Change is here

It's my last day in New York and after speeding around both mentally and physically, it's time for me to look at what change in my world now represents. Sometimes it's just the smallest things, easily overlooked and sometimes, a huge sea-change.

So that's how my mind and current experiences have managed to link these two things...this image & this quote.

6. The Rise of Creative Collectives & Mixed Media Partnerships

The unfortunate thing about trade associations and online websites devoted to one particular field is that they don't help foster creative collaborations across disciplines. An illustrator is unlikely to connect with a photographer in the Society for Illustrators. With the rise of distributed creative production and more independence for creative professionals, we will need to connect and collaborate with creative talents that are different from our own.

I anticipate formal alliances between industry associations. Online websites and industry blogs will become multi-disciplinary (rather than serve, say, just designers or architects or photographers). We will also start to see more co-working arrangements and shared studio space between professionals from different fields. The rise of collectives and loosely assembled creative teams will support the increasing need to connect and collaborate across creative fields.

[From the article shaping the future....]

Yesterday I gave a business presentation in Boston to people who I think are going through this change & for people in the creative world, how big do you want change to be? From radical activism in the Arab world, to women across Europe standing up to misogyny in Italy, it's our time to do something.

A New Post

I'm sitting here in the bustling little West 11th Street Cafe in the West Village in New York and I'm contemplating how lucky I've been in my career [Of course I'd like to think that a bit of my hard work & persistence had something to do with it as well, but just go with me on this one...].

I've been fortunate enough to live in 2 different countries & travel the world...& yesterday was full of amazing experiences....traveling with The Change Agent & her best friend [quickly become a friend of mine now], meeting with Gina Warren the VP of Diversity & Inclusion at Nike for an inspiring 2 hour lunch brainstorm, riffing with Piers Fawkes from PSFK & Soho House, going to Madison Square Garden to watch the Knicks v the Lakers...[I means THE Knicks & The LAKERS!!! every sport boy from Lewisham's dream!], finally ending up at Quentin Taratino's secret underground Mexican club...luckily playing the Amsterdam & I'm wearing Lanvin card to get into the notoriously exclusive spot....

Hell - I've been lucky.

But I worry & wonder [with optimism] about the NOW generation, the kids at school/college/university who have been caught up & are suffering from the fallout of the recession. Nearly one million 16-25yos in the UK are NEETS [not in employment of educational training] & the youth unemployment rate in the EU area is 21% more than double that of 25's & over.
So no wonder we are 'raising' [by default] of passionate & digitally-savvy agitators, from London to Athens [if you haven't seen this on my facebook, you should look at it NOW..[oh, apparently it's been removed by the user...shame] prepared to form unexpected alliances...as The Change Agent would say Viva La Revolucion! It's coming....

Go Out & Do Something Less Boring Instead!

If you haven't got anything better to do...[And I know that you have!] click on the link to take you to Brandweek's People's Choice Marketer of the year 2010...You know when you're coming to the end of the year when the award shows, BBC Sports Personality of the Year & 'The Best of 2010'...selections start wafting around.

So take a look, and see if the brands/marketers you love/hate are there and cast a vote! You'll see the winners on September 13th.

PS no-one lost their lives in order for us to vote...so don't feel too guilty if you don't!

Saturday musings

I've been musing about the amount of time we have for breaks & mental musings...with Chris Anderson's headline Wired article, "The web is dead, long live the internet" creating a huge buzz both online & in pen&ink in the Observer 'Are phone apps killing the web's original spirit of fresh discovery?', it made me think....when do we take time-out from connecting with digital? Even when we're with friends on a night out, within 30 minutes we're comparing apps, discussing the virtues of a touch-screen versus a pad [can you tell from your sms' who has an iphone...the person with the most typos I reckon] & talking about who's getting what, when!

It used to be that we took short breaks walking between those business meetings, on the treadmill [ummm that's not really been me, but in the interest of giving plausible examples! ] or on public transport, but now it seems that we're cramming those spare minutes with more & more information, digitally accessed. Yes...infowhlem...with androids, pads, smartphones & touches & crackberries, it seems that we really can't switch off!

But for some smart thinkers, it seems as if it's affecting our ability to be truly creative. With an article in the New York Times suggesting "Digital Devices Deprive Brain of Needed Downtime" University of california scientists think that constant digital input forfeits people's '...downtime that could allow them to better learn and remember information, or come up with new ideas'.

What I found particularly laudable & laughable about the articles is that it doesn't seem to take into account that they don't really take the position of a young person...ask them if they feel they're not being creative with their time. See what they say when you ask them how they use the web or internet...is their a difference. It's about the evolution, of the human brain & how time & what tools are used by a new generation...
& to that point, here's a poster I saw in a window of an Amsterdam library...with the local library having Digital Month and teaching people how to embrace the new e-book tool...I bet kids don't need this class...what do you think?

Focus on the individual.

Focus on the individual.


I came across "Oh My God What Happened & What Should I do?" an example of how the spreading of information is less about just paying for it - though maybe you will be more inclined to read it if you did on one side :) & on the other I just spent €18 on Bret Easton Ellis' Imperial Bedrooms, which fell apart at the spine after 5 minutes of reading!! :(

It's an example of Innovative Thunder's clever way of giving you some 'free' digital marketing advice. Yes you can buy the book, but if you tweet about the book's existence for them, then you can download it as a pdf for free - just make sure you DO read it.

For those in the marketing business & with an ounce of digital-savvy, it's news is, well -- no news really -- but for those that don't this is a 2 hour read [there's lots of marketing -- big letters, black backgrounds...sound-bites & not much revelatory text, sorry] but it will make you feel comfortable that if you can just make that brain-change...embrace the attitude of change, then you'll be on your way!

How I wish the Ellis book had been free, because it certainly wasn't worth that much!

One Function, Multi Funtional learning

I HATE unstable Wi_fi....this is the second time I have to write this! Ok, so I'm on the Thalys, on the way to Paris & wanted to share these thoughts...thanks to 'Coach' Kay for the recommendation!
I used to be able to sit down with a nice cup of earl grey at some time of the day, & do a TED-a-day...My all-time favourite being Jille Bolte Taylor's 'Stroke of Genius'...goosebump worthy. Anyway, with being so busy & all, it's been more like bi-monthly TEDs!
Still this talk by Sir Ken Robinson 'Bring on the Revolution' argues for a radical change in education system & I agree with it on many different levels. Society is forced into a framework of assessments & approval-seeking, which starts with tests & assessments at school & continues with at-work appraisals...& SWOTS ["strengthen your strengths & eradicate you weaknesses for success"]
Why should we be forced into such a structure because its the way things have always been done? Why cant we look at more intensely at diverse & organic education & learning system where technology & digital facilitates customised learning? but don't just listen to me...listen to what he says...i swear he could become a comedian!!

Youth Expression Through Art

Some days you just need so fresh impetus to get to fresh insight...new inspiration to feel useful rather that dried-up & useless...we all have insecure days sometimes!
So whilst doing just that [not the drying-up part!], I came across this initiative by Shepard Fairey, where he's working with 500 city kids from NYC to get involved in a collaborative mural about social injustices....A POSITIVE THOUGHT CANNOT BE DENIED

Via the initiative & in the PSFK interview, Fairey evokes an event in Chicago in 1989 to construct a 520-foot ribbon of whitewashed plywood in Grant Park across from the city's Cultural Center with Keith Haring and 300 kids.

So paraphrasing Fairey in the interview, to engage young people AS they mature, not WHEN they are mature, to get involved with social issues, though not the freshest insight.. it is & should still be an evolving concept to converse with young people.