About

 

Education

Undergraduate (Illinois Institute of Technology)

• Mathematics

• Physics

• Economics

• Psychology

• Philosophy

(Satisfied degree requirements in each major except Physics)

Graduate (University of Chicago)

• Physics and Mathematics

 

Business

Business Experience (many of them overlapping):

Pit Trader Commodity Futures (Silver & Gold)  11 years

Sales (Stereo equipment, Advertising space) 3 years

Retail Entrepreneur (Stereo equipment, Clothing boutique) 6 years

Technical Writer 1 year

B2B and B2C Copywriter 6 years

Creative Director of Small Ad Agency 4 years

• Brokerage Services

• Automotive Aftermarket

• Health & Fitness

• Professional Services

• Cell Phones

• Pet Health Insurance

• Hotels and Restaurants

 Commercial Photography 38 years

• Fashion & Beauty Photography

• Executive & Professional Portraits

Awards

Advertising Awards

American Marketing Association Award for Creative Excellence

National print campaign for Thug Bug Automotive Security Systems

Photography Awards

Fashion photography course at Parsons College, NYC

Tied for First Place

How to avoid BS:  

Recognize complexity and nonlinearity everywhere.

Always seek epistemological clarity. Clear language always helps. So does Systems Theory..

If you find an area of life where complexity and nonlinearity don’t rule, be sure to let me know. Because I don’t think it’s possible.

Here’s my POV: 

Aside from your experiences, life and work are about ideas. Creativity is about finding the ideas. They provide the means to solve the problems you or your clients face. It’s never about the stuff. It’s always about the ideas.

As a photographer I found that most other photographers thought it was about the equipment. Many writers think writing is about words. Both are actually about the ideas you create or discover and what you do with them. 

My motto:

Think clearly. Behave decently. And always laugh at the funny stuff. 

JPM Writer Bio

–The Short Story

–The Long Story