1. Ignore everybody
2. The idea doesn’t have to be big. It just has to be yours.
3. Put the hours in.
4. If your biz depends on you suddenly being “discovered” by some big shot, your plan will probably fail.
5. You are responsible for your own experience.
6. Everyone is born creative; everyone is given a box of crayons in kindergarten.
7. Keep your day job.
8. Companies that squelch creativity can no longer compete with companies that champion creativity.
9. Everybody has their own private Mount Everest they were put on this earth to climb.
10. The more talented somebody is, the less they need the props.
11. Don’t try to stand out from the crowd; avoid crowds all together.
12. If you accept the pain, it cannot hurt you.
13. Never compare your inside with somebody else’s outside.
14. Dying young is overrated
15. The most important thing a creative person can learn professionally is where to draw the red line that separates what you are willing to do, and what you are not.
16. The world is changing.
17. Merit can be bought. Passion cannot.
18. Avoid the Watercooler Gang.
19. Sing in your own voice.
20. The choice of media is irrelevant.
21. Selling out is harder than it looks.
22. Nobody cares. Do it for yourself.
23. Worrying about “commercial vs. artistic” is a complete waste of time.
24. Don’t worry about finding inspiration. It comes eventually.
25. You have to find your own schtick.
26. Write from the heart.
27. The best way to get approval is to not need it.
28. Power is never given. Power is taken.
29. Whatever choice you make, the Devil gets his due eventually.
30. The hardest part of being creative is getting used to it.
31. Remain frugal.
32. Allow your work to age with you.
33. Being poor sucks.
34. Beware of turning hobbies into jobs.
35. Savor obscurity while it lasts.
36. Start blogging.
37. Meaning scales, people don’t.
38. When your dreams become reality, they are no longer dreams.
gapingvoid.com
artwork: Penelope Dullaghan
artwork: Penelope Dullaghan
I was urged by a business colleague to read the magazine article Digital Darwinism by Christopher Vollmer that appeared in the publication, Strategy + Business, Issue 54. It is an interesting read that refers to today’s marketing environment by using the metaphor of an ecosystem. It is a dynamic, complex, and interconnected community in which marketers, creative organizations (i.e., design firms, illustration/photo houses & ad agencies) and media companies depend on one another, to a certain extent, to survive and thrive. But it is also a brutal, competitive arena, where a kind of “digital Darwinism,” or survival of the fittest, holds sway, rapidly distinguishing winners from losers. Companies that possess certain preferred traits in their organizational DNA or that have superior skills of self-adaptation are positioned to flourish in this ecosystem. Those without either face almost certain extinction.
The design, illustration and advertising ecosystem has arrived at an evolutionary threshold. Old structures and ways of working persist but are fundamentally challenged by newer, more dynamic, more innovative alternatives. Numerous developments have brought the industry to this transition point. Consumers have more control and choice. Their media usage has fragmented. Many more advertising platforms exist. And marketers are insisting on greater precision in targeting and accounting for their creative spend.
The recent economic turmoil only accelerates this evolutionary transition. Companies across the ecosystem have to acquire or develop three dominant traits to survive: relevance, interactivity, and accountability.
To read Vollmer’s full article visit http://www.strategy-business.com/resiliencereport/resilience/rr00069?pg=0.
artwork by: Curtis Parker
“Stories exist where high concept and high touch intersect. Story is high concept because it sharpens our understanding of one thing by showing it in the context of something else.”
–Daniel Pink
artwork: Penelope Dullaghan
In his seminal book “Trust”, sociologist Francis Fukuma gathered and studied information dating centuries back about current and former countries. He concluded, rather convincingly, that “high trust” cultures significantly out-produce “low trust” cultures. He then went on to study companies. He came to the same conclusion.
Today the topic of trust has never been hotter. Books, articles, speeches, and gurus of all types and stripes scream, “Transparency!” Teams have become the platform of today’s holy grail—innovation. Recent estimates suggest that by 2020, all innovations will come out of cross-functional teams. Yet, Gallup research has uncovered that even in “high trust” USA, the percentage of employees fully engaged in their organization hovers at about 25%. Patrick Lencioni’s cleverly written metaphor, The Five Dysfunction of a Team, suggests that the “absence of trust” is at the very core of team failure. The hidden cost of mistrust is directly proportional to the thickness of the contract.
Whether an employer, a tenured or new employee, a supplier, or a parent– trust is the lubricant of relationship building and productivity. Here are a “Baker’s Dozen” tips to improve your TQ (Trust Quotient):
1. Straight Talk
2. Demonstrate Respect
3. Create Transparency
4. Right Wrongs
5. Show Loyalty
6. Deliver (Period)
7. Get Better
8. Confront Reality
9. Clarify
10. Be Accountable
11. Listen First
12. Keep Commitments
13. Give Trust
Next Week: Ten Rules for Innovators Hint: Show up every day prepared to “lose your job.”
