Notebook

Historically, I've had a tendency to hold onto ideas until they feel "finished", slaving over a giant blog post once or so per year. But in 2026, one of my many personal goals is to get more raw thoughts out and worry less about everything being perfectly polished, stress-tested, and bulletproof.

I have the pleasure of working with many lovely Swedes, and I'm always taken by their quirky (and often unbelievable-sounding) idioms…

In my current role, I spend a lot of time thinking about the college and university space here in the US. And recently, I wrote up my thoughts on the gathering storm in the American higher-ed market.

I spend a lot of time thinking about the state of marketing and advertising. What’s changing (less than you probably think), what’s staying the same (more than you probably think), and where the past and the future are converging in interesting ways.

As I’ve begun to explore the possibility of perhaps entertaining the idea of considering once again working for the man, it’s forced me to think a lot about who I am, what I believe in (and don’t believe in), and what my value is as a co-worker, a manager, a piece of talent, and just as a person.

After a lot of thought and internal conflict, I’ve decided to step away from Heart and take the rest of the summer off. With no plans to return to the agency.

In case you missed it, That Damn Oreo Tweet™ recently won a Cannes Lion. Which puts me in an awkward spot, personally, I suppose...