2026-01-06 18:03:00
Consider the role of status in just about all human interactions.
It begins at a primal level–every species cares about access to food and resources. We share a prehistoric history of status based on strength. But civilization is about awarding status on something other than violence.
So there is the status that comes from being the breadwinner, the hunter, the matriarch.
Or the status that comes with age and experience.
We award status to spiritual leaders, peacemakers and selfless warriors.
And to beauty.
Status might be passed down through families. It could be formalized with Dukes and Empresses and other peerages (an ironic term, of course).
Lately, only in the last few hundred years, have we awarded status based on commerce. That people with access to money get a better seat, and the benefit of the doubt. And celebrity, a status that’s not possible without some sort of media to create that celebrity.
Like most things associated with media or with money, these two accelerated very quickly. Being famous for having a lot of money is a double sort of status, a benefit of the doubt based on sometimes unexamined foundations.
Not only are people trained to seek status, we’re driven to repeat the yearning we feel even after it’s acquired. The reason that more than enough isn’t enough for many is that status and the search for status can be infinite.
The adjudication of status roles is a critical role for anyone who works in culture or even in commerce. We award status without thinking about it, when awarding it is actually a critical part of our work and our future.
Awarding status isn’t new. It’s that we’ve forgotten we’re doing it, and why. Every interaction is a small negotiation about who matters more in this moment. Understanding that doesn’t make the system fair, but it does give us a choice about whether to reinforce it or to build something else.
2026-01-06 01:57:43
Consider beginning the new year by subscribing to purple.space. It’s a private online discussion group that I started several years ago.
A practice keeps a promise. A community of people who support, respect and encourage each other makes it far more likely we’ll find our way forward.
Purple Space is a worldwide community of creators, leaders and the curious. There’s no hype, no selling, no dark patterns. Instead, a few hundred people come together on a daily basis to share and support their work.
Or perhaps build your own circle of support. Accountability, inspiration and commitment. We each have the tools to find our cohort.
Here’s to possibility. Find some people and build something great.
2026-01-05 18:03:00
Are entrepreneurs professionals?
In professional fields, like law, medicine or accounting, it’s expected that you’ve done the reading. A professional has seen what has come before, understands the best practices and eagerly duplicates effective methods that have been shown to work.
As our understanding of marketing, management and tech has grown, there’s been a rise in intentionally naive wannabe entrepreneurs who decide that energy and authenticity are far more important than knowledge. That didn’t used to be a choice, now it is.
Sure, someone is going to win the startup lottery, but it probably isn’t going to be you. The good news is that there’s a lot to learn, all from easily accessible sources. It’s way less stressful to do it right than it is to do it over again.
2026-01-04 18:03:00
Every year, on the first weekend of the year, it’s probably worth replacing the dried spices in your pantry. The best, freshest spices still taste like the spice that’s on the label, but they taste more like themselves.
That’s what successful brands and freelancers do as well. They relentlessly do the work to act more like themselves.
First, we have to figure out what we are, what we stand for, and what people expect.
Then we get a chance to be more like that.
2026-01-03 17:13:00
By the time you get around to embracing the fashion of the moment, it’s almost certainly too late.
The leading edge is defined by the fact that most of us aren’t on it.
2026-01-02 18:03:00
An essential feature of every bottle is the neck. No neck, no bottle.
There are bottlenecks in every process, every project and every method. Something is limited. We can pretend that’s not the case and avoid the discussion. Or we can see it as an opportunity.
Successful organizations are good at embracing and working with their bottlenecks.
