Books & Podcasts
I am an avid reader and when I can’t read, I listen. These are books that I think are helpful regardless of your current station. They help us to think about thinking. In our culture, this is a step too often skipped.
If you’re an auditory learner, a quick search with the author and book title will turn up audio options for most of these.
Happy learning!
Range
Academia’s focus on specializing is leaving people disappointed. Their great plans aren’t working. Why?
While this book doesn’t have all the answers, it does have tremendously entertaining stories illuminating perspectives that will inevitably be life‑changing. It may have you rethink your path, whether it be how to present yourself or how to craft your way forward.
This is a hard‑to‑put‑down, must‑read.
Creative Strategy and the Business of Design
Surprisingly, creatives aren’t taught about the basics of business. Yet we charge them with creating materials that are supposed to be rooted in an understanding of marketing psychology and business. This is why successful large agencies have art departments and marketing departments. In an age where the large agency is waning and being replaced by small and even one‑person “teams” (because these days everyone thinks they can do it all), these creatives need to upskill in order to craft materials that are poised for success.
Whether you are a small business owner looking to hire a creative and want to make sure that they understand the language of business, or you are a creative yourself, this book fills in the CRUCIAL gaps.
What the Dog Saw
Each story leaves you wanting to pause and ponder. Each story is of such depth that you sometimes aren’t clear on what you have just learned, but you know that your mind has been… stretched. The stories stick with you…
It’s a great bedside book with short reads.
(There’s nothing Malcolm Gladwell writes that isn’t eye‑opening and a pleasure to read.)
The End of the World Is Just the Beginning
“How did I not know that?” If there is one book you read this year, let it be this one. It creates a crucial new foundation for thinking about the future, illuminating why you can’t escape how the world’s changes will, absolutely, affect you.
MOST of us aren’t seeing the bigger picture. We are too focused. We are on a ship but don’t look up to see where our ship is headed. We are worried about what’s happening in the kitchen, and what color the deck should be painted. Look up! Look up! We are charging forward unaware that the whole world landscape is changing.
If the world economy affects you (it does), you should read this book. (Peter Zeihan also has a YouTube channel and you can search for his keynote addresses.)
Before making any more decisions: become informed.