An exploration of creativity, technology and the culture of identity
Those who found the concept of an automatic gear box disturbing have had scarce time to adjust; we’re already onto the next marvel in automation, and this time we’re barely involved. We’re substituting the role of master for that of watcher, even servant. With automatic cars, human presence takes a diminutive role – providing little more than context (i.e. the reason why a car drives from A to B)...
Read MorePersonal time is a luxury. The more we see of information, the more deep, innovative thinking escapes us. This is paradoxical to the common view of technology as an enabler – producing tools and services that improve our quality of life. We’re no longer required to visit shops for our favourite products, just about anything can be delivered to our door within a day and we’re less connected to the food we consume than ever. Instead of empowered, we’ve grown detached; our attention is amenable, up for grabs...
Read MoreDeep learning technology is progressing at an astronomical rate. The idea that Alexa can go beyond machine learning to consider meaning and context as well as verbs and nouns in recognised patterns, is both exciting and terrifying...
Read MoreThere’s no guideline to say how many hours a new idea takes to conceive. Whilst a construction project may take a set number of days or weeks, deciding upon the perfect tagline has no real precedent – no barometer – because it’s new each time. You may stumble upon the solution in a matter of minutes, a number of days or a hapless pile of weeks. Naturally, this is a nightmare for management...
Read MoreMarketing isn’t like other fields. Its transient landscape means the names of channel champions are lost to capricious winds. It’s not like there aren’t experts, but the lack of go-to marketing mentorship serves to illuminate a single irrefutable fact: marketers aren’t in control, not really. The steadfast expert of today is the foolhardy amateur of tomorrow – wisdom blossoms into madness and experience into ‘oh, is he still here?’ ...
Read MoreBrand is the idea. Reputation is the reality. The latter is the accumulation of everything you do and have done, whilst the former is the image you’re packaging and shipping to the world. Because of this, a bad reputation can easily compromise a brand strategy. If somebody tells us that they’re a fun loving, kind and generous chap, we’re unlikely to believe it if everything we know of them forms a counter image...
Read MoreThe ability to reside predominately in the present is a key enabler for success. This, we know, is contrary to popular believe. Too often we’re taught to dream of our futures, to focus on the realisation of our goals and use the taste of euphoria to incentivise our day-to-day strife...
Read MoreBut whilst creativity is a popular guest at any party, it can also be a little awkward. Creative thinkers don’t always fit the paradigm; they’re not always the perfect colleagues or team players, and they rarely settle for ‘as is’...
Read MoreOur attitudes toward success and failure can be quite debilitating. Disney isn’t entirely to blame; we all perpetuate the idyllic fiction, that any outcome must be clearly etched in terms of success and result. We have a toxic view of failure because it’s the converse of success, and too often we consider the relationship in binary terms: win and loss, victory and defeat, yes and no. We either emerge on top or sink into the ceaseless void of anonymity and shame. But success and failure are muddy terms, and they reside at non-opposing points in a very open space of interpretation...
Read MoreOur obsession with how much we earn is partly due to our society, and partly something we’ve inherited. Success is about reward – but rewards can be both tangible, as in cash bills squeezed into a wad, and intangible, as in the skills, brand development, knowledge and reputation that we acquire as a result of the work we do. These are equally essential to understanding where we’re at, and recognizing our progression pathways...
Read MoreOur battle with authority starts when we’re born. It starts with our parents, our relatives and older siblings, and later extends to our teachers, bosses and government. How our early relationships develop inform those that follow – shattered bonds and broken paradigms create indelible senses of mistrust, whilst strong family units provide enduring armour against the world...
Read MoreHierarchies, titles, talk of synergy, unscrupulous practices and team building seminars are the stale crusts of the 20th century. Corporations now masquerade under a new image; offices are bathed in colourful furniture and edifying wall slogans and the spin and squeak of chairs is no longer the only fun to be had. It’s less austere, more playful, or at least disguised to be...
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