Inspiration
Looking for purpose? Watch TV.
Thu/Jan/2009 01:30 PM Filed in: Work
Books and television are both forms of communication and entertainment, yet books always get the better rap. Why? I dunno, but I think Dancing With The Stars might have something to do with it. That, or Paula Abdul.
Based on this line of thinking, one might feel compelled to peruse the self-help section at your local bookstore, especially at the start of a fresh new year. So how can I recommend watching TV as a way to find your life's purpose? Well for starters, there are shows like Charlie Rose. Programs that while less than groundbreaking in their execution, harness the power of the medium at its purest form.
Then of course, there are shows that take the format, sand it down, buff it, turn it on its ear, and present it for the world to see anew. I'm talking about a show like The West Wing.
Last September, in the midst of a historically exciting Presidential election, I ordered a copy of the show's first season and proceeded to watch it straight through within a matter of days. For a political junkie, and a professional writer, the show presented fascinating material and a challenge to step up the substance of my own work. Based simply on the subject matter, the inner workings of a White House that truly cares about the effects their daily activities have on the American people (during the final days of the Bush Administration, this seems like pure fantasy!), the show grabbed me and pulled me in. But on a different level, just getting to know the characters, each written and developed as a three dimensional, full bodied, flesh and blood individual, The West Wing managed to sink it's claws into me in a way few dramatic programs have managed to do before. This is a show about political movers and shakers, but more than that, it's a program about professionals, compulsive over-achievers, who feel utterly compelled to rip out their hearts and toss them in the furnace to fuel the great good. These are the folks we all wanted to grow up and become. Well, except perhaps with more well-rounded interests. But then, that's a whole other challenge. Tunnel vision seems to breed success in type A personalities, but those same folks often find it hard to develop the personal aspects of their lives. The folks in Jed Bartlet's White House are casebook studies of accomplished individuals with lives that tip the scales in one direction or another. Ironically, in this case, the guy with the top of the masthead position, the President himself, is the one who really seems to have found the closest semblance of balance between his personal and professional lives. Perhaps that's why the People elected him! But I digress...
The writing is impeccable. Dialogue comes fast and furious, but it hits all the right notes. With more than half of the series' seven year run helmed by Aaron Sorkin (Of A Few Good Men, and The American President fame), there are few episodes or even exchanges that don't ring true. This is steady cam, soliloquy heaven for the actor's actor, and everyone from Martin Sheen, to John Spencer, to Bradley Whitford brings their A-game.
From a technical filmmaking perspective, the set design, the filming, the editing, it's all first rate. Grade A. In 2001 the trailer for Hannibal renewed my love of film (the movie itself was another story), in 2008 this show made me yearn to write and shoot some truly high quality television. In watching a special one hour episode of Charlie Rose (you knew I'd come back to him, right?) in which he-of-the-paperclip-cuff links spoke with most of the show's cast about what they felt set the show apart, one word came up again and again: Heart.
The West Wing, more than anything, is about HEART. Martin Sheen's iconic President Bartlet does everything with heart. When he succeeds, it's because he made the decisions from his heart. When he fails, that failure hits him in the chest like a ten-ton truck. I believe the hearts of Sorkin, Sheen, and frequent director Thomas Schlamme are evident in every frame and syllable.
The West Wing is about folks with purpose,and the purpose of the show, in my opinion, is to instill the need for personal commitment in everything we, the viewers do. From a writing perspective, it's pushed me to give the story of my next project just a bit more heart as well.
Whether you work in writing, film, television, politics, public service, or a field totally unrelated to any of those areas, I urge you to check out The West Wing's complete series, and see if it doesn't inspire you to go after those projects you've always sat at the bar mulling over, or evaluate if what you do from day to day leaves you feeling fulfilled, or wishing you could take a moment, look around, and start anew.
Based on this line of thinking, one might feel compelled to peruse the self-help section at your local bookstore, especially at the start of a fresh new year. So how can I recommend watching TV as a way to find your life's purpose? Well for starters, there are shows like Charlie Rose. Programs that while less than groundbreaking in their execution, harness the power of the medium at its purest form.
Then of course, there are shows that take the format, sand it down, buff it, turn it on its ear, and present it for the world to see anew. I'm talking about a show like The West Wing.
Last September, in the midst of a historically exciting Presidential election, I ordered a copy of the show's first season and proceeded to watch it straight through within a matter of days. For a political junkie, and a professional writer, the show presented fascinating material and a challenge to step up the substance of my own work. Based simply on the subject matter, the inner workings of a White House that truly cares about the effects their daily activities have on the American people (during the final days of the Bush Administration, this seems like pure fantasy!), the show grabbed me and pulled me in. But on a different level, just getting to know the characters, each written and developed as a three dimensional, full bodied, flesh and blood individual, The West Wing managed to sink it's claws into me in a way few dramatic programs have managed to do before. This is a show about political movers and shakers, but more than that, it's a program about professionals, compulsive over-achievers, who feel utterly compelled to rip out their hearts and toss them in the furnace to fuel the great good. These are the folks we all wanted to grow up and become. Well, except perhaps with more well-rounded interests. But then, that's a whole other challenge. Tunnel vision seems to breed success in type A personalities, but those same folks often find it hard to develop the personal aspects of their lives. The folks in Jed Bartlet's White House are casebook studies of accomplished individuals with lives that tip the scales in one direction or another. Ironically, in this case, the guy with the top of the masthead position, the President himself, is the one who really seems to have found the closest semblance of balance between his personal and professional lives. Perhaps that's why the People elected him! But I digress...
The writing is impeccable. Dialogue comes fast and furious, but it hits all the right notes. With more than half of the series' seven year run helmed by Aaron Sorkin (Of A Few Good Men, and The American President fame), there are few episodes or even exchanges that don't ring true. This is steady cam, soliloquy heaven for the actor's actor, and everyone from Martin Sheen, to John Spencer, to Bradley Whitford brings their A-game.
From a technical filmmaking perspective, the set design, the filming, the editing, it's all first rate. Grade A. In 2001 the trailer for Hannibal renewed my love of film (the movie itself was another story), in 2008 this show made me yearn to write and shoot some truly high quality television. In watching a special one hour episode of Charlie Rose (you knew I'd come back to him, right?) in which he-of-the-paperclip-cuff links spoke with most of the show's cast about what they felt set the show apart, one word came up again and again: Heart.
The West Wing, more than anything, is about HEART. Martin Sheen's iconic President Bartlet does everything with heart. When he succeeds, it's because he made the decisions from his heart. When he fails, that failure hits him in the chest like a ten-ton truck. I believe the hearts of Sorkin, Sheen, and frequent director Thomas Schlamme are evident in every frame and syllable.
The West Wing is about folks with purpose,and the purpose of the show, in my opinion, is to instill the need for personal commitment in everything we, the viewers do. From a writing perspective, it's pushed me to give the story of my next project just a bit more heart as well.
Whether you work in writing, film, television, politics, public service, or a field totally unrelated to any of those areas, I urge you to check out The West Wing's complete series, and see if it doesn't inspire you to go after those projects you've always sat at the bar mulling over, or evaluate if what you do from day to day leaves you feeling fulfilled, or wishing you could take a moment, look around, and start anew.
Tom Kundig - Seattle Architect
Mon/Jun/2008 07:00 AM Filed in: Work
At one time, everyone at Electron Toast has felt torn between different locations and, frequently, alternate coasts. Then we settled on a simple solution. Instead of choosing just one locale, why not aim for a bicoastal lifestyle and enjoy the best of everything? Since we all have roots back east, but work frequently brings us out west, this made perfect sense.
Personally, while I l find New York exciting, there’s something about the Pacific Northwest, Seattle in particular, that just feels right. The first time I visited the area I was struck by the way nature and the elements seem so intwined with the character of the city itself. Driving through Seattle down I-5, you frequently pass under concrete overpasses that are literally draped with cascading vines that themselves grow out of planters from which evergreens shoot up towards the (frequently gray) skies.
Pretty cool.
In comparison, when you touch down at JFK and catch a cab into the city, New York can seem pretty damn dingy.
Then there’s the vibe of Seattle. Well, I’ll cut to the chase, the whole place in unique unto itself, and for me, it just seems right. Now that I’ve set down roots in Seattle, it’s been interesting to get a feel for the architecture and homes that seem to embody the feel of the area. I would never have thought modern home design could appeal to me as much as it does, but there’s something about basic, clean construction elements, when combined with a sense of place (think trees shooting up from concrete planters) that finds a natural balance, and the work of one architect in particular seems to grab my attention again and again.
Tom Kundig of Olson Sundberg Kundig Allen Architects has his fingers on the pulse of something truly unique and inherently Northwest. As apparent in his project highlights on the firm’s website, Kundig has a masterful touch when it comes to blending simple wood, concrete, and steel craftmanship into natural settings. If I didn’t already have a place in the area, Kundig's first mixed use development would certainly stand out as something I’d be interested in. Ultimately, I’d love to have the guy design a stand alone residence for myself and my family. Looking through Kundig’s body of work can be mind boggling at times. I’ve just finished going through his book and found any number of ideas I’d like to incorporate into renovations of my own Seattle residence.
If you’re in the market for a more laid back lifestyle in an incredible city, and you’d like to explore some options for staking a claim on your own piece of the Emerald City, I’d certainly recommend exploring the 1111 Pike Street project. It looks like a way to enjoy the one of a kind, much sought after architectural style of a man whose work usually comes at a significantly higher price.
For a look at some of Kundig’s single family residential projects, I highly recommend his book: Tom Kundig: Houses.
I’m currently working my way through a retrospective of the collective works of the partners at Olson Sundberg Kundig Allen Architects. In particular, it seems Jim Olson might have his own unique style, one which, at first glance, seems to lend his projects a warmer, more personal appeal that I also find quite appealing. I’ll report back to you once I’ve finished the second book: Olson Sundberg Kundig Allen.
Architecture like this is enough to make a person start collecting houses!
Personally, while I l find New York exciting, there’s something about the Pacific Northwest, Seattle in particular, that just feels right. The first time I visited the area I was struck by the way nature and the elements seem so intwined with the character of the city itself. Driving through Seattle down I-5, you frequently pass under concrete overpasses that are literally draped with cascading vines that themselves grow out of planters from which evergreens shoot up towards the (frequently gray) skies.
Pretty cool.
In comparison, when you touch down at JFK and catch a cab into the city, New York can seem pretty damn dingy.
Then there’s the vibe of Seattle. Well, I’ll cut to the chase, the whole place in unique unto itself, and for me, it just seems right. Now that I’ve set down roots in Seattle, it’s been interesting to get a feel for the architecture and homes that seem to embody the feel of the area. I would never have thought modern home design could appeal to me as much as it does, but there’s something about basic, clean construction elements, when combined with a sense of place (think trees shooting up from concrete planters) that finds a natural balance, and the work of one architect in particular seems to grab my attention again and again.
Tom Kundig of Olson Sundberg Kundig Allen Architects has his fingers on the pulse of something truly unique and inherently Northwest. As apparent in his project highlights on the firm’s website, Kundig has a masterful touch when it comes to blending simple wood, concrete, and steel craftmanship into natural settings. If I didn’t already have a place in the area, Kundig's first mixed use development would certainly stand out as something I’d be interested in. Ultimately, I’d love to have the guy design a stand alone residence for myself and my family. Looking through Kundig’s body of work can be mind boggling at times. I’ve just finished going through his book and found any number of ideas I’d like to incorporate into renovations of my own Seattle residence.
If you’re in the market for a more laid back lifestyle in an incredible city, and you’d like to explore some options for staking a claim on your own piece of the Emerald City, I’d certainly recommend exploring the 1111 Pike Street project. It looks like a way to enjoy the one of a kind, much sought after architectural style of a man whose work usually comes at a significantly higher price.
For a look at some of Kundig’s single family residential projects, I highly recommend his book: Tom Kundig: Houses.
I’m currently working my way through a retrospective of the collective works of the partners at Olson Sundberg Kundig Allen Architects. In particular, it seems Jim Olson might have his own unique style, one which, at first glance, seems to lend his projects a warmer, more personal appeal that I also find quite appealing. I’ll report back to you once I’ve finished the second book: Olson Sundberg Kundig Allen.
Architecture like this is enough to make a person start collecting houses!
You'll Never Get Rich Working For Your Boss
Mon/Jun/2008 06:30 AM Filed in: Work
I've run across two books this summer that have instantly become my "go to gifts" for friends and family. The first was more of a lighthearted, but in my opinion, incredibly insightful work of fiction called The Art Of Racing In The Rain. The second book is a title I'm determined to give to everyone I know who shows signs of possessing an entrepreneurial spark. That book is Felix Dennis' How To Get Rich, which features one of the cheesiest titles imaginable, but which also provides some of the most insightful and reassuring advice I have run across in regards to starting one's own business. Since Dennis really has walked the walk when it comes to making billions in the publishing world, and since my own personal business interests lie in writing and publishing, the insights in his book often apply DIRECTLY to questions and concerns I have had in relation to my own business endeavors. Dennis' main point throughout is that to be rich, truly rich (not "comfortably poor" as he puts it) you have to take the risks and pursue your own endeavors. In the process, he eliminates many of the old (and ongoing) excuses I've heard coming from my own mouth and the mouths of my friends for year. Sure, there's a laundry list of reasons why EVERYTHING can fail, but if you think of things in terms of fun, like a game, whats the worst, the absolute worst that can happen, particularly if you have nothing to lose from the get go? Like I said, the title makes this sound like the work of a shifty flim flam man, but the advice, the stories, and the thinking, from cover to cover, struck so many chords with my own work philosphy, that I was completely won over, and encouraged in the personal projects I have been working on for the last yar. Do yourself a favor, pick up this book. Unless you're still looking for excuses for taking a risk and going for the glory, you'll be glad you did.
A Toast To Richard Branson: Aim For The Top
Mon/Jun/2008 06:00 AM Filed in: Work
FORTUNE Magazine published a profile of Sir Richard Branson in October 2003 that has no doubt inspired countless entrepreneurs and businessmen ever since. The folks here at Electron Toast were no different. We’ve held on to our battered copy of that article (pilfered from the Starbucks Corporate gym) and revisited it frequently over last half decade.
So what is it about Branson that captures our imaginations? Well, just about everything. With an estimated net worth of $4 billion, a business empire encompassing more than 360 companies (including airlines, record labels, and space tourism) numerous world record setting adventure exploits, and most famously, his own ISLAND the man is living the life we all dreamed of as kids, and apparently having more fun than any billionaire alive. Compare a photo of Branson to one of similarly wealthy individuals, from Donald Trump to George Lucas, and you’d be hard pressed to find anyone who seems to be having anywhere near as much fun.
Yes, Branson is a businessman, but more than anything, he’s the ultimate example of a risk taker living life on his own terms. As he’s so frequently quoted as saying, he doesn’t think of work as work and play as play “it’s all living.” We’d argue that when you’re hopscotching around the world, traveling on your own planes, and spending time on your very own island, you’re not just living, you’re thriving. And while our personal aspirations might lie in differing fields, there’s a creative energy in all of Branson’s ventures and self-promotion that strikes a similar creative chord deep within our toasty hearts. Sure, there are richer folks out there, but Branson is the one we want to emulate. If you aim high, you’re bound to hit something good. For a high school dropout who clearly eschews research and market studies (going instead with gut feelings and personal interests), Branson is the perfect example of following your passions and letting wealth and success catch up to you along the way.
In addition to the FORTUNE piece, other must read titles, dictated from Branson’s mouth to your ears include:
Bathroom reading: Screw It, Let's Do It
Poolside / plane reading: Losing My Virginity
So what is it about Branson that captures our imaginations? Well, just about everything. With an estimated net worth of $4 billion, a business empire encompassing more than 360 companies (including airlines, record labels, and space tourism) numerous world record setting adventure exploits, and most famously, his own ISLAND the man is living the life we all dreamed of as kids, and apparently having more fun than any billionaire alive. Compare a photo of Branson to one of similarly wealthy individuals, from Donald Trump to George Lucas, and you’d be hard pressed to find anyone who seems to be having anywhere near as much fun.
Yes, Branson is a businessman, but more than anything, he’s the ultimate example of a risk taker living life on his own terms. As he’s so frequently quoted as saying, he doesn’t think of work as work and play as play “it’s all living.” We’d argue that when you’re hopscotching around the world, traveling on your own planes, and spending time on your very own island, you’re not just living, you’re thriving. And while our personal aspirations might lie in differing fields, there’s a creative energy in all of Branson’s ventures and self-promotion that strikes a similar creative chord deep within our toasty hearts. Sure, there are richer folks out there, but Branson is the one we want to emulate. If you aim high, you’re bound to hit something good. For a high school dropout who clearly eschews research and market studies (going instead with gut feelings and personal interests), Branson is the perfect example of following your passions and letting wealth and success catch up to you along the way.
In addition to the FORTUNE piece, other must read titles, dictated from Branson’s mouth to your ears include:
Bathroom reading: Screw It, Let's Do It
Poolside / plane reading: Losing My Virginity