Hi, I’m John W. DeFeo. I occasionally publish my work and my thoughts on this website.
I’m a jack-of-all-trades who has worked as a graphic designer, magazine owner, online marketer, photographer, data analyst, writer, publishing executive and entrepreneur.
This website is a collection of my experiences in art, business, finance and everyday life.
Want to get in touch? Write me here or connect with me on LinkedIn and Twitter.
The X Factor Index highlights companies that have increased dividends and reduced outstanding shares for 10 consecutive years or more.
Good, Cheap and Fast was the most ideologically pure thing that I've ever created. Then, Google killed it.
It's impossible for me to talk about Debonair Magazine without talking about Eddie Hertzman first.
My hard drive is filled with tens-of-thousands of photographs of New York City, but the ones that I treasure the most were shot on film.
Many 1950s-era pinups are photographed on Ektachrome and Anscochrome, two films that are prone to fading and color shifting.
Baker Whitefield is a fictional private detective that I created to showcase my writing and black and white photography. Here is his story.
It took 25 years of trial and error for me to be able to take good photographs consistently. Here are the most valuable lessons that I learned.
This small portfolio has earned more than $15,000 in royalties, yet it received critical marks from an AI-tool that rates stock photos.
I took some of the best photos of my life on 35mm film. Many of my favorite films are discontinued, but some are still sold today.
Learning how to invest is an important part of becoming financially independent. This guide will help you find the confidence to make your first investment.
Here are 10 investing mistakes, lessons and observations that I've experienced over the decade.
Many parents teach bad financial habits from an early age, but a handful of small changes can set a child on a better path.
I remember when it was easy to find logic, facts, and reason on the web. Then, we optimized it.
The latest SEO trend is to create fake photos, then pretend to be a person of whichever gender/ethnicity that a journalist is seeking comment from.
Google has become like the pampering robots in WALL-E, giving us what we want at the expense of what we need.
Despite the reams of instructions that Google has for its quality raters, the document basically says, if in doubt, trust your gut.
I like to joke that SEO stands for 'somebody else's obligation' because it’s easy to point a finger when something goes wrong.
Here are 15 SEO lessons, mistakes and observations that I've experienced over 15 years of search marketing.
Here are business lessons that I learned from former bosses, teachers and co-workers (and two kind souls who helped me for no reason).
Tech companies like Facebook, Amazon and Alphabet continue to post record profits despite a slew of controversies and bad press.
There are three factors that make it seem like the U.S. doesn't make anything, even though American manufacturing has grown for a decade.
It feels like my childhood was closer to that of my parent's generation: The Baby Boomers who grew up in the 1950s.
Here are the 100 best movies that I’ve seen, presented in chronological order.
When I look back at my Amazon order history, I'm amazed at how few of the products I still own. Here is the best stuff I've bought.