Diligent Creativity Day 1 September 1, 2009

I love this picture! I purchased this from 123RF to use on a card, the caption? “A little birdie told me…”.

So what do you think is happening?  I think that the first bird is really miffed, see his little face? It is all cold stares. The other two are not talking ‘about’ him but he thinks that they are.

What they are actually doing is talking about the new design he just did for his birdy buddy’s cafe “Big Worm”.  He is experiencing word of beak referral as the 2 birds discuss the potential of the new cafe and admire the cool new look he created.

Chill out Berty Birdy…word of mouth marketing is one of the oldest forms of marketing going around, I mean isn’t that the whole reason why you created the funky logo and designs for Big Worm in the first place…to get the joint a chirpin with excitement and tweets?

If Berty had been a smart marketer he may have considered rewarding this little yellow gossip for spreading the word and created a viral word of beak campaign to set the oaktree wild! How are you rewarding your word of mouth referrers? Do you know what they are saying about you and are you making it easy for them to say it?

Sadly though for Berty, he is too caught up in his own importance to realize that marketing is all about ‘me’ not about him.  He needs to read this artrox thinks blog post on me-kerting!

Diligent Creativity August 28, 2009

OK so I have explained diligent joy and then the realisation hit me that the same thing can be applied to my creativity.

You see I am always waiting for this or that to create draw or be crafty generally and there is never the right time.

During the week this one went around twitter, it was a blog post called 100 Excellent online tools to feed your creativity (go check it out it is excellent but be sure to come back).  So I was scrolling through them and go to the photo section. I have seen many people who have done a photo a day type things, and thought wow what a great idea…but I just never make the time to do it.

But guess what…there are already so many images here on the web already why reinvent…so I will just pick one at random and let that inspire me in some way.  I will endeavor to do that every day in September and hopefully then I will have created a creative habit towards diligent creativity…hmm well that’s the plan anyway!

So – I’m going out, grabbing the bull by the horns and, well, here goes!

Diligent Joy August 21, 2009

If you have a copy of the gorgeous Elizabeth Gilbert’s book Eat Pray Love you may have noticed on page #273 a phrase that resonated so strongly with me. I remember reading it, I was on the treadmill at the time, reading a copy loaned to me from a friend and I beamed from ear to ear as the words hit home.

Later that week I rushed out and bought my own copy, and 2 to give as gifts to my best friends.

OMG, I thought, if I was to ever get a tattoo this would be it.  I would have it right there on my wrist for me to see like a timepiece of ‘old’ so that every time I looked down I would be reminded of it.

Maybe I could convert it to French orLatin for some extra cache (we all know what instant importance that lends to quotes)

So those of you with the book…found it yet?????

For those of you without it…get ready:

Joie diligente

Diligent Joy…OK so the post title gave it away….oops!

Don’t you think that really sums up life?  I’ve been reading a few different articles lately on happiness and our ‘quest’ to find it – but it is within us all the time, we need to be reminded to squeeze that joy out of ourselves in order to ‘find’ it.  Let yourself be happy, it’s more than thinking positively, it is about being in the moment and accepting, it is remembering to let go and be…

To be diligent means to show care and conscientiousnes, but the best definition is its derivative from Middle English via old French from Latin: ‘diligere’ to love, take delight in!

That’s not so say that things won’t get us down, I get bummed sometimes too, but with a reminder of “Joie diligente” I would take the time to say, OK, this too shall pass and look for the delightful things I have…I really would if only I would remember to do it!!!

Oh yes…full circle.  So my friends, love and take delight in the joy of being joyful! It is truly contagious.

Gotta go, I’m off for a diligently joyful weekend with my family, and I feel an artwork coming on…

The Inducement of Loyalty June 21, 2009

Social media and social media experts have hit the spotlight with goodness only knows how many blog posts on the topic!  At the end of the day everything on twitter, blogging, facebook, my space et al is centred around the inducement of loyalty.

So how does a marketer induce loyalty…by remembering the ME in MEkerting!

Remembering that the times are changing and consumer centric content is more important than ever before, that is until the next wave comes along…maybe the next wave is no content…the silence of tumbleweeds blowing across our web pages as our customers flock to virtual reality experiences available through their TV, x-box or PS3??? But I digress…

So remember to make it about me, talk with me, know me, because really I don’t care a bit about you, or your silly features and benefits, I want you to listen to me and be receptive to me…

As your customer I may not be loyal forever…that’s for the really big boys like Apple, Coke & Nike, but I will be loyal for now, and to spread my wonderful word of mouth joy about your juicy brand, all you need is now, not forever!

So induce my loyalty now, mekert to me…gotta go, ‘Apple’ is asking me a question about a tweet I made earlier…

TED talk Elizabeth Gilbert on Genius June 11, 2009

Another amazing TED talk from author Elizabeth Gilbert who wrote the very popular “Eat Pray Love”.

Aside from the fact that I love the book, one of my all time favorite phrases…diligent joy…if I was to have a tattoo I think that is what it would say.  I love all that it represents, not that life is a bowl of sweets, but that you be happy you have to remember to be happy!  Every day…diligently!

But that is not what her talk is about. It is about the creative muse that resides in us all and an historical look at how creativity shaped the creator.

My takeouts from this wonderful talk (that you MUST watch – see below for video)

• Elizabeth describes herself brilliantly “I am a writer, writing is my passion”.  (Question, how many of us creative types describe ourselves so definitely like that?  I know I am wracked with insecurity to define myself in a more conventional way, “I am a marketing graduate who does design too”…gotta re-think that!)
• Is it right that anybody should feel afraid of the work they were put on this earth to do? (in context of artists being afraid their next work will not be as good as their last)
• Why should there be a link between creativity and suffering?
• In ancient Rome & Greece they believed creativity came from the divine not the human. Greeks called it a ‘damon’, the Romans a ‘genius’.
• Then with the renaissance the human became the ‘genius’ and the burden of performance and judgment that came with that marked the beginning of the battle between creativity and mental health.
• At about 10 minutes in she talks about a discussion with Ruth Stone, an American poet who describes her muse…wow!
• We’ve all had creative ideas ‘pop’ into our heads haven’t we, that AHA moment? Maybe that is our brush with the divine genius?
• Elizabeth’s advice is to take the genius out of you and put it back into the universe where it belongs.
• What if the most creative parts of your being are on loan to you? They do not define you and you can enjoy them.

Ole to you Elizabeth, and ole to you dear reader!

Gotta go, my genius is calling me…

Creativity Advocate Sir Ken Robinson June 10, 2009

I can’t embed this video, but do yourself a favor and go to the RISD site and watch all 34 minutes of it.

With a wry humor that is very stereotypically British, the insightful part of Sr Ken’s speech begins about half way through when he starts talking about creativity.

Here are my favorite takeaways:

• Challenge the things you take for granted ~ which is quite difficult, because it is hard to know what we take for granted since we take it for granted…!
• There are many things in our lives that enthrall our minds that we should think about again.
• The power to conceive of alternatives is unique to us…use it!
• Design & creativity celebrates the diversity of human intelligence!
• Finding your passion is essential to your path in life.
• If you love something your whole life is transformed by it (Note: not just relates to creativity & work, but love, life, family…)
• Cherish diversity = pulse of creativity + innovation + human life!
• We need each other, the interdependence of human talents is profound.
• Make connections.
• Life is not linear, it’s organic.
• Invest in your talent and life reconfigures around you.
• Expose yourself to new possibilities and meet them head on with your talent alert, confidence aroused & you will find purpose and meaning.
• Right beneath the surface are the seeds of possibility waiting for the right conditions.  Create the right conditions and success is a certainty.

Wonderful and inspiring stuff, and I am sure the class of 2009 left feeling vindicated and uplifted, because as he pointed out they were probably discouraged from pursuing creative careers due to the perception of lack of financial benefit.

But creative thinking ability is the financial benefit of the future, and that future is starting now!

Sorry, gotta go dig up some seeds and plant my talent for tomorrow’s creative harvest…

be Brain-zing-ingly Creative! May 29, 2009

Google CEO Eric Schmidt’s Keynote May 27, 2009

This is a really nice, funny and at times thought provoking speech to the Carnegie Mellon graduates.  He talks about the technological comparison between his time and theirs/now.  It is amazing to hear the developments over the past 20 or so years spelled out in this way.

My takeouts?

Take advantage of your opportunities to make your own luck, you cannot plan innovation, just plan to be ready.

Do things in a group, groups are stronger and faster.

Trust is your most important currency in a networked world.

Live for the future.

Remember humans are more important than technology ~ remember to switch it off sometimes!

A mind set in it’s ways is a mind wasted.

Staff who care May 19, 2009

Being in marketing means that we are the driver of the brand for the company, often the creative behind it and the creative ahead of it, originate from the marketing department.  However we all know that the face of that brand belongs to the staff.

Something many companies do not link correctly are the HR and marketing functions.  Internal branding is just as important, if not more so, than the external branding.  Because without the staff on board the marketing manifesto then you can forget the customer experience reflecting that slick message the board spent thousands to develop one bonding weekend!

We run staff days and it has been my job at my past few employers to inspire and encourage staff buy in with regards to the company ethos and branding…not always easy to do!  There has to be emotion and feeling not intellectualism of the brand message ~ intellectually staff already get it, I tell them so they get it..they understand why it is important, they don’t have a job if they don’t make it important.  But they don’t all feel it!

Perception is everything.  Period!  So if staff perceive that management are not living the brand message and simply rolling out trite corporate rhetoric then what hope is there for the brand evangelist!  Management ‘made’ the brand message for goodness sake, of course they are engaged…aren’t they?  They feel engaged…but how do staff perceive them?

Ahhh, the circular argument!  So perhaps we do not concentrate so much on the engagement but on INVOLVEMENT.  Yes I agree it is not possible to involve EVERY staff member in the determination of your brand promise, but it is possible to ask for their involvement afterwards…how would they approach it, what does it mean to them, how would they like to be treated in a situation like this or that, is that consistent with their behaviour and the brand promise?  It’s internal MEkerting at work here…

Get the staff involved…they turn up to work, they follow procedures, that is engagement.  Make sure that their brand experience is a positive one, mekert to them, involve them, make it about them, and let them mekert to your customers.

It’s hard work keeping so many different personalities on message, but is that a function you would trust just to HR?  Don’t think so!   Sorry to rush off but I gotta go talk to some staff about a smile policy…(grins)

Curious about this silly word MEkerting? Visit my earlier posts about it.

Seth Goden TED Talk on Tribes May 12, 2009

Anybody not familiar with Seth Goden must go check out his blog, he is a real thinker.  Not everybody agrees with him all the time but that does not matter.

What matters is that he is out there creating a movement challenging the staus quo and committing to challenging marketers, thinkers, advertisers, employers, all of us to do likewise.

You need to watch his TED talkit is amazing, it is 17:23 minutes long but worth every second to get your own juices flowing and asking better questions.

So, my takeout? It’s about being a leader about 15 minutes in:

Leaders:

Challenge the staus quo

Build culture

They have a curiosity

They connect people

They commit to the cause and the tribe

Seth finishes by imploring us to go out and create a movement…something that matters!

I’m inspired…back soon, I’m off to think about my tribe…I’ll keep you posted!