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Backstory
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You can call me Matt. I'm a blogger for the American Express OPEN Forum Ideas Hub, which I reprint here. I've written three books, with the fourth, The Laws of Subtraction, coming out in a few months. I run a small ideas agency called Edit Creativ (formerly Shibumi Creative Works...practicing subtraction...and no, it isn't a typo in the name).
I spent 8 years as an independent advisor to the U.S. corporate headquarters of Toyota. It changed my outlook on work and life. I learned how to learn and solve problems. I learned to "think lean". I learned the power of less. I took those lessons on the road to other organizations. Now I write, speak, coach others on creativity, innovation, and design strategy.
You can read more on my About page, or connect with me on my Contact page.
Why Subtraction?
Lao Tzu said: "To attain knowledge, add things every day. To attain wisdom, subtract things every day."
When you remove just the right thing in just the right way, something good happens.
That's my go-to philosophy, and this blog is dedicated to sharing it along with all the amazing things that amazing people are doing to improve the world by waging "war on more" through subtracting from our collective experience anything obviously excessive, wasteful, complicated, unnatural, hazardous, hard to use, or ugly. Or better yet, refraining from adding those things in the first place!
I've just finished a new book entitled The Laws of Subtraction, which are these 6 simple rules for winning in the age of excess everything:
#1: What isn’t there can often trump what is.
#2: The simplest rules create the most effective experience.
#3: Limiting information engages the imagination.
#4: Creativity thrives under intelligent constraints.
#5: "Break" is an important part of any breakthrough.
#6: Doing something isn’t always better than doing nothing.The book will be out October 26, 2012. I've asked some of the most brilliant people I know to contribute short insights on these laws. Almost everyone said yes...54 to be exact. You'll be amazed and inspired by their stories of how subtraction has played a role in their work and life.
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Monthly Archives: September 2010
T- 48 AND COUNTING: Customizing FaceBook Like Page
It’s going to take a little while to understand the ins and outs of how to best optimize The Shibumi Strategy Like Page. I explored a bit yesterday and today and was able to: Put a new page profile image … Continue reading
T-49 AND COUNTING: The Book Trailer
I know it wasn’t the first one ever made, but the first “book trailer” I ever saw was the one Dan Pink did for his manga book “The Adventures of Johny Bunko.” And it really did look like a movie … Continue reading
T-50 AND COUNTING: The Communication Plan
With this site all but done, and things well in hand on the publicity/PR front, it’s time to turn my attention to the various elements of the marketing plan. The to-do list includes: Book “trailer” video(s) iPhone app Facebook page … Continue reading
T – 51 AND COUNTING: Cool New Marketing Ideas
Today I’m in an all day design thinking workshop, so just a short entry here. I’ve just completed Nick Bilton’s great new book I Live in the Future and Here’s How it Works. It’s sort of the ying to the … Continue reading
T – 52 AND COUNTING: The Art of the Cover
There isn’t an author on the planet who truly believes the adage “never judge a book by its cover.” On the contrary, we must love the cover or find ourselves making excuses for it, which no writer wants to do. … Continue reading
