Ok, so I am gonna let the cat out of the bag…I am writing a book. Yes, I have stumbled on the fact that I love to write and sharing thoughts every Monday is just a small part of it. The funny thing is I never really thought of myself as a writer and part of the…
When I started One River, I always envisioned that we would develop great summer camps that would allow Teens and Kids to have a fun and really cool experience learning contemporary art and other creative concepts that they didn’t have access to anywhere else. We succeeded beyond my wildest imagination. This summer we are teaching thousand of…
Sometimes my wife accuses me of having a clown smile. Although it is not the most attractive description, I am aware of the turned up corners my mouth makes when I smile ear to ear. This past Saturday, I was clown smile in full bloom. One of our newest schools, located in Larchmont, NY, held…
That’s a loaded question. For me, it is a blessing and a curse and no matter how I slice it I guess I am fortunate for having a need to be successful. But, it comes at some sacrifice. For the last seven years I have been building One River, and I feel grateful for having…
For the first twenty years of my career, I never quite fit into the perfect box in my corporate life. As a result, my success almost always came down to fit, not talent. And the question was: To what degree did I fit the corporate culture and to what extent did the corporate culture fit…
This past weekend I spent my time celebrating the grand opening of our new school in Evanston, IL by doing what I love to do the most: listening to people tell stories about what art-making does for them and their kids. I heard countless tales about how much joy people get from tapping into their…
This Saturday marks an important moment for One River: our first Chicago area school opens in Evanston, IL. Seven years ago, when I was dreaming about opening up One River, I felt that we could build something that would expand all around the United States. Our first school in the Midwest checks off another box…
Having watched Prince Harry and his brother William grow up in the aftermath of their mom’s death, I am astounded at how they have helped to close the gap between the monarchy and the everyday man. I was always so impressed with Diana’s intent to raise her kids in a way that would keep them…
There is something about most contemporary artists that I just love – they’re simply driven to make art. They can’t get out of the way of this primal need and I find it fascinating. Jay Gaskill is a painter that fits this mold. I want to tell you a little more about Jay, how we…
A few weeks ago, I jumped into a new book called Enlightenment Now, by Steven Pinker. I was watching Bill Gates on CNBC and he said that it was the “best book he ever read”; that told me I would be both stimulated and intellectually challenged by the book and that was what I was…