A year ago, I wrote my first COVID-related post: How to Keep Your Business Healthy While Facing COVID-19.

At the time, I had no idea of what we were truly facing — after all, none of us did. But as time went on, we learned more about the virus and ourselves.

To me, the biggest takeaway is a simple reminder: change is the only constant.

We have no idea what’s going to happen next. It could be a massive, unpredictable black swan event, like a pandemic, or small, everyday shifts that move society in a different direction. More likely, it’s…

“Defining moments can be consciously created. You can be the architect of moments that matter.” ~ Chip Heath, from The Power of Moments

As a leader who has run a very collaborative, face-to-face agency for 14 years, I vividly remember the defining moment of 2020, for my business at least. It was when we decided to temporarily close DISTRICT, the innovative coworking space that’s home to Digital Surgeons, among other creative and entrepreneurial companies.

That day, now more than a year ago, feels burned into my brain. And my heart, truthfully. It was the moment that transformed us into a…

By now, you’re probably familiar with the concept of NFTs (non-fungible tokens), which are digital collectibles authenticated by blockchain technology. I’m guessing that one of these headline stories caught your eye:

• To celebrate the 10th anniversary of the iconic Nyan Cat gif, its creator Chris Torres sold the original for 300.00 Ethereum (about $600K).
• The digital artist Mike Winkelmann, aka Beeple, brought crypto to Christie’s — and the auction of his “Everydays — The First 5000 Days” sold for a jaw-dropping $69,346,250. (Until October 2020, $100 was the most he’d ever sold a piece for.)
• Kings of Leon is the…

As a designer and coder for more than half my life, I’ve got something controversial to say:

I think no-code and low-code platforms are the greatest things to happen to the tech world.

And I’m not alone. The no-code web development company Webflow recently raised $140M, increasing its valuation to $1.2 billion. Other no-code companies like “robotic process automation” giant UiPath and application-building platform Unqork have upped their growth ante with multi-million dollar investments and multi-billion dollar valuations ($10.2B and $2.1B, respectively).

The impact of this revolution isn’t something that’s light-years off, either. Forrester projects the low-code market to top…

“When you know how to listen, everybody is the guru.” ~ Ram Dass

Since I first started using the invite-only audio app, Clubhouse, in December, their user base has grown ten-fold, from a reported 600,000 to 6.0 million users as of February 1, 2021. Likewise, its valuation has gone from $100 million to $1 billion since its launch in the spring of 2020.

The reason I’m hitting you with numbers first is not to wow you with the iOS-only’s turbo-charged growth. …

Lately, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about the instant economy and how having everything at our fingertips is an existential danger. Faster, easier, cheaper is a destructive battle cry, fueling planet-decimating things like fast fashion.

If the Great Pause of the pandemic has taught us anything, it’s that things have to change. Our accelerated culture, which skimps on integrity to cash in on volume, comes at a devastating price: socially, environmentally, and humanistically.

This is where aesthetic integrity comes into play. It’s the antidote because it’s all about quality. …

There is no doubt that things appear pretty grim lately. One glance at your tiny rectangular distraction machine (aka your phone), and you’re down the rabbit hole. A dark place where, left unchecked, no good can come.

This is coming from a person who makes a living designing demand for brands primarily through digital experiences. I know, you’re probably wondering where I’m going with this.

Good! My mantra has long been that curiosity and creativity are broken in business. If you want to fix these vital change agents and get back to kicking ass in your work and life, you’ve…

If 2020 taught us anything, it’s that the only constant we can count on is change.

Of course, this isn’t news. However, now more than ever, we see twists and turns play out in everyday life. With every little shift, each bit of new information and knowledge, we’re forced to adapt. Flexibility is essential.

To me, the most eloquent way to articulate and leverage incremental change over time goes back to ancient Greece: the concept of Delta, Δ.

Now, don’t worry that I’m going to geek out and make you try to remember delta-driven lessons from economics, chemistry, physics, or…