Second Lamppost: creative media from Brian Hull

I am interested in creative process and innovation be it Miles Davis or Jack Welch, and am eternally searching for new paths to discovery. These pages contain ideas I have obsessed over or experienced in my own creative endeavours.

Recent Articles

John Mayer Is My Weekend At Bernie’s

There is episode of Friends with a guys vs. girls quiz where the question is posed "Rachel claims this is her favorite Read More

Calculating Burnout Velocity

I hit a wall this week in my MBA prep. Combined with the ongoing preparation for the GMAT, researching schools, lining up Read More

Round One Rear View

My first round application hopes seem to be fading into the horizon. With less that two months before most first round Read More

Whipping Back Into Orbit

The week before my GMAT I topped out on a practice test from MBA.com by scoring a 750. 49 Quant and 44 Verbal. It was a bit Read More

Silence, the Void and Self Doubt

After 9 weeks of classes with Manhattan GMAT and well over 200 hours of GMAT studying logged, I’ve experienced a few ups and Read More

With New Ears

Miles Davis notoriously clung to the middle register. Generations of trumpet players from bebop to hard bop to free jazz reached Read More

Manhattan GMAT Week 1

I wrapped up my first week of GMAT preparation with Manhattan GMAT on Sunday. With the assigned readings, online labs, practice Read More

Pixar on Failure

The corporate culture of ties directly into my recent discussion of failure. We know Pixar as the creators of Toy Story, Finding Read More

Business School Admissions Guide Books

I've picked up a couple of admissions guide books recently. How to Get Into the Top MBA Programs by Richard Montauk and The Best Read More

Embracing Creative Failure

I've been really interested in failure recently. With a few exceptions I have felt like the failure rate in my own life has been Read More

Leaning Into It Using “The Dip” Part 3 of 3

Once you have defined parameters for quitting, it is time to get to work. Successful people lean into the dip. Do not be passive Read More

Unboxing Manhattan GMAT

Yesterday I received my course package from Manhattan GMAT. The course materials arrive in a small square box loaded to the Read More

Marshaling Resources Using “The Dip” Part 2 of 3

We hit the dip in between the beginners rapid acquisition of skills and complete mastery. This lull in the process is where most Read More

4 MBA Application Resources

I have been intensively researching Business Schools and the MBA application process for about a month now and have found Read More

Business School Viewbooks

The stream of business school viewbooks has begun to flow into my mailbox. While these are obviously marketing documents one Read More

Defining Success Using “The Dip” Part 1 of 3

Seth Godin's book "The Dip" encourages habitual quitting to reach your goals. It sounds like an odd suggestion, but the strategy Read More

All Signed Up For GMAT Training

I decided to book a course with Manhattan GMAT. Their approach seems effective and I have heard positive reviews from friends Read More

Blackberry Curve 8900 Review

There are a few indispensable tools I rely on to help create this site. One of them is my Blackberry Curve 8900. In a recent Read More

Selecting a GMAT Study Course

I attended a free online informational session for Manhattan GMAT on Saturday. I have been studying on my own with the Official Read More

My MBA Pursuit

I have decided to document my path and preparation towards getting into business school. An MBA is a rather decisive turn in the Read More

Dailies, Workshops, and Collaborative Groups

One of the hardest things to do in the creative process is to display unfinished work. There is an inherent fear of premature Read More

Keep a Cliche List

Every field is full of cliche. If you are in advertising it's likely you're currently airing a commercial on how your clients Read More

The Last Twenty Percent

"I've always thought of myself as an 80 percenter. I like to throw myself passionately into a sport or activity until I reach Read More

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