C.C. Chapman's Blog, page 43

We Need Weekends

Saturday afternoon I saw a statement online from a friend mentioning that since they worked for themselves they didn’t get weekends.

Statements like that make me sad because no matter what kind of work you do, taking the time to rest and enjoy life is critical.

Same thing happens when I see social media addicted individuals go on vacation and stress over how connected or not they are going to be.

Technology shouldn’t dictate how you live your life.

While I firmly believe in working hard, I do it...

Bono Explains Why We All Need To Care About Global Issues

Ever since traveling with ONE to Ghana last year, I’ve had a new focus on the world around me.

People ask me all the time why the focus about global health, extreme poverty and other issues.

Now, thanks toBono taking the stage at TED2013 I can show them this video as an answer. It is hard to argue with someone when they combine so much passion with data to back it up.

The Shift

The shift is happening if we like it or not.

The web is becoming wearable. Consumption of content is evolving. Vevo is the new MTV and we willingly click on links to watch advertisements on YouTube.

Yesterday, as we recorded the latest episode of Media Hacks, we were discussing all of these things. Later on Facetime, Clarence Smith Jr. and I brainstormed around a site refresh, RSS and the way the web use to be. Then the announcement came that Google Reader was being killed off.

The wave we’ve be...

SXSW Continues to Have Tons of Value

Fresh back from a long weekend in Austin, TX I know that my inbox and voice mail will be filled with the question of “Was SXSW worth it for you?”

The answer is yes.

It is worth the money, time and energy I spent to be part of it and I plan on buying a ticket for next year as soon as they go on sale.

People who focus on “the next great thing” or “the breakout app of SXSW” are missing the point of the conference and have bought into the hype. They’ll most likely leavedisappointedand I’m sure we’ll...

Why Argue With The Muse?

Every creative has felt the tug from her.

That scratch inside your brain that won’t let go. It calls out to be let loose and play.

You tell her to go away. Come back when you need her to help you push through the words and images, but not now. Now isn’t the right time.

Since the dawn of time we’ve tried to push her back. To only wish for her to arrive when summoned.

The Muse doesn’t work that way.

Why do we even try to argue? My best guess is that it has something to do with our Lizard Brain battl...

Getting Started Using Video With Lydia Winters of Mojang

I get hired to create a variety of content, but for me the best part is all the exciting people I get to meet along the way.

Recently, myassignment from Watch.tvwas to chat withLydia Winters, or as she is known to her legion of fans MinecraftChick, about her role as Mojang’s Director of Fun.

If you are not familiar with Mojang, they are the creators of the hugely popular game Minecraft. I know both of my kids love to build inside of it and so do tens of thousands of kids around the globe.

Lydia...

Make the Most of Today

The first week of a new month.

Simply another series of days on the calendar of our lives.

How are you going to use them to your advantage? What will you do to fill the hours of the day so that as you lay your head down at the end you feel a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction?

We lay our heads down at night not knowing if we will raise them in the morning. While most of us don’t give this truth a second thought as we tuck ourselves in and fade off into the sweetness of sleep, it is a reali...

Souvenir of Choice – Hotel Notepads

Travel and exploring the world is in my DNA. That sense of wanderlust is always buzzing just below the surface and when it beginspercolatingI crave adventure.

Yesterday, it kicked into high gear and for now I’ll have to settle for the magical circus that will be SXSW next weekend.

This morning I decided to go through some of my travel memories by looking at my hotel notepads.

You heard me right! Hotel notepad are my souvenir of choice when I travel.

From the cheapest of roadside motels, to the ta...

A Stranger’s Smile

Remember when we were growing up and our parents told us to never talk to strangers?

While the sentiment makes sense, you’d never make a new friend if you listened to it all the time.

Several weeks ago after I came off the stage from giving my Icarus Talk a young woman walked up to me.

“I loved what you had to say and I’m in the smile business so I had to meet you.”

We hugged and I exchanged cards with the promise to follow-up with each other. After a game of email tag we set a time to get togeth...

Making the Most of SXSW

It is that time of year once again when tens of thousands of geeks, musicians, filmmakers, organizations and brands descend on Austin, Texas for the annual SXSW conference.

To call it simply a conference doesn’t even begin to describe the experience of spending any amount of time in Austin between March 8th and 17th.

I wouldn’t miss it for the world and while my stay is shorter than in years past, I wanted to let you know where to find me and share a few tips for getting the most out of your ti...