John Fitch

Chief Enabling Officer of initial. Here to motivate anyone who believes in creating something in an ethical and sustainable way.

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I made a short film about monks and the beautiful ritual of a Sand Mandala. It has shaped me in a lot of ways. I recommend that you try to see the process once in your life.

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The University of Texas changed my life. I went to the top of it all and took this picture to always remind of that.

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Here is a salient quote to pair with one of my favorite photos I have ever taken.

All of our new clients at initial are new destinations, and we love traveling with them!

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No Work, All Play!

Richard Branson is one of my vital streams for wisdom and honest experience.

He has been living this quote out for his entire professional career, endless respect for him.

I always say some see it as working hard on the weekends. I see it as just another 2 days of creating with less distractions!

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Keep Going and Keep Learning!

All the respect to David Liu for putting this kinetic typography piece together. Ira Glass certainly set a standard in radio broadcasting, but this diatribe applies to all of us, regardless of our creative mediums.

I wish you many happy creations and productive frustrations.

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The Sweet Taste of Rejection!

Daniel and I had the pleasure of attending the 2013 TEDxAustin conference. This was our favorite presentation of the entire day.

In a previous post, Steve Jobs talks about the concept of simply asking people for what you want. He mentions that we will be surprised by the success that follows the straightforward procedure of aggressively getting what you need. 

Put simply, Jia Jiang awesome story expands upon Jobs’ point of asking people for what you want, but Jia has a different approach.

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I have always said if you have a bad day it is your fault. Sure, some days are filled with more hurdles than others, but I think we all have the choice to keep a positive and grateful attitude regardless of what is thrown at us.

A positive attitude and exercise of constant affirmations will not only allow for your long days to be more enjoyable, but you will motivate those around you to have a better day.

Jessica is someone I believe would fit well on the Initial squad!

[stanfordgsb]

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Capture!

Take the Oppourtunity!

Our days are filled with a lot of occasions and moments. There is a good chance that, especially as a creative, you will be surrounded by a large amount of chances to be inspired or motivated by some aesthetic.

I have found that, especially with the technology in our pockets, that you should take those moments to capture, document, or talk about what unique creative perspective you have in that given time.

It is easy to have that moment of creative beauty, smile, and then go about your busy day. There is nothing wrong with that, due to our busy lives, but think about how that moment could be lost if you didn't take the quick moment to capture it and potentially do something with it.

For example, this morning I was walking in gloomy Austin weather. As my dress shoes lightly touched each little puddle on the sidewalk, I looked to my left and saw a gorgeous plant covered in unique silver raindrops. The drops were balancing on each little leaf and stem with such great perfection. I thought it was amazing how perhaps the plant was balancing each collection of water in order to be productive and harvest as much as it could out of it. Sure my thought is different than others around me, but I took a picture real quick with my phone, added some typography to the image, and I now have that moment captured and endless opportunity to utilize it.

If you are creative and see the world in a unique way, congratulations. We are the ones who design the world and make it interesting. Just make sure to document your moments of creative genius and clarity. They will provide a great library to reference on a rainy day!

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I was heavily motivated by some of the presentation at TEDxAustin this year. I will be creating a post for each talk that influenced or got me thinking the most.

I took the photo above with my iPhone and it was in the area that they called "the playground" which was a nice experimental exhibit. I would like to contribute to their future installations down the road!

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Being idle is wasting TIME!!!

Buddah said, "To be idle is a short road to death and to be diligent is a way of life; foolish people are idle, wise people are diligent."

I have always been a believer in this idea, but one thing I told myself I would be doing more of this year (and hold accountable in a favorite app of mine ) is spending less time contemplating. I have found that simply moving forward quickly is the best things to do in most tasks and decisions, big and small. As creators and design-thinkers, we have so many decisions and routes towards a final product or design, but that is the beauty of the journey right!?. We have constant moments of exploration and pioneering and sitting idle shouldn't ever be an options for you.

I say in most cases planning is guessing, so why spend tons of time trying to set a hardcore roadmap? The future is out of your hands and that spent time could end up being a significant loss. Make immediate decisions and deal with the daily outcomes that arise one by one.

I rode a bike to Alaska from Texas in 2010 (amazing experience!), and we often talked about the beauty in simply moving from point A to point B everyday. It was quite the simple mindset, but it also provided an intense amount of situations and experiences that lay in-between those two points. . That would have not been the case if we had contemplated every turn or pedal stroke with too much thought and worry.

Today I had an incredibly productive day, knocked out 34 items on my task, and still made it to type my thoughts right now! How is this possible?

I did it all by taking immediate steps forward with our company and embracing whatever comes in my upcoming path. It may be simple and cliche, but I think we can't be reminded enough to make fast decisions, move forward, and avoid sitting in an inactive state! You will only create roadblocks and clogs if you sit idle!

GO!

[stanfordgsb]

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I am a believer in scratching your own itch.

There is a good chance that when you find yourself complaining about current experiences and functionalities, there is an opportunity for innovation and disruption.

What industry do you want to disrupt?

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I find this work incredibly inspiring, and it is a short documentary that gives you a glimpse into the epic eyes of astronauts. 

I personally connect to this video because it promotes that we must take care of the fragile pale blue dot we live on.

Additionally, it always energizes me and reminds me that we are capable of anything!

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Take a Load Off!

  One reason you and I may make a list is for our tasks. I certainly make a list throughout the day to get things done. It feels great to cross feasible (break big tasks down to a collection of small tasks!) line items out as you go through you active day, and you can also look back at the week and see what you accomplished!

However, I want to recommend when you make your list, you order it in a new way.Put the most important (usually heavier) tasks right at the top and prioritize down.Don't list in any other order but this way. Yes, we all like the examples of an "uphill or upstream battle", but we can all agree that coasting downhill with our tasks is a nice way to spend a day. I personally try to make a goal to get my biggest task done before 9am (early riser!). Some people sit down at their desk at that time, but I sometimes enjoy a 9am coffee with a celebratory mindset after tackling a big to-do!

You will spend the appropriate amount of energy on the big tasks upfront, while you find yourself scratching the last items off with great ease. Who knows, you may be done with your day's tasks sooner than you think, and have an hour or two to treat yourself to something you didn't even have planned that day. Don't we all like surprises!?

Try it out. Thank me later...