Excerpts from Tribeca Flashpoint Academy CEO Howard Tullman’s Speech on Entrepreneurship, Arts and the Social Web at Chicago’s Creative Expo
ART IS NOT OPTIONAL
YOU NEED TO HAVE A POINT – IF YOU WANT TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE
(A POINT OF VIEW IS WORTH 80 IQ POINTS)
A GREAT ARTIST’S WORK DEVELOPS OUT OF NEED, COMPASSION AND COMMITMENT
EXCELLENCE, NOT SUCCESS, IS WHAT MATTERS
EXCELLENCE IS BORN FROM A CULTURE
ONCE A STUDENT ENTERS A CULTURE WITH A POWERFUL WORK ETHIC, THE ETHIC BECOMES THEIR NORM
MAKING A TERRIFIC WORK OF ART ISN’T REALLY MUCH DIFFERENT FROM BUILDING A GREAT SCHOOL OR ANY OTHER KIND OF BUSINESS – IT’S JUST MUCH MORE SOLITARY
EVERY SUCCESSFUL ARTIST IS AN ENTREPRENEUR AS WELL – YOU’RE A COMPANY OF ONE
THINK (YOU) INC
DON’T ALLOW YOURSELF TO BE DEFINED BY OTHERS’ LIMITATIONS
EFFORT CAN TRUMP ABILITY
IF YOU CAN’T OUTSMART THEM; YOU CAN ALWAYS OUTWORK THEM
INSPIRATION IS HIGHLY OVERRATED. IF YOU SIT AROUND AND WAIT FOR THE CLOUDS TO PART; IT’S NOT LIABLE TO EVER HAPPEN. MORE OFTEN THAN NOT, GETTING TO WORK IS THE ANSWER
INSPIRATION WITHOUT SKILL IS INSUFFICIENT; FEELING WITHOUT FORM IS NOTHING
ART IS NOT A PROFESSION THAT CAN BE MASTERED BY STUDY – ONLY BY DOING
THERE’S NO SUCH THING AS A GOOD EXCUSE
WHEN YOU SETTLE FOR LESS THAN YOU DESERVE, YOU GET LESS THAN YOU SETTLED FOR
IF YOU’RE TIRED OF STARTING OVER, STOP GIVING UP
MAYBE THE GRASS IS GREENER ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE FENCE BECAUSE THOSE PEOPLE TAKE BETTER CARE OF THE GRASS
EVERYONE THINKS ABOUTY CHANGING THE WORLD, BUT NO ONE THINKS ABOUT CHANGING HIMSELF OR HERSELF
SAY EXACTLY WHAT YOU THINK – DO EXACTLY WHAT YOU SAY
AT TFA, WE ARE STUBBORN ON VISION – WE ARE FLEXIBLE ON DETAILS
AT TFA, YOU GET WHAT YOU WORK FOR, NOT WHAT YOU WISH FOR
BUSINESS IS PERSONAL. PEOPLE COMMIT TO OTHER PEOPLE, NOT TO INSTITUTIONS
WHAT YOU CAN’T SAY IN 10 MINUTES ISN’T WORTH SAYING
DONE IS BETTER THAN PERFECT
ONLY THE WINNERS DECIDE WHAT WERE WAR CRIMES
SUCCESSIVE APPROXIMATION VS POSTPONED PERFECTION
MOST THINGS IN BUSINESS DON’T MATTER – A FEW THINGS MEAN EVERYTHING
THE NAME OF THE GAME IS TO WIN, NOT TO BE RIGHT ALL THE TIME
MAKE CHEAP MISTAKES
NEVER RUIN A GOOD APOLOGY WITH AN EXCUSE
DON’T TRY TO DO SOMETHING CHEAPLY THAT YOU SHOULDN’T DO AT ALL
WATCH OUT FOR THE “LIPSTICK ON A PIG” PROBLEM
A STALE WEBSITE IS WORSE THAN NO WEBSITE AT ALL
THE ONLY PURPOSE OF A WEBSITE IS TO SELL SOMETHING
YOUR WEBSITE, AT BEST, IS JUST YOUR FRONT DOOR
IF YOU’RE NOT ON FACEBOOK, YOU’RE NOWHERE
PERSONAL DATA IS THE OIL OF THE DIGITAL AGE
PEOPLE ARE TELLING YOU THEIR STORIES – SHAME ON YOU IF YOU’RE NOT LISTENING
METRICS MEAN EVERYTHING
FREE ISN’T CHEAP ENOUGH
NO ONE WINS THE RACE TO THE BOTTOM
DON’T LET SOCIAL MEDIA TAKE OVER YOUR LIFE OR YOUR BUSINESS
START SMALL AND SCALE WHAT WORKS QUICKLY
IF IT’S NOT FUN AND AUTHENTIC – YOU WILL FAIL
STICK TO YOUR KNITTING - DO AND SHARE WHAT YOU CAN DO WELL
