Double-consciousness is a concept in social philosophy referring, originally, to a source of inward “twoness” putatively experienced by African-Americans because of their racialized oppression and disvaluation in a white-dominated society. The concept is often associated with William Edward Burghardt Du Bois, who introduced the term into social and…

Next week we're watching Live and Let Die (1973).By Will and Ben

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On this segment of "Well Read.", we cover the work and life of Pedro Reyes--a multidisciplinary artist and designer. Through his work, Reyes aims to use sculpture, architecture, video, performance and participation to increase the individual or collective agency in social, environmental, political, or educational spheres. Subscribe to Our Newslette…

When new technologies become widespread, they often raise ethical questions. For example: Weapons — who should be allowed own them? Printing press — what should be allowed to be published? Drones — where should they be allowed to go? In this lecture, we consider the wide range of downstream effects that could occur for society as a result of the br…

Most fears are just repetitive thoughts. The bad part about these sorts of thoughts is that once they get going...they seem to have a mind of their own. And, as a result, our biggest fears begin to compound on one another. The good news is that once we become better at comprehending and understanding our fears, then we can begin to lean into them m…

This week's Bones on Bond is the one that started it all: Dr. No (1962). Turns out there's a whole bunch more of these movies than I thought. Next week we're watching License to Kill (1989)By Will and Ben

Well-Read is our segment dedicated to delivering a portraiture or still life of an artist that we are studying at this particular time. Mostly, we're interested in uncovering the underpinnings that drive their particular body of work. This week, we are interested in the work of Jackson Pollock. Subscribe to our Newsletter Follow Us on Instagram…

This episode continues our Great Expectations study series--documenting and sharing different methods of anticipatory design. As we continue to understand design as more than just a department, we are able to see our role as creatives through a lens of systemic change. As a result, it becomes less about checking the creativity box when building an …

Most people find it particularly difficult to stick with a routine. From health to wealth, to wisdom, they all seem to struggle with finding the "right way" of doing things. Generally, most well-read people who are interested in the development of the self understand that some combination of meditation, working out, task-driven work, deep work, etc…

The first in our Bond series. This week Ben and Will watch and review GoldenEye. Next week we're watching Dr. No (1962)By Will and Ben

On this installment of "Well Read.", we share a dialogue with artist, designer, and studio owner--Andrew Herzog. Andrew is a multidisciplinary conceptual artist and designer. He’s a partner at School, a design studio founded by two designer-engineer-artist-types. His artworks have occupied museums, galleries, and city streets. He was previously a c…

How does technology impact the future? How will these convergences transform today’s legacy industries? What will happen to the way we raise our kids, govern our nations, generate wealth, and care for our planet? What should we be paying attention to? What should we ignore for now? These are all questions that creatives are racking their brains ove…

So many people wonder how their life is going to turn out. And, most people repeatedly ask the same types of questions over and over. Will I live a good life? Will I have success? Will I make it? Will I have the wealth and influence I need to achieve the things I want? Etc. The number one flaw of this mindset is that there's an underlying implicati…

Ass.By Will and Ben

As the first, official installment of our Well Read segment, we will spend this episode highlighting the life and work of Massimo Vitali. This portion of our curriculum aims is to provide a brief biographical and psychoanalytic study of artists and designers we admire. This initial installment may consist of both dialogues and monologues going forw…

Presentations are hard. Especially if you have to make slides, then you're usually taught to make more of a file folder of information. (i.e. the information monster) then a story rainbow. As a result, most people suffer from these common problems: They introduce stories with jargon. They take forever to get to the point. They don't have a structur…

"So often people are working hard at the wrong thing. Working on the right thing is probably more important than working hard." If you were moved by this quote, then this episode was created for you. In particular, this episode details the parable of the 3 Bricklayers. And, for about 15 minutes, we conceptually underline the parable with 3 key take…

Getting stupid paid by discovering an error.By Will and Ben

Haris Fazlani is a partner at Works Studio--a multidisciplinary design consultancy based in NYC. Some of their past clients include: Mineral Health Converse Reebok Peloton John Elliott Fear of God Ryan Leslie Heron Preston The Dream Alexander Wang And more If you enjoy this episode, then you'd also enjoy our other content below. Subscribe to Our Ne…

If you're going after your first big project, then you might find yourself spending way too much time selling things and way less time making them. The problem here is that there are only so many hours in the day. So, in this episode, we walk through 4 key points that will help you understand how to make better use of your time spent selling so you…

If you've been practicing your craft for a while now, then you probably have run into a roadblock for inspiration at some point or another. One person may call it "writer's block". Another person might call it boredom. Nonetheless, we all have moments when we can confidently say "seen one...seem them all". If you're feeling like you're in this plac…

Which kind of dad is the coolest?By Will and Ben

The Book Fair (04.26, 2-6PM EST ) is a quarterly lecture series where selected contributors to The Stacks talk about the inputs and inspirations that have had a significant impact on their lives and careers. Visuals c/o Zuheng Yin The Book Fair is open and free to the public. The virtual nature of these events are partly fueled by the situation we …

Have you ever wondered what your favorite creatives are reading, watching, and listening to on a regular basis? Or, what inspires them to create the work we know and love? And, more importantly, could anyone take this information and build their own “art school curriculum”? In order to get some answers, we decided to create The Publik Library. The …

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Underwear fall off.By Will and Ben

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To commemorate the 100th episode, we have a special presentation in partnership with Research and Development--an online art museum. If you would like to learn more about Research and Development, then you can connect with them on IG @researchdevelopment_ or www.r-d.info SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER FOR MORE UPDATES FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM…

If you're feeling like a roadblock has entered into your sphere, then it's most likely because you haven't shifted your mindset into accepting the willingness to place bets on yourself. Most people want to sit at the blackjack table, yet when it's time to place bets, they look around hoping that there is someone else that they could put their money…

One Pope, Two Popes, Red Pope, Blue PopeBy Will and Ben

If you're a child of the internet, then it's inevitable that you will feel overwhelmed by everything being thrown at you. How-to articles are never-ending. Book recommendations are endless. And, procrastination has become the most popular elective. Most people don't know where to start when curating their own reading lists, learning plan, or a syll…

Most people struggle with handling ambiguity. Unfortunately, designers are no different. When faced with nebulous project descriptions, you're left feeling overwhelmed. The good news is that this doesn't have to be the case. In this segment of "Work Study", we'll be covering the 4-step method that can be used to define design problems in a more cle…

“One of the greatest discoveries a man makes, one of his great surprises, is to find he can do what he was afraid he couldn’t do.” — Henry Ford If this quote hit home for you today, then this episode was made for you. Over the span of the next 15 minutes, we'll cover the 3 Facts of Fear that should know as you approach your path forward. Unaddresse…

Tips for the new world.By Will and Ben

If you have ever felt as if you're not fit for any job application or description on LinkedIn, then you might want to lean into this episode in particular. Most people go through life hoping that others define where they belong. However, the path of the liberal artist is not always so smooth. The good news is that there are other ways to think abou…

Sometimes in art + design, we want our work to speak for itself. And, really, we want our work to sell itself. Most people hide behind the veil of not wanting to conform to the "normal" way of doing things. Yet, really they are just afraid that maybe they weren't so good at the "normal way" in the first place. Don't let tried and true principles pa…

In this segment of "Incomplete Thoughts", we discuss what it looks like to press a hard "reset" on your life or circumstances. Regardless of the status of your work or the amount of attention you receive, most people will run across a time when questions begin to surface regarding the drivers of purpose and "finding a reason for being". So, in an e…

Who was supposed to be the audience for Austin Powers?By Will and Ben

Olivier is a multi-disciplinary designer from Montréal. With work spanning across different mediums while maintaining a playful and sensitive aesthetic throughout his practice, he has previously done work with Apple, Sagmeister & Walsh and Vallée Duhamel. And, has most recently co-founded Par Hasard studio. For roughly an hour, Olivier and Justin d…

If you own a small business or a small agency, then one thing you're always nervous about is hiring creative talent. While no one will admit it, it's usually rooted in not knowing what value one individual person could really provide. Also, it's worth noting that most people often are not sure even how to evaluate talent at a high level. As a resul…

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In times of scarcity, our natural reaction is to look to the scoreboard and hope that we have enough points on the board to last the rest of the game. Most people in the middle class who are not on the frontlines can't help but stare aimlessly at their bank account, IRA, 401k, and Instagram likes. If this were an agrarian economy, then those same p…

Frequently, small design firms and studios want to save the world through design. Obviously, this means "using other people's money to help them revamp their entire brand--because you can't understand how someone thought that was beautiful in the first place." But, as you might imagine, in-house teams, CMOs, and others who control the budget don't …

There are many categories of projects that all could fall within "brand strategy". However, if you want to avoid taking on immense amounts of scope after a period of time, you have to learn to categorize the bullets as they are flying at you. Here are some suggested categories for assessing the maturity of a brand: Brand Inception Brand Building Br…

Lately, we've been studying ad agencies a lot. Part of what we've learned is that "designers" (with a capital D) often try to carve out a unique value for themselves as artists, multidisciplinarians, or outliers that cannot and should not be boxed in. Most people approach this problem by assigning themselves a role in a creative agency in hopes tha…

On this segment of WorkStudy, we outline how you could best leverage your different experiences in crafting the best portfolio possible: Brand Strategist Brand Planner Account Planner Creative Director Strategy Director In our estimation, the best strategy portfolios use a 3-step model to illustrate the breadth and depth of expertise. 1. Find chall…

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Scott Belsky is an entrepreneur, author, investor, and currently serves as Adobe’s Chief Product Officer and Executive Vice President, Creative Cloud. In 2006, Scott founded Behance, the leading online platform for the creative industry to showcase and discover the creative world, and served as CEO until Adobe acquired Behance in 2012. After the ac…