From today’s newsletter: We get this a lot: big companies bringing us in to shake things up, because they want to be more creative, because they want to be more innovative, etc. The one thing most of our clients have in common is that none of them suffer from lack of talent or money or […]
[Buy the print and/or the acrylic block here etc.] Innovation is hard enough, even when you’re truly, madly, deeply in love with your work. But if you’re not in love with your work, you’re going to find it very difficult to compete with people who are. Because they’re the ones going the extra mile, while […]
[Buy the print etc.] So, you’re one of those types who live in mortal fear of being stuck in a some boring job somewhere, doing meaningless work, watching the clock all day. You’re allergic to boredom. You’re one of the curious. Sure, it’s scary and painful to be one of those people, especially early on […]
This was a print I designed for Joe Polish to give to his friend, Arianna Huffington. I met Arianna once briefly through Joe, at his Genius Network 25K event. Wow. What a neat lady. She was totally inspiring. So I drew a cartoon that tried to sum her up. Exactly. If only everybody could be that smart, […]
[Derek and I having a natter onstage.] I had a fun time today at the Miami Music Summit- they used my little “Delusional” critter for their official t-shirt, as well as getting me on stage to live-draw alongside three of the panels. Then afterwards I had a chat onstage with the MC, Derrek Ashong. Here […]
[This is not just a love poem, it could also be a corporate mission, perhaps?] My friends over at PSFK posted a really neat interview with Jesse Levin, who runs the most audacious co-working space I think I’ve ever seen. It’s not just another co-working space in Brooklyn… Nope, it’s all that, plus a gym […]
[Buy the print etc.] I was thinking about “Business as a spiritual exercise”. It’s been on my mind a lot lately. Sounds kinda weird, right? Capitalism and spiritualism aren’t exactly known for being synonymous. But then I was thinking about how work and spiritualism are often paired. Think of a master Zen carpenter, or master […]
["Erroneous Belief": the very first cartoon I ever published online, back in 1999. Seems like a couple of lifetimes ago etc.] 1. One of the early inventors of blogging, my old friend Dave Winer is trying to reclaim that thing that blogging was first designed for. Blogging needs our help, he tells us. The mission of […]
[Shortly after my career tanked in 2000, I drew this cartoon. This is what failure felt like at the time.] 1. Anyone with a successful business will know this to be true: That business gets successful eventually, not by some flawlessly-executed grand vision, but by a lot of trial and error (mostly error) over a […]
[Sent out in the newsletter etc.] “Success” is a pretty blurry, vague, annoyingly relative construct. Asking someone to define it is just an exercise in tiresome blather, therefore I won’t bother. What I will say, however, is that if you’re doing something the genuinely matters to the world, and you’re doing it surrounded […]
Short Version: We make "Motivational Art For Smart People".
Long Version: I’m Hugh MacLeod. I’m a cartoonist. I'm also a published author and have a daily cartoon newsletter that makes tens of thousands of people happy, five days a week.
gapingvoid was founded by me (Chief Creative) and Jason Korman (CEO) to effect change in business, using my distinct style of drawing.
i.e. "If you're trying to change your business' culture, you should be talking to us."
We believe that our work can express ideas, vision, beliefs, stories, culture, mission and purpose faster, better and more deeply than any other method of business communication.
We offer bespoke services (including gapingvoid CultureMail, fine art prints and these awesome acrylic art blocks) which you can read more about on the gapingvoid homepage.
Clients include Rackspace, Intel, Cisco, Roche Pharmaceuticals, Babson College, Techcrunch, Dewar’s Whisky etc.
People ask, as an artist, why are you so obsessed with the office? And I answer, because that is where the action is, that is where we make things happen, that's where we spend at least a third of our lives.
Sure, there are other places where the human drama unfolds: homes, bars, restaurants, schools, shops, the street etc. But considering how central business is to our lives, I find it odd that more people don’t understand how important art can be to the work environment. So gapingvoid is determined to help them understand that better.
If you just want to say ‘Hello’, feel free to email me, anytime.
If you want to talk business, then it’s probably best to please contact Jason, here. We look forward to working with you. Thanks!
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Hugh MacLeod is a genius. Genius.
Seth GodinHis work acknowledges the absurdity of workaday life, while also encouraging employees to respond with passion, creativity, and non-conformity... MacLeod’s work is undeniably an improvement over the office schlock of yore. At its best, it’s more honest, and more cognizant of the entrepreneurial psyche, while still retaining some idealism.
The New RepublicLast year my State of the College address was 76 slides loaded with data. This year it was 14 cartoons that were substantially more memorable.
Len Schlesinger"There are only two daily newsletters that I look forward to opening and reading every time they show up to my inbox: Seth Godin's and gapingvoid."
Tony HsiehIn moments of indecision I glance at the wall [to Hugh's work] for guidance.
Brian Clark