changes her mind mid-stream, the boss unleashes an unnecessary rant. These infractions can dampen our work productivity on a normal day, but their impact can be even more toxic in times of uncertainty and change.

To battle what can feel like an endless stream of annoyances, try the One Year Test. Fast forward one year in your ...

You Can’t Cut Your Own Hair

Scott Cunha, the celebrity stylist for Kendall Jenner and Nicole Richie, doesn’t cut his own hair. Neither does Kiyah Wright, the two-time Emmy award-winning stylist whose clients include Tyra Banks and Jennifer Hudson. Mara Roszak cuts for Emma Stone, Olivia Wilde, and Brie Larson, but not for herself.

The physical mechanics of a haircut make it clear that even top experts can’t do the job themselves. But in a number of other settings, deciding whether or not to do it yourself can be much more ...

Instead of your glass half-full, try it completely empty

“If you view the glass as half-full, you’re an optimist,” the old saying goes. “But if you see it half-empty, you’re a flat-out pessimist.” We take this metaphor to be a truism, pushing ourselves to see our cups as full as possible.

But what if we’d be better off with a completely empty cup? It reminds me of the famous parable:

A university professor went to visit a famous Zen master. While the master quietly served tea, the professor talked about Zen. The master poured the visitor’s cup to the ...

Where’s Your What-If?

Spending a good chunk of my days researching human creativity, I landed on a strange phenomenon. What-if questions, one of the hallmark techniques of innovation, can also serve to extinguish imagination depending on where they are used. Oddly, the same framework can both ignite creativity or quell it, subject to where it is placed in the invention process.

Open-ended questions that contemplate positive change and exceptional outcomes are ideal at the beginning of the creative process. “What if w...

The Often-Overlooked Step That Can Boost the Quality of Your Work

We generally think that a great work product – especially an artistic effort – is imagined, conceived, and launched simultaneously. But the notion that a single, smart idea can immediately turn into a brilliant final version has the same logic flaw of a newborn baby popping out of the womb with a college degree.

In fact, one of the most important steps of the creative process is often overlooked: the refinement stage. In a recent interview, Lady Gaga said that many of her songs are written in on...

Random Acts of Creativity

It turns out, this past Saturday was National Creativity Day. Who knew? While I think it’s terrific that we have a holiday to celebrate the universal human gift of imagination, it made me think that everyday should really be National Creativity Day.

We’ve been led to believe that for something to count as creative, it has to be a masterpiece. A painting by Picasso, a song by Beyoncé, an invention by Elon Musk. While these are all creative works, their magnitude can convince us that our own creat...