Michael Weber said that influence is “honestly revealing what your matters most is in a way that gives others the opportunity to see an intersection point for themselves.” This intersection is where your path crosses theirs, and you might find an opportunity to move the common work forward.
“You should have read all the good stuff so that you know what has been done, because if you have a story like one somebody else has written, yours isn’t any good unless you can write a better one. In any art you’re allowed to steal anything if you can make it better, but the tendency should always be upward instead of down. And don’t ever imitate anybody. All style is, is the awkwardness of a writer in stating a fact. If you have a way of your own, you are fortunate, but if you try to write like somebody else, you’ll have the awkwardness of the other writer as well as your own.”
~ Ernest Hemingway
I hope you enjoy the awkwardness of these creators’ efforts, as they are the artists who have contributed to my foundation. Check in and let me know what you think of their stuff, and share with me who has influenced you.
Baldwin, John
Writer, civil rights activist
Where to start
Brown, Brené
Author, speaker, researcher
Dare to Lead
https://www.ted.com/talks/brene_brown_the_power_of_vulnerability
Burkeman, Oliver
Author
Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals
https://www.oliverburkeman.com/the-imperfectionist
Cialdini, Robert
Psychologist, author
Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion
DelGaudio, Derek
Magician, author
Amoralman
In and Of Itself | viewable on Hulu
Dweck, Carol
Psychologist and author, specializing in motivation and mindset
Mindset: The New Psychology of Success
Fry, Stephen
Actor, comedian, writer, director, etc.
I’ll watch anything he is in (Fry & Laurie, Black Adder, The Hobbit, etc.)
I’ll listen to any book he narrates (Harry Potter, Sherlock Holmes, etc.)
Fuller, R. Buckminster
Architect, theorist, writer, designer, inventor, philosopher, and futurist
Expelled from Harvard, President of Mensa, recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom
I Seem to be a Verb
Galloway, Scott
Author, marketing professor, entrepreneur
https://www.profgalloway.com/
Follow your passion: https://youtu.be/2jIia7aXins
Gilbert, Dan
Professor of Psychology
http://danielgilbert.com/
https://www.ted.com/talks/dan_gilbert_the_surprising_science_of_happiness
Godin, Seth
Author, marketer (the good kind)
https://seths.blog/
The Song of Significance
Grant, Adam
Author, Professor of Psychology https://www.ted.com/talks/adam_grant_how_to_stop_languishing_and_start_finding_flow
Think Again
Hanson, Rick
Psychologist, author
https://www.rickhanson.net/
https://www.rickhanson.net/pet-the-lizard/
https://www.rickhanson.net/feed-the-mouse/
https://www.rickhanson.net/hug-the-monkey/
Harari, Yuval Noah
Historian, author
Sapiens
https://www.ted.com/talks/yuval_noah_harari_what_explains_the_rise_of_humans?language=en
Harris, Sam
Philosopher, Neuroscientist, Author
Waking Up
Waking Up meditation app (I absolutely love this)
Making Sense podcast
Hazell, Pat
Writer, Actor, Director, Comedian
Creativity in Captivity | This is one of my favorite podcasts
Hickman, Andy
Magician, author, and professional speaker
https://www.andyhickman.com/
Holiday, Ryan
Author, philosopher, independent bookshop owner
https://dailystoic.com/
Ego is the Enemy
The Obstacle is the Way
Jay, Ricky
Author, historian, magician, actor
https://rickyjay.com/
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1993/04/05/ricky-jay-magician-secrets-profile
Jillette, Penn
Magician, juggler, self-proclaimed carney trash
Check out Fool Us on The CW, or Bullshit on Showtime
https://pennandteller.com/
https://pennsundayschool.com/
Kahneman, Daniel
Psychologist, economist, Nobel prize winner
Thinking, Fast and Slow
Noise: A Flaw in Human Judgement https://www.ted.com/talks/daniel_kahneman_the_riddle_of_experience_vs_memory
King, Stephen
Author
11/22/63: A Novel
On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft
Kleon, Austin
Writer who draws
AustinKleon.com | Newsletter
Steal Like an Artist, Show Your Work!, Keep Going
Lamott, Anne
Author
Bird by Bird
Manson, Mark
Author
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck
Moore, Alan
Wizard, author
BBC Maestro: https://www.bbcmaestro.com/courses/alan-moore/storytelling
All of his comics
Parrish, Shane
Writer
https://fs.blog/about/
Clear Thinking
Pink, Daniel
Author
Drive: The Surprising Truth of What Motivates Us
The Power of Regret
https://www.ted.com/talks/dan_pink_the_puzzle_of_motivation?language=en
Pressfield, Steven
Author, historian
https://stevenpressfield.com/blog/
The War of Art
Do the Work
The Legend of Bagger Vance
Puddicombe, Andy
Speaker, Meditation coach
http://www.headspace.com – meditation app (This is the first tool I could connect with. I cannot overstate how impactful Andy has been to my life.)
Meditation & Mindfulness
Mindful Eating
Saunders, George
Writer, professor
https://georgesaunders.substack.com/
A Swim in a Pond in the Rain
Sinek, Simon
Author, professional speaker
Start with Why
https://www.ted.com/talks/simon_sinek_how_great_leaders_inspire_action
Teller
https://pennandteller.com/
Check out: & Teller on YouTube
Thompson, Hunter S.
Journalist, founder of Gonzo Journalism, author, counter-culture icon
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
Hell’s Angels: The Strange and Terrible Saga
Urban, Tim
Blogger, Author
http://www.waitbutwhy.com
What’s Our Problem?: A Self-Help Book for Societies
https://www.ted.com/talks/tim_urban_inside_the_mind_of_a_master_procrastinator
Usher, Shaun
Historian, curator, author
https://news.lettersofnote.com/
Check out all of his books, too.
Vonnegut, Kurt
Philosopher, author
If This Isn’t Nice, What Is?
Pity the Reader
The Shape of Stories: https://youtu.be/oP3c1h8v2ZQ
Wallace, David Foster
Philosopher, author
This is Water: https://youtu.be/OsAd4HGJS4o
Everything he’s written. Some of it is hard to read but worth the effort.
Watts, Alan
Philosophical entertainer, author, speaker
The Way of Zen
The Wisdom of Insecurity: A Message for an Age of Anxiety
Weber, Michael
Good luck finding him, but it is worth the search. I have often heard him say, “Do your homework.” Maybe one of the most significant influences I have, and the most elusive.
MW in action: https://vimeo.com/227274048
Whyte, David
Poet, author
https://davidwhyte.com/
Read: The Three Marriages and all of his poetry.
Wiseman, Richard
Psychologist, writer, magician
https://richardwiseman.wordpress.com/
Quirkology: The Curious Science of Everyday Lives
Zander, Ben
Conductor, author, philosopher
Work: https://youtu.be/qTKEBygQic0
http://www.ted.com/talks/benjamin_zander_on_music_and_passion
The Art of Possibility