Category: Blog

I am a creative. What I do is alchemy. It is a mystery. I do not so much do it, as let it be done through me.

I am a creative. Not all creative people like this label. Not all see themselves this way. Some creative people see science in what they do. That is their truth, and I respect it. Maybe I even envy them, a little. But my process is different—my being is different.

Apologizing and qualifying in advance is a distraction. That’s what my brain does to sabotage me. I set it aside for now. I can come back later to apologize and qualify. After I’ve said what I came to say. Which is hard enough. 

Except when it is easy and flows like a river of wine.

Sometimes it does come that way. Sometimes what I need to create comes in an instant. I have learned not to say it at that moment, because if you admit that sometimes the idea just comes and it is the best idea and you know it is the best idea, they think you don’t work hard enough.

Sometimes I work and work and work until the idea comes. Sometimes it comes instantly and I don’t tell anyone for three days. Sometimes I’m so excited by the idea that came instantly that I blurt it out, can’t help myself. Like a boy who found a prize in his Cracker Jacks. Sometimes I get away with this. Sometimes other people agree: yes, that is the best idea. Most times they don’t and I regret having  given way to enthusiasm. 

Enthusiasm is best saved for the meeting where it will make a difference. Not the casual get-together that precedes that meeting by two other meetings. Nobody knows why we have all these meetings. We keep saying we’re doing away with them, but then just finding other ways to have them. Sometimes they are even good. But other times they are a distraction from the actual work. The proportion between when meetings are useful, and when they are a pitiful distraction, varies, depending on what you do and where you do it. And who you are and how you do it. Again I digress. I am a creative. That is the theme.

Sometimes many hours of hard and patient work produce something that is barely serviceable. Sometimes I have to accept that and move on to the next project.

Don’t ask about process. I am a creative.

I am a creative. I don’t control my dreams. And I don’t control my best ideas.

I can hammer away, surround myself with facts or images, and sometimes that works. I can go for a walk, and sometimes that works. I can be making dinner and there’s a Eureka having nothing to do with sizzling oil and bubbling pots. Often I know what to do the instant I wake up. And then, almost as often, as I become conscious and part of the world again, the idea that would have saved me turns to vanishing dust in a mindless wind of oblivion. For creativity, I believe, comes from that other world. The one we enter in dreams, and perhaps, before birth and after death. But that’s for poets to wonder, and I am not a poet. I am a creative. And it’s for theologians to mass armies about in their creative world that they insist is real. But that is another digression. And a depressing one. Maybe on a much more important topic than whether I am a creative or not. But still a digression from what I came here to say.

Sometimes the process is avoidance. And agony. You know the cliché about the tortured artist? It’s true, even when the artist (and let’s put that noun in quotes) is trying to write a soft drink jingle, a callback in a tired sitcom, a budget request.

Some people who hate being called creative may be closeted creatives, but that’s between them and their gods. No offense meant. Your truth is true, too. But mine is for me. 

Creatives recognize creatives.

Creatives recognize creatives like queers recognize queers, like real rappers recognize real rappers, like cons know cons. Creatives feel massive respect for creatives. We love, honor, emulate, and practically deify the great ones. To deify any human is, of course, a tragic mistake. We have been warned. We know better. We know people are just people. They squabble, they are lonely, they regret their most important decisions, they are poor and hungry, they can be cruel, they can be just as stupid as we can, because, like us, they are clay. But. But. But they make this amazing thing. They birth something that did not exist before them, and could not exist without them. They are the mothers of ideas. And I suppose, since it’s just lying there, I have to add that they are the mothers of invention. Ba dum bum! OK, that’s done. Continue.

Creatives belittle our own small achievements, because we compare them to those of the great ones. Beautiful animation! Well, I’m no Miyazaki. Now THAT is greatness. That is greatness straight from the mind of God. This half-starved little thing that I made? It more or less fell off the back of the turnip truck. And the turnips weren’t even fresh.

Creatives knows that, at best, they are Salieri. Even the creatives who are Mozart believe that. 

I am a creative. I haven’t worked in advertising in 30 years, but in my nightmares, it’s my former creative directors who judge me. And they are right to do so. I am too lazy, too facile, and when it really counts, my mind goes blank. There is no pill for creative dysfunction.

I am a creative. Every deadline I make is an adventure that makes Indiana Jones look like a pensioner snoring in a deck chair. The longer I remain a creative, the faster I am when I do my work and the longer I brood and walk in circles and stare blankly before I do that work. 

I am still 10 times faster than people who are not creative, or people who have only been creative a short while, or people who have only been professionally creative a short while. It’s just that, before I work 10 times as fast as they do, I spend twice as long as they do putting the work off. I am that confident in my ability to do a great job when I put my mind to it. I am that addicted to the adrenaline rush of postponement. I am still that afraid of the jump.

I am not an artist.

I am a creative. Not an artist. Though I dreamed, as a lad, of someday being that. Some of us belittle our gifts and dislike ourselves because we are not Michelangelos and Warhols. That is narcissism—but at least we aren’t in politics.

I am a creative. Though I believe in reason and science, I decide by intuition and impulse. And live with what follows—the catastrophes as well as the triumphs. 

I am a creative. Every word I’ve said here will annoy other creatives, who see things differently. Ask two creatives a question, get three opinions. Our disagreement, our passion about it, and our commitment to our own truth are, at least to me, the proofs that we are creatives, no matter how we may feel about it.

I am a creative. I lament my lack of taste in the areas about which I know very little, which is to say almost all areas of human knowledge. And I trust my taste above all other things in the areas closest to my heart, or perhaps, more accurately, to my obsessions. Without my obsessions, I would probably have to spend my time looking life in the eye, and almost none of us can do that for long. Not honestly. Not really. Because much in life, if you really look at it, is unbearable.

I am a creative. I believe, as a parent believes, that when I am gone, some small good part of me will carry on in the mind of at least one other person.

Working saves me from worrying about work.

I am a creative. I live in dread of my small gift suddenly going away.

I am a creative. I am too busy making the next thing to spend too much time deeply considering that almost nothing I make will come anywhere near the greatness I comically aspire to.

I am a creative. I believe in the ultimate mystery of process. I believe in it so much, I am even fool enough to publish an essay I dictated into a tiny machine and didn’t take time to review or revise. I won’t do this often, I promise. But I did it just now, because, as afraid as I might be of your seeing through my pitiful gestures toward the beautiful, I was even more afraid of forgetting what I came to say. 

There. I think I’ve said it. 

Learn more at Duct Tape Marketing at AI Ethics in Marketing: Why Strategy and Responsibility Must Go Hand in Hand by John Jantsch.

Summary of the Episode In this instance of the Duct Tape Marketing Podcast, number John Jantsch welcomes Paul Chaney, a seasoned online marketer and publication of the Ethics Digest for AI Marketing. Paul argues that ethics and plan should take center stage of the conversation as artificial intelligence becomes a key component of marketing.

Learn more at Duct Tape Marketing at AI Ethics in Marketing: Why Strategy and Responsibility Must Go Hand in Hand by John Jantsch.

Watch the event:

Summary of the Episode

Host John Jantsch welcomes Paul Chaney, a seasoned online professional and publisher of the Ethics Digest for AI Marketing, in this instance of the Duct Tape Marketing Podcast. Paul makes the case for morality and method as unnatural intelligence becomes a key component of selling as well as the development of the most recent equipment.

The discussion explores how unregulated AI use can undermine brand trust, foster domestic chaos, and miss opportunities. This episode provides a proper blueprint for adopting AI appropriately in modern marketing from the need for governance and transparency to the AI techno-stress.

Paul Chaney

Paul Chaney is the creator of the Ethics Digest for AI Marketing on Substack and a B2B author and glad planner. With a long-standing career in digital marketing, Paul has a unique perspective on how businesses can strike a balance between the enthusiasm of new AI resources and ethical behavior that is centered on the needs of their customers. His creating and consulting work is rooted in his efforts to promote brand confidence and clarity in the era of technology.

• Ethics Digest for AI Marketing
• Prescriptive writing ( Paul’s B2B Services ):
• Connect with Paul on LinkedIn

What This Episode Will Teach You

• Why is social behavior so important for AI-powered advertising?
• How to regulate internal use and the dangers of” dark AI”
• How Artificial techno-stress is affecting people and organizations?
• Why does method often be used before adopting innovative technology?
• How a “boxed” AI system may lessen organizational conflict and tension

Important Episode Times

• 00:40 – Why Paul launched the Ethics Digest for AI Marketing
• 02: 56 – Concerned AI from the customer’s point of view, not only compliance
• 04: 06 – Transparency, partiality, and brand status in AI output
• 05:33– Method before technologies: avoiding “bad function faster”
• What is” shadow AI” and how can it harm organizations at 06 :59
• 08:30 – The necessity of monitoring and using usage policies for domestic AI
• 10:54 – The Generative AI Business Adoption Hierarchy, as stated in 10:54
• 12: 51 – Encoding management and clearness into company culture
• 15: 56 – What is Artificial techno-stress and how does it affect people’s jobs?
• 18: 24 – Employee well-being is a buried social risk due to lack of training.
• 19: 55 – A real-world company bridging intergenerational divides in AI adoption
• 21: 06 – What it means for professionals for some business owners to give up on AI and why?
• 22: 15 – Where can I follow Paul and observe his writing?

Explore Marketing with Responsible AI.

Are you interested in finding out how to use AI responsibly and effectively in your marketing strategy? Start by signing up for Paul’s publication and checking out his services for glad strategy.

Subscribe to the Ethics Digest for AI Marketing

Visit Prescriptive Writing for B2B Services.

Tags:

Paul Chaney, selling radio, AI management, AI implementation, shadow AI, Duct Tape Marketing, marketing ethics, online strategy, AI in marketing, marketing ethics, online strategy, and more.

As a solution developer for too many years, I can’t recall how many times I’ve seen promising ideas go from being heroes in a few weeks to being useless within months.

Financial goods, which is the area of my specialization, are no exception. It’s tempting to put as many features at the ceiling as possible and hope someone sticks because people’s true, hard-earned money is on the line, user expectations are high, and a crammed market. However, this strategy will lead to disaster. Why? How’s why:

The perils of feature-first creation

It’s simple to get swept up in the enthusiasm of developing innovative features when you start developing a financial product from scratch or are migrating existing client journeys from papers or telephony channels to online bank or mobile apps. They may think,” If I may only add one more thing that solves this particular person problem, they’ll enjoy me”! What happens, however, when you eventually encounter a roadblock caused by your safety team? don’t like it? When a difficult-fought film fails to win over viewers or fails owing to unanticipated difficulty?

The concept of Minimum Viable Product ( MVP ) comes into play in this area. Even though Jason Fried doesn’t usually refer to it that way, his podcast Rework and his book Getting True frequently address this concept. An MVP is a product that offers only enough significance to your users to keep them interested, but not so much that it becomes difficult to keep up. Although it seems like an easy idea, it requires a razor-sharp eye, a ruthless edge, and the courage to stand up for your position because it is easy to fall for” the Columbo Effect” when there is always” just one more thing …” to add.

The issue with most fund apps is that they frequently turn out to be reflections of the company’s internal politics rather than an experience created specifically for the customer. This implies that the priority is to provide as some features and functionalities as possible to satisfy the requirements and desires of competing internal departments as opposed to a distinct value statement that is focused on what people in the real world actually want. These products may therefore quickly become a muddled mess of confusing, related, and finally unlovable client experiences—a feature salad, you might say.

The significance of the foundation

What’s a better course of action then? How may we create products that are user-friendly, firm, and, most importantly, stick?

The concept of “bedrock” comes into play here. Rock is the main feature of your solution that really matters to customers. It’s the fundamental building block that creates price and maintains relevance over time.

The rock has got to be in and around the standard servicing journeys in the world of retail bank, which is where I work. People only look at their existing account once every blue moon, but they do so daily. They purchase a credit card every year or every other year, but they at least once a month assess their stability and pay their bills.

The key is in identifying the main tasks that individuals want to complete and therefore persistently striving to make them simple, reliable, and trustworthy.

How can you reach the foundation, though? By focusing on the” MVP” strategy, giving clarity the top priority, and working toward a distinct value proposition. This entails removing needless functions and putting the emphasis on providing genuine value to your users.

It also requires some fortitude, as your coworkers might not always agree on your vision at first. And dubiously, occasionally it can even suggest making it clear to customers that you won’t be coming to their house and making their breakfast. Sometimes you may need to use the sporadic “opinionated user interface design” ( i .e. clunky workaround for edge cases ) to test a concept or to give yourself some room to work on something more crucial stuff.

Functional methods for creating stick-like financial goods

What are the main learnings I’ve made from my own research and practice?

1. What trouble are you trying to solve first, and make a distinct “why”? Whom? Before beginning any project, make sure your goal is completely clear. Make certain it also aligns with the goals of your business.
2. Avoid the temptation to put too many characteristics at once by focusing on one, key feature and focusing on getting that right before moving on to something else. Choose one that actually adds price, and work from that.
3. Give ease the precedence it deserves over difficulty when it comes to financial products. Eliminate unwanted details and concentrate solely on what matters most.
4. Accept constant iteration as Bedrock is a powerful process rather than a set destination. Continuously collect customer comments, make product improvements, and advance in that direction.
5. Halt, look, and listen: You don’t just have to test your product during the delivery process; you must also test it consistently in the field. Use it for yourself. A/B tests are run. User opinions on Gatter. Speak to those who use it, and change things up correctly.

The foundational conundrum

This is an intriguing conundrum: sacrificing some of the potential for short-term growth in favor of long-term stability is at play. But the reward is worthwhile because products built with a focus on bedrock will outlive and surpass their rivals over time and provide users with long-term value.

How do you begin your quest for rock, then? Taking it one step at a time. Start by identifying the underlying factors that your customers actually care about. Focus on developing and improving a second, potent have that delivers real value. And most importantly, make an obsessive effort because, whatever you think, Abraham Lincoln, Alan Kay, or Peter Drucker, you can’t deny it! The best way to foretell the future is to make it, he said.

With Talk to Me, their smash hit gathering horror, The Phillipou Brothers, broke onto the visual scene. The spooky however unapologetically entertaining movie about kids manipulating forces they didn’t realize became a top 24 horror film and made the twins famous as some of the […]

On Den of Geek, the initial article: Talk to Me Team Create Another Cult Classic.

“Can’t you perform better than that?” This is one of the many famous snares that Victory TV in 1991’s Street Fighter II produced, this time by E. Honda, a samurai fighter who proves to be a remarkably fine boxer, but it definitely speaks to the thoughts of a lot of players about the two live-action Street Fighter films that have so far been released. Hollywood has struggled to make a great movie out of the company despite the classic fighting video game series being one of the pinnacles of &#8217, 90s game traditions, and one that also generates genre-shaping hits like 2023’s Street Fighter 6.

If Legendary Pictures has anything to do with it, that may change. The studio behind the” MonsterVerse” movies starring American Godzilla and Kong Kong” MonsterVerse” clearly has a new direction in Street Fighter, and Deadline first reported that they have the expanding cast to back it up.

According to the business site, Andre Koji, Noah Centineo, Roman Reigns, and no less than Jason Momoa have been cast in unnamed jobs in the movie. Additionally, the movie is slated to become directed by Bad Trip director Kitao Sakurai. Although the original and still most popular Street Fighter II sport only has 12 characters in its most basic version, this will undoubtedly mark the start of a group that has plenty of room to grow, but already from these four male leads we can determine who might serve as the line ‘ main characters and what path the series might be heading.

Andrew Koji

Let’s get right to the most visible casting point: Ryu, the most recognizable character in the Street Fighter franchise, is almost certainly going to be Andrew Koji’s main character. Koji is most well-known for playing the wicked Storm Shadow opposite Henry Golding in the Snake Eyes film, but after starring in Cinemax’s Warrior, Koji portrayed Ah Sahm, a figure that Bruce Lee when envisioned playing. In Bullet Train, he even appeared as an assassin opposite Brad Pitt.

After Hollywood had strangely sidelined the fan favourite character in earlier adaptations, Koji’s casting as Ryu makes sense in addition to his Japanese heritage. Some also object to Capcom’s decision to make the principal character Col. William Guile, a whimsical camp traditional, despite the 1994 movie’s appeal to some critics. Ryu was portrayed by Byron Mann in the Steven E. de Souza film, as well as as a sidekick for Guile and the other American character, Ken Masters ( Damian Chapa ).

And none of the characters from the other Hollywood Street Fighter film, Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li ( 2009 ), even showed up in it. This is a chance to put the Hollywood glass where it’s always been…

Noah Centineo

However, you can’t own either without Ryu and Ken without them. These particular Japanese and American accessible characters act as doppelgängers with many of the same movements and power models, including the adored hadouken, as are typically depicted in the fighting game as BFFs ( though not always ). So the youthful American Centineo makes perfect sense as Ken, who is perhaps best known for his roles as Austin & Ally on the Disney Channel and as the hero Atom Smasher in Dwayne Johnson’s Black Adam.

Ken offers a true yankeee foil to the philosophical warrior of the story and a chance for a writer to actually play up some bromance dynamics, unlike Ryu and who is more impetuous and haughty than Ryu.

Jason Momoa

We’ve got to the point where rumors start to get a little bit more stale today, which is undoubtedly the biggest brand cast in the movie. Who will Jason Momoa, a former DC professional with a cast that includes Lobo and Aquaman, play?

Jimmy Blanka appears to be an obvious think, though we’re not sure for sure. Blanka was a supposedly people figure in the video games until a plane crashed in the Brazilian forests… resulted in a gene that made Blanka’s teeth turn into fangs, his mane peach, and his skin lime natural. The impact of thunder has now reloaded his heart!

Look…. in the early 1990s, people took video game stories and legend much less really. And Blanka’s incredibly cruel aesthetics were a favorite back in the days of vibrant colors and extreme sports. Momoa who enjoys leaning occasionally in primitive pictures, whether it be on Game of Thrones or, more lately, Lobo, seems a natural fit for the wild fella. We believe that because of his recent promotion to the family-friendly mouth of another video game franchise for all age via Minecraft, he will have a chance to make a more comfortable experience for a younger generation of budding behavior aficionados.

Roman Reigns

Finally, we have the most difficult casting decision to wrap our heads around: Roman Reigns, a former football player and wrestler. The Georgia Tech graduate has been cast in an undisclosed role that has a lot of potential, and it’s worth noting that the initial casting process did not include any obvious choice for M. Bison and Viktor Sagat, two of the biggest villains in the Street Fighter franchise.

Reigns has the potential to turn into a clean-shaven Bison. However, we assume that instead of the American entertainer, the actor will play the all-American Colonel Guile. Guile is still a fan favorite despite the reputation-damaging efforts of the new Street Fighter, including replacing the Japanese Ryu with the American Guile ( and then strangely insisting on hiring a Belgian ). Reigns could undoubtedly pass for a square-jawed hero once he shaves the beard and trades in long locks for a platinum mane. And who knows, maybe Guile might take a beating from Ken and Ryu if the new Street Fighter follows the setup of the original games’ fighting tournament? This would make this a non-action film of Jean-Claude Van Damme’s caliber.

Reigns is reportedly cast as Akuma, a hidden final boss from a later iteration of Street Fighter II, despite the fact that casting is not confirmed after press time. Reigns ‘ portrayal as a villain would make sense, but it is important to point out that Akuma is Japanese in the video game.

The newest Street Fighter film has no release date right now.

Who Is Playing Who in the New Street Fighter Movie? first appeared on Den of Geek.

The Legend of Korra trailers are included in this essay. The Legend of Korra and Avatar: The Next Airbender are both well-known active classics, but Janet Varney and Dante Basco are also guests of Nickelodeon’s Avatar friend radio, Braving the Elements, which they joke is Ph. D. holders in]… ]

On Den of Geek, the second post Janet Varney and Dante Basco Have Advice for the Next Avatar appeared.

“Can’t you perform better than that?” This is one of the many famous snares that Victory TV in 1991’s Street Fighter II produced, this time by E. Honda, a samurai fighter who proves to be a remarkably fine boxer, but it definitely speaks to the thoughts of a lot of players about the two live-action Street Fighter films that have so far been released. Hollywood has struggled to make a great movie out of the company despite the classic fighting video game series being one of the pinnacles of &#8217, 90s game traditions, and one that also produces genre-shaping hits as indicated by 2023’s Street Fighter 6.

If Legendary Pictures has anything to do with it, that may change. The studio behind the” MonsterVerse” movies starring American Godzilla and Kong Kong” MonsterVerse” clearly moving forward with their latest take on a big-screen Street Fighter, and Deadline first reported that they have the expanding cast to back it up.

According to the business site, Andre Koji, Noah Centineo, Roman Reigns, and no less than Jason Momoa have been cast in unnamed jobs in the movie. Additionally, the movie is slated to become helmed by Bad Trip director Kitao Sakurai. Although the original and still most popular Street Fighter II game only features 12 figures in its most basic version, this will undoubtedly serve as the beginning of an outfit that has plenty of room to grow, but already from these four male leads we can determine who might be the line ‘ main characters for the new cinematic view as well as what direction the line might be heading.

Andrew Koji

Let’s get right to the most obvious casting point: Ryu, the most recognizable character in the Street Fighter franchise, is almost certainly going to be Andrew Koji’s main character. Koji is most well-known to video gamers for playing the villainous Storm Shadow opposite Henry Golding in the Snake Eyes movie in 2021, but after starring in Cinemax’s Warrior, Koji portrayed Ah Sahm, a character that Bruce Lee once envisioned playing as his dream role, is a British Koji has some real martial arts prowess. In Bullet Train, he also appeared as an assassin opposite Brad Pitt.

After Hollywood had previously bizarrely sidelined the fan-favorable character in previous adaptations, Koji’s casting as Ryu makes sense. Many still object to Capcom’s decision to make the main character Col. William Guile, a kitschy camp classic, despite the 1994 movie’s appeal to some critics. Ryu was portrayed in the Byron Mann Steven E. de Souza film, as well as as a kind of sidekick to Guile and the other American character, Ken Masters ( Damian Chapa ).

And none of the characters from the previous Hollywood Street Fighter film, Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li ( 2009 ), even made an appearance. This enables us to put the Hollywood lens where it belongs.

Noah Centineo

However, you can’t have one without the other. Speaking of Ryu and Ken, These respective Japanese and American playable characters act as doppelgängers with many of the same moves and abilities, including the adored hadouken, as are typically depicted in fighting games as BFFs ( though not always ). So the young American Centineo makes perfect sense as Ken, who is perhaps best known for his roles as Austin & Ally on the Disney Channel and as the superhero Atom Smasher in Dwayne Johnson’s Black Adam.

Ken is a proper yankee foil to the stoic hero of the story, and it gives the chance for a screenwriter to really play up some bromance dynamics. He is more headstrong and haughty than Ryu.

Jason Momoa

Now comes the biggest name casting in the movie, and this is where rumors get a little bit more stale. Who will Jason Momoa, the once-and-forgotten DC actor with Aquaman and Lobo on his resume, play?

Jimmy Blanka appears to be an obvious guess, though we don’t know for sure. Blanka was a supposedly human character in the games until a plane crashed in the Brazilian rainforest in some strange way (! ) resulted in a mutation that made Blanka’s teeth fangs, his hair orange, and skin lime green. Even his blood is now being charged by lightning’s shock!

Look…. in the early 1990s, people started taking video game storylines and lore much less seriously. And when Blanka’s extremely wicked aesthetics were popular in the days of bright colors and extreme sports, The feral fella also seems a natural fit for Momoa who occasionally leans in barbaric imagery, whether it be from Game of Thrones or, more recently, Lobo. We believe that because of his recent promotion to the family-friendly face of another video game franchise for all ages via Minecraft, Street Fighter will be a chance for him to return to his more well-known style to a new generation of budding action aficionados.

Roman Reigns

Finally, we have the most difficult casting decision to wrap our heads around: Roman Reigns, a former football player and wrestler. The Georgia Tech graduate has been cast in an undisclosed role that has a lot of potential, and it’s worth noting that the initial casting process did not include any obvious choice for M. Bison and Viktor Sagat, two of the biggest villains in the Street Fighter franchise.

Reigns could easily turn into a Bison with no residue. However, we assume that the American entertainer will instead be cast as the all-American Col. Guile. Guile is still a fan favorite despite the reputation-damaging efforts of the new Street Fighter, including replacing the Japanese Ryu with the American Guile ( and then strangely insisting on hiring a Belgian ). Reigns could undoubtedly pass for a square-jawed hero once he shaves the beard and trades in long locks for a platinum mane. Who knows, maybe Guile might take a beating from Ken and Ryu if the new Street Fighter adheres to the format of the original games’ fighting tournament format? This would make this action film no longer Jean-Claude Van Damme’s style…

Although casting is not confirmed after press time, Jeff Sneider has confirmed that Reigns is actually cast as Akuma, a hidden final boss from a later iteration of Street Fighter II. Reigns would make sense as a villain, but it is important to point out that Akuma is Japanese in the video game.

There is no current release date for the new Street Fighter film.

Who Is Playing Who in the New Street Fighter Movie? first appeared on Den of Geek.

An SNL Icon Retires Fans of Saturday Night Live have long wondered: What happens behind the scenes of the sketch-comedy show? In 2024, we got a glimpse with Jason Reitman’s Saturday Night, which showcased just how stressful producing weekly live sketch comedy can be.  After 50 years of constructing Saturday Night Live’s sets for their […]

The post Link Tank: SNL Set Builder Retires and Sesame Street Heads to Netflix appeared first on Den of Geek.

“Can’t you do better than that?” This is one of the many legendary taunts offered up by victory screens in 1991’s Street Fighter II—in this case by E. Honda, a sumo wrestler who proves to be a surprisingly good boxer—but it probably refers to the opinions of a lot of gamers about the two live-action Street Fighter movies that have so far been made. Despite the iconic fighting video game series being one of the touchstones of ’90s gaming culture, and one which still produces genre-shaping hits as indicated by 2023’s Street Fighter 6, Hollywood has struggled to make a good movie out of the franchise.

That might be changing if Legendary Pictures has anything to do with it. The studio behind the American Godzilla and Kong “MonsterVerse” movies is visibly moving forward with their new take on a big screen Street Fighter, and as first reported by Deadline, they have the growing cast to prove it.

As per the trade site, Andre Koji, Noah Centineo, Roman Reigns, and no less than Jason Momoa have been cast in undisclosed roles in the film. Furthermore, the film is slated to be directed by Kitao Sakurai (Bad Trip). Obviously this will prove to be just the beginning of an ensemble that has plenty of space to grow—the original and still most influential Street Fighter II game features 12 characters alone in its most base version—but already from these four male leads, we get an idea of who might be the main characters for the new cinematic interpretation… as well as perhaps what direction the series could be taking.

Andrew Koji

Let’s start with the most obvious bit of casting: Andrew Koji is almost certainly intended to play Ryu, the Street Fighter franchise’s closest thing to a protagonist and hero. Video gamers might be most familiar with Koji from playing the villainous Storm Shadow opposite Henry Golding in 2021’s Snake Eyes movie, but the British Koji has some real martial arts bonafides in his career after starring in Cinemax’s Warrior where Koji portrayed Ah Sahm, a character that was once the dream role of Bruce Lee. He also appeared as an assassin opposite Brad Pitt in Bullet Train.

In addition to Koji’s Japanese heritage, his casting as Ryu makes sense after Hollywood bizarrely sidelined the fan favorite character in previous adaptations. While the 1994 film is a kitschy camp classic in some circles, many still have frustration over Capcom choosing to make the main character all-American soldier Col. William Guile (likely to appeal to the American box office at the time). Ryu was played in that Steven E. de Souza movie by Byron Mann, but also as something of a sidekick to not only Guile but also the other American character, Ken Masters (Damian Chapa).

And none of the above characters appeared at all in the other Hollywood Street Fighter movie, Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li (2009). So this is a chance to put the Hollywood lens where it always belonged…

Noah Centineo

Speaking of Ryu and Ken though, you cannot have one without the other. Usually depicted in the fighting games as BFFs (though not always), these respective Japanese and American playable characters act as doppelgängers with many of the same moves and power sets, including the beloved hadouken. So the young American Centineo, who is perhaps best known for appearing in Netflix’s To All the Boys I Love trilogy—as well as the Disney Channel’s Austin & Ally and as the superhero Atom Smasher in Dwayne Johnson’s Black Adam—makes perfect sense as Ken.

More headstrong and arrogant than Ryu, Ken is a proper yankee foil to the stoic hero of the story, and the opportunity for a screenwriter to really play up some bromance dynamics.

Jason Momoa

Now we come to what is obviously the biggest name casting in the film, and where speculation gets a little harder. Who is Jason Momoa, the once and future DC actor with both Aquaman and Lobo on his resume, going to play?

We don’t know for certain, but Jimmy Blanka seems like an obviously good guess. In the games, Blanka was a nominally human character until a plane crash in the Brazil rainforest somehow(!) resulted in a mutation that turned Blanka’s skin lime green, his hair orange, and his teeth into fangs. Even his blood is now charged by the shock of lightning!

Look…. folks took video game storylines and lore a lot less seriously in the early ‘90s. And back in the day of bright colors and extreme sports, Blanka’s extremely wicked aesthetics were a fan favorite. The feral fella also seems like a natural fit for Momoa who enjoys leaning from time to time in barbaric imagery, be it Game of Thrones or more recently Lobo. Granted, he also is now the family friendly face of another video game franchise for all ages via Minecraft, but we think Street Fighter will be a chance for him to return to his more familiar well with a new generation of budding action aficionados.

Roman Reigns

Finally we come to the most difficult piece of casting to wrap our heads around: WWE wrestler and former footballer Roman Reigns. The Georgia Tech alumni has been cast in an undisclosed role which offers a lot of possibilities, and it’s worth noting that the first wave of casting has not included any obvious choice for one of the Street Fighter franchise’s biggest villains: M. Bison and Viktor Sagat.

Reigns could easily become a clean shaven Bison. But we suspect the American entertainer will be cast as the all-American Col. Guile instead. While it seems likely the new Street Fighter will seek to avoid the mistakes of the 1994 movie’s reputation, including by supplanting the Japanese Ryu with the American Guile (and then strangely insisting on casting a Belgian in the role), Guile is still a fan favorite. And again, once Reigns shaves the beard and trades in long locks for a platinum mane, he could certainly pass for a square-jawed hero. And who knows, maybe if the new Street Fighter follows the original games’ fighting tournament setup, the film might even begin with Guile taking a beating from Ken and Ryu? That would establish this no longer Jean-Claude Van Damme’s kind of action movie…

*Editor’s Note: While no casting is confirmed after press time Jeff Sneider has reported that Reigns is actually cast as Akuma, a hidden final boss from a later iteration of Street Fighter II. It would make sense to cast Reigns as a villain, however it is worth noting Akuma is Japanese in the video game.

The new Street Fighter movie does not currently have a release date.

The post New Street Fighter Movie: Who Is Playing Who? appeared first on Den of Geek.

Anyone who has seen the second three Fear Street films is aware of how obliged they are to the horror of the past. Worry Street: 1994 borrowed from Scream’s self-awareness. Similar to Friday the 13th: Part II, Fear Street: 1978 featured a veiled criminal stalking a park. The folk horror films from the 1960s and ‘ 70s]… ]

The first article on Den of Geek: Anxiety Street: Prom Queen Director Sees Franchise as the Next Halloween was originally published.

“Can’t you perform better than that?” One of the many famous snares that Victory TV in 1991’s Street Fighter II produced, this time by E. Honda, a samurai fighter who proves to be a remarkably fine boxer, but it definitely speaks to the thoughts of some players about the two live-action Street Fighter films that have so far been released. Hollywood has struggled to make a great movie out of the company despite the classic fighting video game series being one of the pinnacles of &#8217, 90s game traditions, and one that also generates genre-shaping hits like 2023’s Street Fighter 6.

If Legendary Pictures has anything to do with it, that may change. The studio behind the” MonsterVerse” movies starring American Godzilla and Kong Kong” MonsterVerse” clearly moving forward with their latest take on a big-screen Street Fighter, and Deadline first reported that they have the expanding cast to back it up.

According to the business site, Andre Koji, Noah Centineo, Roman Reigns, and no less than Jason Momoa have been cast in unnamed jobs in the movie. Additionally, the movie is slated to become helmed by Bad Trip director Kitao Sakurai. Although the original and still most popular Street Fighter II game only features 12 figures in its most basic version, this will undoubtedly serve as the beginning of an outfit that has plenty of room to grow, but already from these four male leads we can determine who might be the line ‘ main characters for the new cinematic view as well as what direction the line might be heading.

Andrew Koji

Let’s get right to the most obvious casting point: Ryu, the most recognizable character in the Street Fighter franchise, is almost certainly going to be played by Andrew Koji. Koji is most well-known to video gamers for playing the villainous Storm Shadow opposite Henry Golding in the Snake Eyes movie in 2021, but after starring in Cinemax’s Warrior, Koji portrayed Ah Sahm, a character that Bruce Lee once envisioned playing as his dream role, is a British Koji has some real martial arts prowess. In Bullet Train, he also appeared as an assassin opposite Brad Pitt.

After Hollywood had bizarrely sidelined the fan favorite character in previous adaptations, Koji’s casting as Ryu makes sense in addition to his Japanese heritage. Many still object to Capcom’s decision to make the main character Col. William Guile, a kitschy camp classic, despite the 1994 movie’s appeal to some critics. Ryu was portrayed in the Byron Mann Steven E. de Souza film, as well as as a kind of sidekick to Guile and the other American character, Ken Masters ( Damian Chapa ).

And neither of the characters from Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li, a previous Hollywood Street Fighter film, ever appeared. This is a chance to put the Hollywood lens where it’s always been…

Noah Centineo

However, you can’t have one without the other. Speaking of Ryu and Ken, These respective Japanese and American playable characters act as doppelgängers with many of the same moves and power sets, including the beloved hadouken, as are typically depicted in the fighting games as BFFs ( though not always ). So the young American Centineo makes perfect sense as Ken, who is perhaps best known for his roles as Austin & Ally on the Disney Channel and as the superhero Atom Smasher in Dwayne Johnson’s Black Adam.

Ken is a proper yankeee foil for the stoic hero of the story, giving the screenwriter the chance to really play up some bromance dynamics. He is more headstrong and haughty than Ryu.

Jason Momoa

Now comes the biggest name casting in the movie, and this is where rumors start to get a little bit more stale. Who will Jason Momoa, the once and future DC actor with Aquaman and Lobo on his resume, play?

Jimmy Blanka appears to be making an excellent guess, though we’re not certain for sure. Blanka was a supposedly human character in the games until a plane crashed in the Brazilian rainforest in some strange way (! ) resulted in a mutation that made Blanka’s teeth turn into fangs, his hair orange, and his skin lime green. The shock of lightning has now reloaded his blood!

Look…. in the early 1990s, people started taking video game storylines and lore much less seriously. And when Blanka’s extremely wicked aesthetics were popular in the days of bright colors and extreme sports, Momoa who enjoys leaning occasionally in barbaric imagery, whether it be on Game of Thrones or, more recently, Lobo, seems a natural fit for the feral fella. We believe that because of his recent promotion to the family-friendly face of another video game franchise for all ages via Minecraft, he will have a chance to return to his more well-known role in a new generation of budding action aficionados.

Roman Reigns

Finally, we have the most difficult casting decision to wrap our heads around: Roman Reigns, a former football player and wrestler. The Georgia Tech graduate has been cast in an undisclosed role that has a lot of potential, and it’s worth noting that the initial casting process did not include any obvious choice for M. Bison and Viktor Sagat, two of the biggest villains in the Street Fighter franchise.

Reigns has the potential to turn into a clean-shaven Bison. However, we assume that the American entertainer will instead be cast as the all-American Col. Guile. Guile is still a fan favorite despite the speculation that the new Street Fighter will try to avoid the mistakes of the reputation of the 1994 film, including by replacing the Japanese Ryu with the American Guile ( and then strangely insisting on casting a Belgian in the role ). Reigns could undoubtedly pass for a square-jawed hero once he shaves the beard and trades in long locks for a platinum mane. Who knows, maybe Guile might take a beating from Ken and Ryu if the new Street Fighter adheres to the format of the original games’ fighting tournament format? This would make this a non-action film of Jean-Claude Van Damme’s caliber.

Reigns is reportedly cast as Akuma, a hidden final boss from a later iteration of Street Fighter II, despite the fact that casting is still undetermined after press time. Reigns would make sense as a villain, but it is important to note that Akuma is Japanese in the video game.

There is no current release date for the new Street Fighter film.

Who Is Playing Who in the New Street Fighter Movie? first appeared on Den of Geek.

Spoilers appear in Mission: Difficult: The Final Reckoning in this article. The most recent headline for Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning was Priority Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part 2. Given Part 1’s modest box office success in 2023 ( at the time it had to open without IMAX windows every week ),

The post Is This Really Goodbye for Ethan Hunt? appeared on Mission: Unachievable: The Final Reckoning Ending. second appeared on Den of Geek.

“Won’t you do better than that?” This is one of the many famous snares that Victory TV in 1991’s Street Fighter II produced, this time by E. Honda, a samurai fighter who proves to be a remarkably fine boxer, but it definitely speaks to the thoughts of a lot of players about the two live-action Street Fighter films that have so far been released. Hollywood has struggled to make a great movie out of the company despite the classic fighting video game series being one of the pinnacles of &#8217, 90s game traditions, and one that also generates genre-shaping hits like 2023’s Street Fighter 6.

If Legendary Pictures has anything to do with it, that may change. The studio behind the” MonsterVerse” movies starring American Godzilla and Kong Kong” MonsterVerse” clearly moving forward with their latest take on a big-screen Street Fighter, and Deadline first reported that they have the expanding cast to back it up.

According to the business site, Jason Momoa, Noah Centineo, Roman Reigns, and Andre Koji have been cast in unidentified jobs in the movie. Additionally, the movie is slated to become directed by Bad Trip director Kitao Sakurai. Although the original and still most popular Street Fighter II game only features 12 figures in its most basic version, this will undoubtedly serve as the beginning of an outfit that has plenty of room to grow, but already from these four male leads we can determine who might be the line ‘ main characters for the new cinematic view as well as what direction the line might be heading.

Andrew Koji

Let’s get to the most obvious casting point: Andrew Koji is almost certainly supposed to play Ryu, the Street Fighters ‘ closest persona and hero. Koji is most well-known for playing the villainous Storm Shadow opposite Henry Golding in the Snake Eyes movie, but after starring in Cinemax’s Warrior, Koji portrayed Ah Sahm, a character that Bruce Lee once envisioned playing. In Bullet Train, he also appeared as an assassin opposite Brad Pitt.

After Hollywood had bizarrely sidelined the fan favorite character in previous adaptations, Koji’s casting as Ryu makes sense in addition to his Japanese heritage. Although the 1994 movie is a kitschy camp classic in some circles, many still complain that Capcom made the main character Col. William Guile, who was most likely to win over the American box office at the time. Ryu was portrayed in the Byron Mann Steven E. de Souza film, as well as as a kind of sidekick to Guile and the other American character, Ken Masters ( Damian Chapa ).

And neither of the characters from Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li, a previous Hollywood Street Fighter film, ever appeared. This is a chance to put the Hollywood lens where it has always been…

Noah Centineo

However, you can’t have one without the other. Speaking of Ryu and Ken, These respective Japanese and American playable characters act as doppelgängers with many of the same moves and power sets, including the beloved hadouken, as are typically depicted in the fighting games as BFFs ( though not always ). So the young American Centineo makes perfect sense as Ken, who is perhaps best known for his roles as Austin & Ally on the Disney Channel and as the superhero Atom Smasher in Dwayne Johnson’s Black Adam.

Ken offers a true yankeee foil to the stoic hero of the story and a chance for a screenwriter to really play up some bromance dynamics, unlike Ryu and who is more headstrong and haughty than Ryu.

Jason Momoa

Now comes the biggest name casting in the movie, and this is where rumors get a little bit more stale. Who will Jason Momoa, the once and future DC actor with Aquaman and Lobo on his resume, play?

Jimmy Blanka appears to be making an excellent guess, though we’re not certain for sure. Blanka was a supposedly human character in the games until a plane crashed in the Brazilian rainforest in some strange way (! )! resulted in a mutation that made Blanka’s teeth fangs, his hair orange, and skin lime green. The shock of lightning has now reloaded his blood!

Look…. in the early 1990s, people started taking video game storylines and lore much less seriously. And Blanka’s extremely wicked aesthetics were a favorite back in the days of vibrant colors and extreme sports. The feral fella also seems a natural fit for Momoa who occasionally leans in barbaric imagery, whether it be from Game of Thrones or, more recently, Lobo. We believe that because of his recent promotion to the family-friendly face of another video game franchise for all ages via Minecraft, he will have a chance to make a more familiar face for a younger generation of budding action aficionados.

Roman Reigns

Finally, we have the most difficult casting decision: Roman Reigns, a former football player and wrestler from WWE. The Georgia Tech graduate has been cast in an undisclosed role that has a lot of potential, and it’s worth noting that the initial casting process did not include any obvious choice for one of the biggest villains in the Street Fighter franchise: M. Bison and Viktor Sagat.

Reigns has the potential to turn into a clean-shaven Bison. However, we assume that the American entertainer will instead be cast as the all-American Col. Guile. Guile is still a fan favorite despite the reputation-damaging efforts of the new Street Fighter, including replacing the Japanese Ryu with the American Guile ( and then strangely insisting on hiring a Belgian in the role ). Reigns could undoubtedly pass for a square-jawed hero once he shaves the beard and trades in long locks for a platinum mane. And who knows, maybe Guile might take a beating from Ken and Ryu if the new Street Fighter follows the setup of the original games’ fighting tournament? This would make this a non-action film of Jean-Claude Van Damme’s caliber.

Although casting is not confirmed after press time, Jeff Sneider has confirmed that Reigns is actually cast as Akuma, a hidden final boss from a later iteration of Street Fighter II. Reigns would make sense as a villain, but it is important to note that Akuma is Japanese in the video game.

There is no current release date for the new Street Fighter film.

Who Is Playing Who in the New Street Fighter Movie? first appeared on Den of Geek.

One of the most successful soft knowledge we have at our disposal is the ability to work together to improve our patterns while developing our own abilities and opinions, in whatever form it takes, and whatever it may be called.

Feedback is also one of the most underestimated equipment, and generally by assuming that we’re already good at it, we settle, forgetting that it’s a talent that can be trained, grown, and improved. Bad comments can lead to conflict on projects, lower confidence, and long-term, undermine trust and teamwork. Quality comments can be a revolutionary force.

Practicing our knowledge is absolutely a good way to enhance, but the learning gets yet faster when it’s paired with a good base that programs and focuses the exercise. What are some fundamental components of providing effective opinions? And how can input be adjusted for isolated and distributed function settings?

On the web, we may find a long history of sequential suggestions: code was written and discussed on mailing lists since the beginning of open source. Currently, engineers engage on pull calls, developers post in their favourite design tools, project managers and sprint masters exchange ideas on tickets, and so on.

Design analysis is often the label used for a type of input that’s provided to make our job better, jointly. So it generally adheres to many of the concepts with comments, but it also has some differences.

The information

The content of the feedback is the basis of every effective criticism, so where do we need to begin? There are many versions that you can use to design your information. The one that I personally like best—because it’s obvious and actionable—is this one from Lara Hogan.

This formula is typically used to provide feedback to people, but it also fits really well in a style criticism because it finally addresses one of the main inquiries that we work on: What? Where? Why? How? Imagine that you’re giving some comments about some pattern function that spans several screens, like an onboard movement: there are some pages shown, a stream blueprint, and an outline of the decisions made. You notice something that needs to be improved. If you keep the three elements of the equation in mind, you’ll have a mental model that can help you be more precise and effective.

Here is a comment that could be included in some feedback, and it might appear reasonable at first glance because it appears to merely fit the equation. But does it?

Not sure about the buttons ‘ styles and hierarchy—it feels off. Can you alter them?

Observation for design feedback doesn’t just mean pointing out which part of the interface your feedback refers to, but it also refers to offering a perspective that’s as specific as possible. Do you offer the user’s viewpoint? Your expert perspective? A business perspective? From the perspective of the project manager? A first-time user’s perspective?

I anticipate one to go forward and the other to go back when I see these two buttons.

Impact is about the why. Just pointing out a UI element might sometimes be enough if the issue may be obvious, but more often than not, you should add an explanation of what you’re pointing out.

I anticipate one to go forward and the other to go back when I see these two buttons. But this is the only screen where this happens, as before we just used a single button and an “×” to close. This seems to be breaking the consistency in the flow.

The question approach is meant to provide open guidance by eliciting the critical thinking in the designer receiving the feedback. Notably, in Lara’s equation she provides a second approach: request, which instead provides guidance toward a specific solution. While that’s a viable option for general feedback, in my experience, going back to the question approach typically leads to the best solutions because designers are generally more at ease with having an open space to experiment with.

The difference between the two can be exemplified with, for the question approach:

I anticipate one to go forward and the other to go back when I see these two buttons. But this is the only screen where this happens, as before we just used a single button and an “×” to close. This seems to be breaking the consistency in the flow. Would it make sense to unify them?

Or, for the request approach:

I anticipate one to go forward and the other to go back when I see these two buttons. But this is the only screen where this happens, as before we just used a single button and an “×” to close. This seems to be breaking the consistency in the flow. Let’s make sure that all screens have the same pair of forward and back buttons.

At this point in some situations, it might be useful to integrate with an extra why: why you consider the given suggestion to be better.

I anticipate one to go forward and the other to go back when I see these two buttons. But this is the only screen where this happens, as before we just used a single button and an “×” to close. This seems to be breaking the consistency in the flow. Let’s make sure that all screens have the same two forward and back buttons so that users don’t get confused.

Choosing the question approach or the request approach can also at times be a matter of personal preference. I spent a while working on improving my feedback, conducting anonymous feedback reviews and sharing feedback with others. After a few rounds of this work and a year later, I got a positive response: my feedback came across as effective and grounded. Until I changed teams. Quite unexpected, my next round of criticism from one particular person wasn’t very positive. The reason is that I had previously tried not to be prescriptive in my advice—because the people who I was previously working with preferred the open-ended question format over the request style of suggestions. However, there was a person in this other team who had always preferred specific guidance. So I adapted my feedback for them to include requests.

One comment that I heard come up a few times is that this kind of feedback is quite long, and it doesn’t seem very efficient. Yes, but no. Let’s explore both sides.

No, this kind of feedback is effective because the length is a byproduct of clarity, and giving this kind of feedback can provide precisely enough information for a sound fix. Also if we zoom out, it can reduce future back-and-forth conversations and misunderstandings, improving the overall efficiency and effectiveness of collaboration beyond the single comment. Imagine that in the example above the feedback were instead just,” Let’s make sure that all screens have the same two forward and back buttons”. Since the designer receiving this feedback wouldn’t have much to go by, they might just implement the change. In later iterations, the interface might change or they might introduce new features—and maybe that change might not make sense anymore. Without explaining the why, the designer might assume that the change is one of consistency, but what if it wasn’t? So there could now be an underlying concern that changing the buttons would be perceived as a regression.

Yes, this style of feedback is not always efficient because the points in some comments don’t always need to be exhaustive, sometimes because certain changes may be obvious (” The font used doesn’t follow our guidelines” ) and sometimes because the team may have a lot of internal knowledge such that some of the whys may be implied.

The equation above is not intended to provide a predetermined template for feedback, but rather a mnemonic to reflect and enhance the practice. Even after years of active work on my critiques, I still from time to time go back to this formula and reflect on whether what I just wrote is effective.

The tone

Well-grounded content is the foundation of feedback, but that’s not really enough. The soft skills of the person who’s providing the critique can multiply the likelihood that the feedback will be well received and understood. It has been demonstrated that only positive feedback can lead to sustained change in people. It can be determined by tone alone whether content is rejected or welcomed.

Since our goal is to be understood and to have a positive working environment, tone is essential to work on. I’ve tried to summarize the necessary soft skills over the years using a formula that resembles that of the content receptivity equation.

Respectful feedback comes across as grounded, solid, and constructive. It’s the kind of feedback that, whether it’s positive or negative, is perceived as useful and fair.

The term “timing” describes the moment when the feedback occurs. To-the-point feedback doesn’t have much hope of being well received if it’s given at the wrong time. When a new feature’s entire high-level information architecture is about to go live, it might still be relevant if the questioning raises a significant blocker that no one saw, but those concerns are much more likely to have to wait for a later revision. So in general, attune your feedback to the stage of the project. Early iteration? Iteration that was later? Polishing work in progress? Each of these needs a different one. The right timing will make it more likely that your feedback will be well received.

Attitude is the equivalent of intent, and in the context of person-to-person feedback, it can be referred to as radical candor. That entails checking before writing to see if what we have in mind will actually help the person and improve the project overall. This might be a hard reflection at times because maybe we don’t want to admit that we don’t really appreciate that person. Hopefully that’s not the case, but it can happen, which is fine. Acknowledging and owning that can help you make up for that: how would I write if I really cared about them? How can I avoid being passive aggressive? How can I be more helpful?

Form is relevant especially in a diverse and cross-cultural work environments because having great content, perfect timing, and the right attitude might not come across if the way that we write creates misunderstandings. There could be many reasons for this, including the fact that occasionally certain words may cause specific reactions, that nonnative speakers may not be able to comprehend all thenuances of some sentences, that our brains may be different and that our world may be perceived differently; hence, neurodiversity must be taken into account. Whatever the reason, it’s important to review not just what we write but how.

A few years back, I was asking for some feedback on how I give feedback. I was given some sound advice, but I also got a surprise comment. They pointed out that when I wrote” Oh, ]… ]”, I made them feel stupid. That’s not what I meant to say! I felt really bad, and I just realized that I provided feedback to them for months, and every time I might have made them feel stupid. I was horrified … but also thankful. I quickly changed the way I typed “oh” into my list of replaced words (your choice between aText, TextExpander, or others ), so that it was instantly deleted when I typed “oh.”

Something to highlight because it’s quite frequent—especially in teams that have a strong group spirit—is that people tend to beat around the bush. A positive attitude doesn’t necessarily mean giving in to criticism; it just means that you give it in a respectful and constructive manner, whether it be in the form of criticism or criticism. The nicest thing that you can do for someone is to help them grow.

We have a great advantage in giving feedback in written form: it can be reviewed by another person who isn’t directly involved, which can help to reduce or remove any bias that might be there. When I shared a comment with someone I knew,” How does this sound,”” How can I do it better,” or even” How would you have written it,” I discovered that the two versions had different meanings.

The format

Asynchronous feedback also has a significant inherent benefit: it allows us to spend more time making sure that the suggestions ‘ clarity and actionability meet two main objectives.

Let’s imagine that someone shared a design iteration for a project. You are reviewing it and leaving a comment. There are many ways to accomplish this, and context is of course important, but let’s try to think about some things that might be worthwhile to take into account.

In terms of clarity, start by grounding the critique that you’re about to give by providing context. This includes specifically describing where you’re coming from: do you have a thorough understanding of the project, or is this your first encounter with it? Are you coming from a high-level perspective, or are you figuring out the details? Are there regressions? Which user’s point of view are you addressing when offering your feedback? Is the design iteration at a point where it would be okay to ship this, or are there major things that need to be addressed first?

Even if you’re giving feedback to a team that already has some background information on the project, providing context is helpful. And context is absolutely essential when giving cross-team feedback. If I were to review a design that might be indirectly related to my work, and if I had no knowledge about how the project arrived at that point, I would say so, highlighting my take as external.

We frequently concentrate on the negatives and attempt to list every possible improvement. That’s of course important, but it’s just as important—if not more—to focus on the positives, especially if you saw progress from the previous iteration. Although this may seem superfluous, it’s important to keep in mind that design is a field with hundreds of possible solutions to each problem. So pointing out that the design solution that was chosen is good and explaining why it’s good has two major benefits: it confirms that the approach taken was solid, and it helps to ground your negative feedback. In the longer term, sharing positive feedback can help prevent regressions on things that are going well because those things will have been highlighted as important. Positive feedback can also help to lessen impostor syndrome as an added bonus.

There’s one powerful approach that combines both context and a focus on the positives: frame how the design is better than the status quo ( compared to a previous iteration, competitors, or benchmarks ) and why, and then on that foundation, you can add what could be improved. There is a significant difference between a critique of a design that is already in good shape and one that isn’t quite there yet.

Another way that you can improve your feedback is to depersonalize the feedback: the comments should always be about the work, never about the person who made it. It’s” This button isn’t well aligned” versus” You haven’t aligned this button well”. Just before sending, review your writing to make changes to this.

In terms of actionability, one of the best approaches to help the designer who’s reading through your feedback is to split it into bullet points or paragraphs, which are easier to review and analyze one by one. You might want to break up the feedback into sections or even between several comments for longer pieces. Of course, adding screenshots or signifying markers of the specific part of the interface you’re referring to can also be especially useful.

One approach that I’ve personally used effectively in some contexts is to enhance the bullet points with four markers using emojis. A red square indicates that it is something I consider blocking, a yellow diamond indicates that it should be changed, and a green circle indicates that it is fully confirmed. I also use a blue spiral � � for either something that I’m not sure about, an exploration, an open alternative, or just a note. However, I’d only use this strategy on teams where I’ve already established a high level of trust because it might turn out to be quite demoralizing if I deliver a lot of red squares, and I’d have to reframe how I’d communicate that.

Let’s see how this would work by reusing the example that we used earlier as the first bullet point in this list:

• 🔶 Navigation—I anticipate one to go forward and the other to go back when I see these two buttons. But this is the only screen where this happens, as before we just used a single button and an “×” to close. This seems to be breaking the consistency in the flow. Let’s make sure that all screens have the same two forward and back buttons so that users don’t get confused.
• � � Overall— I think the page is solid, and this is good enough to be our release candidate for a version 1.0.
• � � Metrics—Good improvement in the buttons on the metrics area, the improved contrast and new focus style make them more accessible.
• Button Style: Using the green accent in this context, which conveys a positive action because green is typically seen as a confirmation color. Do we need to explore a different color?
• Tiles—It seems to me that the tiles should use the Subtitle 2 style rather than the Subtitle 1 style given the number of items on the page and the overall page hierarchy. This will keep the visual hierarchy more consistent.
• � � Background—Using a light texture works well, but I wonder whether it adds too much noise in this kind of page. What is the purpose of using that?

What about giving feedback directly in Figma or another design tool that allows in-place feedback? These are generally difficult to use because they conceal discussions and are harder to follow, but they can be very useful in the right context. Just make sure that each of the comments is separate so that it’s easier to match each discussion to a single task, similar to the idea of splitting mentioned above.

One final note: say the obvious. Sometimes we might feel that something is clearly right or wrong, and we don’t say it. Or sometimes we might have a doubt that we don’t express because the question might sound stupid. Say it, that’s fine. You might have to reword it a little bit to make the reader feel more comfortable, but don’t hold it back. Good feedback is transparent, even when it may be obvious.

Another benefit of asynchronous feedback is that written feedback automatically monitors decisions. Especially in large projects,” Why did we do this”? There’s nothing better than open, transparent discussions that can be reviewed at any time, which could be a question that arises from time to time. For this reason, I recommend using software that saves these discussions, without hiding them once they are resolved.

Content, tone, and format. Although each of these subjects offers a useful model, focusing on improving eight of the subjects ‘ focus points, including observation, impact, question, timing, attitude, form, clarity, and actionability, is a lot of work to complete at once. One effective approach is to take them one by one: first identify the area that you lack the most (either from your perspective or from feedback from others ) and start there. Then the second, followed by the third, and so on. At first you’ll have to put in extra time for every piece of feedback that you give, but after a while, it’ll become second nature, and your impact on the work will multiply.

Thanks to Brie Anne Demkiw and Mike Shelton for reviewing the first draft of this article.

But what on earth is a zealous stress?

Imagine a person determined to do it all. She is homeschooling two wonderful children while her husband, who is also working mildly, is likewise homeschooling. She has a demanding customer fill at work—all of whom she loves. She wakes up early to get some movement in ( or frequently catch up on work ), prepares dinner as the kids are having breakfast, and works while positioning herself near “fourth grade” to listen in as she balances clients, tasks, and budgets. Sound like a bit? Also with a supportive group both at home and at work, it is.

Sounds like this person needs self-care and has too much on her disk. But no, she doesn’t have occasion for that. In reality, she begins to feel as though she’s dropping balloons. No accomplishing enough. There’s not enough of her to be here and there, she is trying to divide her head in two all the time, all time, every time. She begins to question herself. And as those thoughts creep in more and more, her domestic tale becomes more and more important.

She KNOWS what she needs to complete right away! She really Would MORE.

This is a painful and dangerous period. Know the reasons. Because when she doesn’t end that new purpose, that storyline will get worse. She immediately starts failing. She isn’t doing much. SHE is not enough. She’ll discover more she may do because she might neglect, or perhaps her home. She doesn’t nap as much, proceed because much, all in the attempts to do more. Not succeeds in any objective target despite constantly trying to prove herself to herself. Always feeling “enough”.

But, yeah, that’s what zealous burnout looks like for me. It doesn’t develop overnight in some great gesture, but it does rather develop gradually over the course of several weeks and months. My burning out process looks like speeding up, hardly a man losing focus. I move quickly and steadily, and then I simply stop.

I am the one who was

It’s amusing the things that shape us. Through the camera of my own childhood, I witnessed the battles, sacrifices, and concerns of someone who had to make it all work without having much. I was happy that my mom was so competent and my dad sympathetic, I never went without and also got an extra here or there.

Growing up, I didn’t feel shame when my mom gave me food postcards; in fact, I would have likely sparked debates about the subject, orally eviscerating anyone who dared to criticize the disabled person who was attempting to ensure all of our needs were met with so little. As a child, I watched the way the worry of not making those begins meet impacted people I love. As the non-disabled people in my home, I did take on many of the real things because I was” the one who was” make our lives a little easier. I soon realized that I had to put more of myself into it because I was the one who could. I learned first that when something frightens me, I may double down and work harder to make it better. I am in charge of the problem. When individuals have seen this in me as an adult, I’ve been told I seem courageous, but make no mistake, I’m not. If I seem courageous, it’s because this behavior was forged from another people’s worries.

And here I am, surrounded by enormous tasks ahead of me, assuming that I am the one who is and therefore should, more than 30 years later, also feeling the urge to aimlessly drive myself forward. I find myself driven to prove that I can make things happen if I work longer hours, take on more responsibility, and do more.

Because I have seen how strong a financially challenged person can be, I do not see people who struggle financially as failures because they are pulled along the way. I truly get that I have been privileged to be able to avoid many of the challenges that were present in my youth. That said, I am still” the one who can” who feels she should, so if I were faced with not having enough to make ends meet for my own family, I would see myself as having failed. Despite my best efforts and education, the majority of this is due to good fortune. I will, however, allow myself the arrogance of saying I have been careful with my choices to have encouraged that luck. My sense of identity comes from the notion that I am” the one who can” and feel compelled to accomplish the most. I can choose to stop, and with some quite literal cold water splashed in my face, I’ve made the choice to before. But that choosing to stop is not my go-to, I move forward, driven by a fear that is so a part of me that I barely notice it’s there until I’m feeling utterly worn away.

Why all this history, then? You see, burnout is a fickle thing. Over the years, I have read and heard a lot about burnout. Burnout is real. Especially now, with COVID, many of us are balancing more than we ever have before—all at once! It’s difficult, and the avoidance, shutting down, and procrastination have an impact on so many amazing professionals. There are important articles that relate to what I imagine must be the majority of people out there, but not me. Not at the time of my burnout, though.

The dangerous invisibility of zealous burnout

A lot of work environments see the extra hours, extra effort, and overall focused commitment as an asset ( and sometimes that’s all it is ). They see someone attempting to overcome obstacles, not a person who is ensnared in fear. Many well-meaning organizations have safeguards in place to protect their teams from burnout. However, in situations like this, alarms don’t always ring, and some organization members are surprised and depressed when the inevitable stop occurs. And sometimes maybe even betrayed.

Parents—more so mothers, statistically speaking—are praised as being so on top of it all when they can work, be involved in the after-school activities, practice self-care in the form of diet and exercise, and still meet friends for coffee or wine. Many of us have watched endless streaming episodes of COVID to see how challenging the female protagonist is, but she is strong and funny, and can do it. It’s a “very special episode” when she breaks down, cries in the bathroom, woefully admits she needs help, and just stops for a bit. Truth be told, countless people are avoiding tears or doomscrolling to flee. We know that the media is a lie to amuse us, but often the perception that it’s what we should strive for has penetrated much of society.

Women and burnout

I adore men. And though I don’t love every man ( heads up, I don’t love every woman or nonbinary person either ), I think there is a beautiful spectrum of individuals who represent that particular binary gender.

Despite this, women are still more likely than their male counterparts to burn out, especially in these COVID stressful times. Mothers in the workplace feel the pressure to do all the “mom” things while giving 110 %. Mothers not in the workplace feel they need to do more to” justify” their lack of traditional employment. Women who are not mothers frequently feel the need to work even more at home because of the pressure. It’s vicious and systemic and so a part of our culture that we’re often not even aware of the enormity of the pressures we put on ourselves and each other.

And there are costs that go beyond happiness. Harvard Health Publishing released a study a decade ago that “uncovered strong links between women’s job stress and cardiovascular disease”. The CDC noted,” Heart disease is the leading cause of death for women in the United States, killing 299, 578 women in 2017—or about 1 in every 5 female deaths”.

According to what I’ve read, this connection between work stress and health is more dangerous for women than it is for their non-female counterparts.

But what if your burnout isn’t like that either?

That might not be you either. After all, each of us is so different and how we respond to stressors is too. It’s part of what makes us human. Don’t put too much emphasis on how burnout manifests; rather, learn to recognize it in yourself. Here are a few questions I sometimes ask friends if I am concerned about them.

Are you content? This simple question should be the first thing you ask yourself. Chances are, even if you’re burning out doing all the things you love, as you approach burnout you’ll just stop taking as much joy from it all.

Do you feel like you have the authority to decline? I have observed in myself and others that when someone is burning out, they no longer feel they can say no to things. Even those who don’t” speed up” feel pressured to say “yes” to avoid apprehension.

What are three things you’ve done for yourself? Another observance is that we all tend to stop doing things for ourselves. anything from avoiding conversations with friends to skipping showers and eating poorly. These can be red flags.

Are you using justifications? Many of us try to disregard feelings of burnout. Over and over I have heard,” It’s just crunch time”,” As soon as I do this one thing, it will all be better”, and” Well I should be able to handle this, so I’ll figure it out”. And it could be just one more thing you need to learn, or it might just be crunch time. That happens—life happens. Be open to yourself if this continues to happen. If you’ve worked more 50-hour weeks since January than not, maybe it’s not crunch time—maybe it’s a bad situation that you’re burning out from.

Do you have a plan to stop feeling this way? If something has an exit route with a pause button if it is truly temporary and you do need to simply push through, it does.
defined end.

Take the time to listen to your friend in the same way. Be honest, allow yourself to be uncomfortable, and break the thought cycles that prevent you from healing.

So now what?

Although what I just described is a different path to burnout, it is still burnout. There are well-established approaches to working through burnout:

• Get enough sleep.
• Eat healthy.
• Work out.
• Go outside.
• Take a break.
• Practice self-care in general.

Those are hard for me because they feel like more tasks. If I’m in the burnout cycle, doing any of the above for me feels like a waste. Why would I take care of myself when I’m dropping all those other balls, according to the narrative? People need me, right?

Your inner voice might already be pretty bad if you’re deeply in the cycle. If you need to, tell yourself you need to take care of the person your people depend on. If your roles are pushing you toward burnout, use them to help make healing easier by justifying the time spent working on you.

I have come up with a few suggestions for me to help me remember the airline attendant’s advice to put on your face first when I feel burned out.

Cook an elaborate meal for someone!

Okay, since I’m a “food-focused” person, cooking for someone always comes naturally to my mind. There are countless tales in my home of someone walking into the kitchen and turning right around and walking out when they noticed I was” chopping angrily”. But it’s more than that, and you should give it a try. Seriously. It’s the perfect go-to if you don’t feel worthy of taking time for yourself—do it for someone else. Because the majority of us work in a digital world, cooking can pique all of your senses and make you feel present in the moment in all your ways of seeing the world. It can break you out of your head and help you gain a better perspective. In my house, I’ve been known to pick a place on the map and cook food that comes from wherever that is ( thank you, Pinterest ). Because it’s not what I was raised making, I enjoy making Indian food because the smells are warm and the bread only needs a small amount of kneading to keep my hands busy. And in the end, we all win!

Vent like a sniveling jerk.

Be careful with this one!

I have been making an effort to practice more gratitude over the past few years, and I recognize the true benefits of that. Having said that, sometimes you just need to let it all out, even the ugly ones. Hell, I’m a big fan of not sugarcoating our lives, and that sometimes means that to get past the big pile of poop, you’re gonna wanna complain about it a bit.

When that is required, turn to a trusted friend and give yourself some pure verbal diarrhea, yelling at you all the way through. You need to trust this friend not to judge, to see your pain, and, most importantly, to tell you to remove your cranium from your own rectal cavity. Seriously, it’s about getting a reality check here! One of the things that I admire most about my husband is how he can simplify things down to the simplest of terms, even though sometimes after the fact. ” We’re spending our lives together, of course you’re going to disappoint me from time to time, so get over it” has been his way of speaking his dedication, love, and acceptance of me—and I could not be more grateful. Of course, it required that I remove my head from that rectal cavity. So, again, usually those moments are appreciated in hindsight.

Pick up a book!

There are many books out there that are more like you sharing their stories and how they’ve come to find greater balance than they are self-help. Maybe you’ll find something that speaks to you. Among the titles that have stood out to me are:

• Thrive by Arianna Huffington
• Tools of Titans by Tim Ferriss
• Girl, Stop Apologizing by Rachel Hollis
• Dare to Lead by Brené Brown

Or, if I love to read or listen to a book that doesn’t have anything to do with my work-life balance, I can use another tactic. I’ve read the following books and found they helped balance me out because my mind was pondering their interesting topics instead of running in circles:

• The Drunken Botanist by Amy Stewart
• Darin Olien’s Superlife
• A Brief History of Everyone Who Ever Lived by Adam Rutherford
• Toby Hemenway’s Gaia’s Garden

If you’re not into reading, pick up a topic on YouTube or choose a podcast to subscribe to. I’ve watched countless permaculture and gardening topics in addition to how to raise chickens and ducks. For the record, I don’t currently have a particularly large food garden or raise any kind of livestock. I just find the topic interesting, and it has nothing to do with any aspect of my life that needs anything from me.

Give yourself a break.

You are never going to be perfect—hell, it would be boring if you were. It’s OK to be broken and flawed. Being tired, depressed, and worried is human nature. It’s OK to not do it all. You can’t be brave without being imperfect, which is scary, but you can’t be brave without being imperfect.

This last one is the most important: allow yourself permission to NOT do it all. You never promised to be everything to everyone at all times. Our fears determine our strength, not ours.

This is hard. I struggle with it. It’s what’s driven me to write this—that it’s OK to stop. It’s OK that your unhealthy habit that might even benefit those around you needs to end. You can still succeed in life.

I recently read that we are all writing our eulogy in how we live. What will your professional accomplishments say, knowing that yours won’t be mentioned in that speech? What do you want it to say?

Look, I get that none of these ideas will “fix it”, and that’s not their purpose. None of us has complete control over our surroundings, but only how we react to them. These suggestions are to help stop the spiral effect so that you are empowered to address the underlying issues and choose your response. Most of the time, I find these to be effective. Maybe they’ll work for you.

Does this sound familiar?

If something sounds familiar, you are not alone. Don’t let your negative self-talk tell you that you “even burn out wrong”. It’s not improper. Even if rooted in fear like my own drivers, I believe that this need to do more comes from a place of love, determination, motivation, and other wonderful attributes that make you the amazing person you are. We’re going to be OK, ya know. The lives that come before us might never have the same meaning as the one we’re striving for, which is acceptable because the only way to judge is in the mirror when we stop and look around.

Do you remember that Winnie the Pooh sketch that had Pooh eat so much at Rabbit’s house that his buttocks couldn’t fit through the door? Well, I already have a strong connection to Rabbit, so it was surprising when he unexpectedly declared that this was unacceptable. But do you recall what happened next? He put a shelf across poor Pooh’s ankles and decorations on his back, and made the best of the big butt in his kitchen.

We are resourceful and aware that we can push ourselves when we are needed, even when we are exhausted to the core or have a ton of clutter in our room. None of us has to be afraid, as we can manage any obstacle put in front of us. And maybe that means we need to redefine success in order to make room for comfort in human nature, but that doesn’t really sound so bad either.

So, wherever you are right now, please breathe. Do what you need to do to get out of your head. Give thanks and be considerate.