Servant of Chaos

The Evanescence of Social Media

In marketing/advertising we talk about changing behaviour. We speak of trends, present analysis and peer into the near horizon of our own timelines. We blog about the changing of consumer experience, discuss demographics, strategies and new ways of measuring reach, frequency and engagement. And in amongst all this conversation we are building our own edifice to social media -- shouting, talking and building, word by word, our own empire. But I wonder, is this all sounding so hollow?

We are the hollow men
We are the stuffed men
Leaning together
Headpiece filled with straw. Alas!
Our dried voices, when
We whisper together
Are quiet and meaningless
As wind in dry grass
Or rats' feet over broken glass
In our dry cellar
-- TS Eliot, The Hollow Men

If we take a look at the shapes of these stimulus, if we examine the state of BEING rather than the active state of PERFORMING (in our roles of employer, employee, creator, listener, receiver, etc), then we may wonder at the particular historical moment in which we have found ourselves. The popularity and rise associated with "reality TV" shows such as Big Brother and even Eurovision only hold sway momentarily, never to be repeated in the future -- for the interactivity, voting and audience involvement is as transient as the beep notification of an SMS alert.

And while our cultural artefacts are being produced at ever greater rates, the co-creation and location of their meaning appears to be increasingly bound up in the evanescent energy of this "interactivity". David Cushman, for example, cites a press release claiming that:

More video material has been uploaded to YouTube in the past six months than has ever been aired on all major networks combined, according to cultural anthropologist Michael Wesch. About 88 percent is new and original content, most of which has been created by people formerly known as “the audience".

However, as Alan Kirby points out in this article on Postmodernism (via Amanda Chappel):

A culture based on these things can have no memory – certainly not the burdensome sense of a preceding cultural inheritance which informed modernism and postmodernism. Non-reproducible and evanescent, pseudo-modernism is thus also amnesiac: these are cultural actions in the present moment with no sense of either past or future.

In the place of Postmodernism, Kirby argues for a new defining cultural moment -- pseudo modernism. Identifying 1980 as the turning point, the pseudo modernists can also be seen as those generations succeeding Generation X -- so called Generation Y or Millennials, though like anything, is more likely to relate to a mode of being than to an age/demographic group. Kirby's pseudo modernists are spookily devoid of agency, caught in the neverland between the capacity to effect change and the overwhelming minutiae digital interactions:

You click, you punch the keys, you are ‘involved’, engulfed, deciding. You are the text, there is no-one else, no ‘author’; there is nowhere else, no other time or place.

But if this is the case -- if the central seeding authority of the pseudo modernist is "cluelessness" -- a contrasting capacity to see and act on a big picture but an inability to act as an individual (or in community), then the antidote may well lie in the social media interactions that are their cause. For while "engagement" may well mean contributing to a social action in a far off country (perhaps distributing our own agency into the network of strong and weak ties), the proliferation of "real world" meetups and the intensity around them may provide some small cause for optimism in the bleak sea of pseudo modernist reality. This desire to capture and contain the fleeting ephemera of social interaction has driven the popularity of "live blogging", the collating and curation of "favourites" via del.icio.us and other bookmarking sites and the use and sharing of photographs, videos and so on. And while the production fails (and always will) in its effort to capture the live moment, we can be in danger of focusing too much on product over process -- emphasising the cultural or social aspect of end result over being in the moment.

However, I have a feeling that the artefacts of this new reality are yet to be realised for their value. For while it is easy to discount the quality, merit or even longevity of much that passes for cultural production in the current era, perhaps it is time to re-evaluate what can and should be considered important.

The disbelief in grand narratives that Lyotard identified with the postmodernists is a handy tool when it comes to thinking through our current consumer/cultural moment. And I have a feeling that Generation Y will prove to be more culturally heretical than they might at first appear. After all, the Internet with its hypertext and self-spurning evolution could well be considered the defining achievement of the postmodern generation. But the WAY in which future generations use, activate and build upon the Internet, its applications and social, technological and intellectual networks will have far reaching effects for our cultures and for us as individuals. This generation who have been "always connected" are bound to rethink society in fundamental ways.

This has certainly got ME thinking!

Calling All Marketers -- Inspiraton, Anyone?

Following up from the Microsoft teaser, the full-length video is now available.

With the first instalment in this series entitled The Breakup, the intention was to raise debate. Microsoft boldly tackled the issue around the shifting nature of the consumer-advertiser relationship, and invited marketers into the conversation. It certainly was not the type of communication or advertising I expected from Microsoft -- and it did capture a lot of attention at the time of launch.

But with this sequel there is a wholly different challenge. Geert Desager and Kris Hoet are clearly taking another step -- to facilitate the establishment of a marketing community (moving from conversation to action?). In the process, they are taking a sweep at brands, agencies and all the folks who inhabit them. There are some great lines, including "I tried to look up that Web 2.0 thing you told be about, I just couldn't find the exact URL". Let's face it both agencies and marketers are easy targets (and we provide so much fodder) ... so you are bound to raise a chuckle or two.

However, if you do want to move beyond the banter, the site Get Inspired Here is the place you can go. Over the coming weeks (and in the wake of Cannes), there is bound to be plenty of discussion, taunting and maybe even a little creativity. Get your full feed here. Hopefully there are more surprises in store!

Inspiration, anyone?
by geertdesager

JK Rowling @ Harvard

When I graduated from university, Peter Weir, the Australian movie director was awarded an honourary doctorate and gave an excellent speech on the need to be innovaive, persistent and to think critically. It was a great speech, and while I cannot remember much of it now, I do recall the feelings that it elicited.

Some of those feelings were reignited while watching JK Rowling's Commencement Address at Harvard, “The Fringe Benefits of Failure, and the Importance of Imagination”. You can watch the whole thing at the Harvard Magazine site, or on YouTube in parts. I have embedded part 1 below. Enjoy.

Creativity and the Blog

I mostly use Twitter for "listening" ... I scan the conversations from time to time to gauge what is going on in my personal universe. From time to time I will join in the conversation, but often my response is delayed due to working patterns, time zones or even the volume of information that passes through my Twitter feed. What often happens is that I will find a link of interest and then I will write a couple of sentences and save the information as a draft here on the blog. Later, when I have time, I scroll through the back catalogue of unfinished blog posts and finish it up. Here is one of those posts:

Learn Web Development with 100+ Free Courses
Today a tweet grabbed my attention, though it really could have just passed by. Paul Terry Walhus points out this great listing of free courses on web development available on the net. It is broken down into category areas such as multimedia, development, design and so on, making it not only a comprehensive list of resources but a usable one as well.

For me, the Servant of Chaos blog is a personal scrapbook of ideas ... I use it to work through concepts, to engage in debate and to capture the fleeting moments in time where the world and I collide.

If you write a blog, do you use it as a source and expression of your own creativity -- and why? And if you DON'T write a blog, how do you think blogging would impact or change your personal creativity and how would this change your professional life?

I would love to know ;)

Thinking in Pictures

As my regular readers will know, I am more of a storyteller than a visual artist. But I often find that one of the best ways of expressing my ideas will be in picture form. Unfortunately, my drawing skills are poor. Really poor. So this means finding an alternative way of working.

Where I always try to start is with the story. What is it that I am trying to get across to my audience? What is the starting point and where does the end point lie? What is the journey that we are going to take and what sights and sounds will we encounter along the way? I try to think of it as a train trip -- something that has an EXPERIENTIAL element to it.

An essential aspect for me is the metaphor. What is the key theme that I want to apply ... and what is the message? How do I build this up along the way? What are the rhythms I want to interject.

And once I have all this, I ask myself -- is there some visual that I can use? Where can I find it? How can I bring my story with its key themes together around the visual? Normally I start with a Google image search based around my key messages. If that does not result in a winning image, I often go to Flickr and do the same. But every so often both of these great tools fail me. That is when I take a breath and think about my friends and community. I think blogs and I think Twitter. But rarely do I think Facebook.

However, when I was thinking about this post, I knew that there was an image that I wanted. I just needed to think where it was. And sure enough, I remembered. David Armano generously setup a fan page on Facebook some time ago and saved many of his well-known (and well-used) diagrams to image albums. This is one of them. Be sure to check this great resource next time you get stuck!

Love and Discipline in Creativity

I have been in love with notebooks for years. I first started carrying one during my time at university -- not for lecture notes -- but for important things -- ideas and inspiration. You see, I loved writing and reading ... and I wanted to be able to capture great thoughts or snippets of quotes wherever I might find them. I spent a great deal of time in the library reading, in the bar and cafe watching, reading, writing (and even knitting), and my notebook became my constant companion. We were hardly ever apart. Really, it was a love affair of sorts.

Over the years, I experimented with types of notebook. There were the desk-style, leatherette varieties (with built-in calculator -- whatever that was for!), there was the moleskin, the handmade, the mass produced and the ringbound. There were a range of optional extras ... the brushed aluminium mini-brief case, the leather folder, the ballpoints, fountain pens, ratchet pencils, and everything in-between. Each of these artefacts drew me deeper into the world of words. Each sentence that I wrote confirmed my love.

After I had completed the first few notebooks and placed them on my shelf for reference, I realised that I was building a creative diary of my life. Almost like an autobiography of my own (often questionable) creativity. For these notebooks were pre-digital mashups -- a tangle of concepts, sources, research, quotes and action points. There were to do lists, recommendations and new connections made. Reading back over these now there is a sense of excitement and fresh innovation ... but also some staleness, some pretentious creativity feeding on its own cleverness.

But perhaps more important than the content written in these notebooks was the process and discipline that has served me so well ever since. You see, there is some tangible link between creativity and writing that we know or can sense, but can't quite define. When I read a brief, I will quickly write my response and leave it, coming back later to see whether my gut instinct was on target. More often than not, this initial reaction can be easily folded back into the overall response generated by my team -- and often to great effect. It seems to add a richness to the flavour of our response.

What does this have to do with social media or Web 2.0? My first post for this blog was actually written in a notebook and many of the ideas that I write about come directly from the same place. Often, if I can't quite figure out a post I will sketch out the linkage between ideas in my notebook before starting to write a post. While it doesn't work for everyone, it certainly does for me. And it is a wonderful discipline for any writer to employ. And if you want to give the notebook driven approach to creativity a try, The Staufenbergers have a great offer at the moment. There are TWO and only two beautiful handmade notebooks waiting for the person with the most compelling story. Get over there quicksmart!

Blogged with Flock

Time and the Joy of Writing

Fountain pens
Originally uploaded by smitha's project 365

Anyone who has been blogging for some time will know that it is hard work. It is a discipline and requires a level of effort that non-bloggers will have a hard time understanding. But often there is also joy.

Over the last couple of weeks I have started writing more. It just happened. Suddenly I jumped from writing single posts per night to writing two or three or even more posts. Sometimes there was a desire to share a thought or something that I had read ... at other times it was for the pure thrill of writing. (At least Typepad allows me to schedule the posts so that they don't all arrive at the same time.)

But it hasn't always been this way. In the early days my posts were light on and light weight. Some of them I still remember ... but in my memory they are better than they are in hindsight. The thinking is not so clear, the articulation not precise and the energy too easily dissipated. Part of my own discipline has been to engage with the act of writing and the craft of storytelling ... and where I mostly go wrong is that I forget the story and focus on the writing. Even now I can manufacture words that hang together impressively but provide only meagre sustenance.

I am sure you have experienced this as well. It is not like you have forgotten how to write well ... it is that you have not remembered that the story is as important as the telling. The antidote, of course, is TIME.

Take a look at this great post (one among MANY) by Skellie. Rather than pumping out a rash of posts, consider stopping. Consider re-working and re-thinking. Spend not 30 minutes on your post, but THREE HOURS. Narrow your focus and sharpen your skills. And if you dig deeply you will find a new joy in writing and those hours will fly.

Share it Like You Are Seven

100_6092
Originally uploaded by servantofchaos

Want to harness your creativity? Want a change of perspective? Easy. Hand your digital camera over to a child.

Inspired by this post on sharing ideas by Cam Beck ... and in preparation for my up-coming talk at InterestingSouth, I wrote this post over at MarketingProfs. It looks at the amazine world of my four year old daughter ... and while we share the same spaces -- her world is infinitely more magical than mine. Or was ... until I saw the pictures.

Interested in Interesting? A Call for Speakers

magnifying glass
Originally uploaded by mmlobster

Some of the most fascinating blogs, websites, videos and music accrue their value to us readers due to their intense scrutiny of one particular topic. But it is not just the topic that is of interest, but the passion, storytelling and personality of the people involved (which often also includes a vocal and proliferate community).
A couple of months ago, Russell Davies put together an unconference called Interesting2007. As you can see from the videos, articles and pictures, it was far from the standard advertising/marketing get together -- in fact, it was designed to be an event about ideas, passions and, well, interesting things. And from the reports, it seems to have been a great success!

In the wake of this success, Russell's partner in crime, Emily Reed, is organising Interesting South ... to be held here in Sydney, Australia on November 22, 2007. The venue, I believe, is the charming Bondi Pavillion.

NOW ... all we need are some "interesting" speakers. So if you are interested in giving us all between 3 and 10 minutes of passion, fill out the form below and send it to Emily by October 25, 2007.

Download speaker_topic.doc

Does Inter-Agency Collaboration Work

It is a great idea ... in theory. Come up with the BIG idea, bring all your agency "partners" together and execute a brilliant, integrated campaign. But does it work? Does it achieve your short term objectives? And perhaps, more importantly, does it achieve the long term strategic objectives that should be driving your brand?

All this and more, I ponder in this post over at MarketingProfs.

Enjoy.

Giving Feedback -- If you were not delighted with your experience ...

If you were not delighted with your
experience in this restroom ...
Originally uploaded by jgoldpac

One of the posts that consistently generates traffic to this site is this one. It was written in response to a Seth Godin post on the art of Giving Feedback.

Now whether you are a giver or receiver, criticism can be hard to take. You can feel slighted, victimised, angry or insulted. Sometimes the blood rushes to your face, your hands or to your feet ... criticism is one of those things that creates an emotional AND physical response.

BUT ... it is not just the receiving of criticism that is difficult. Giving it can be challenging too. Even those in positions of power can be clumsy in delivering feedback ... So, if you DO have to provide feedback, here are some tips:
1) Be honest but not brutal
2) Don't embellish or change the message part way through
3) Do it earlier rather than later (don't wait until things are very bad)

Oh, and on both sides ... be gracious under pressure.

I Will Show You Fear in a Handful of Dust

Into Dust
Originally uploaded by TjF Photography

Kristin Gorski has a great post on Billy Collins and his use of animations to accompany personal poetry readings. When an author does a "reading" it can generate a lot of interest -- we seek a definitive or authentic interpretation of a text, so we seek out its creator -- but often times (I find) that an author's reading or interpretation will leave me cold.
For example, when I first heard a recording of TS Eliot reading The Waste Land I was astounded. I could not believe how badly it was done -- how he rushed at his delivery, how he held off at some points and where he obliterated the rich yet desolate language in a single breath. But despite this ... and many years later ... I can still hear those words in my head. Is this to do with the extra layering of authenticity over the top of meaning? Was it just my teenage disappointment? (Thanks to Sharon for prompting my memory on this.) If you are interested, you can take a listen to the man himself here.

I have heard others perform TS Eliot's poetry -- and do so in a more compelling manner ... and sometimes a writer will hold too tightly to their work, will try to limit the interpretation or contain the meaning. The same can be said of IDEAS. Releasing our ideas, our words and our thoughts into the world can be terrifying ... but the only thing that really can hold them back is our own fear.

Oh So Pretty

Normally I complain about car companies not being creative enough in their marketing, so I was pleasantly surprised to see this beautifully executed site for Scion (thanks to the good folks at Organic). It is a Tim Burton-esq world in which we grown ups can play with the Scion brand.

It seems like the car companies are really digging into the online world all of a sudden -- as Katie points out -- Ford's latest moves are much more impressive than their bold moves of not so long ago. Who says you can't teach an old dog?

Grid Me

Grid lock
Originally uploaded by LawrenceGarwood.

I remember feeling a little bit freaked AND excited when I got the opportunity to design a book. I had always complained about the designs that I had seen, but had never actually been responsible for creating a design from scratch ... so I had to learn a lot very quickly. Luckily the editor that I replaced had left some great textbooks ... and these introduced me to the ubiquitous grid.

Although it is much maligned, the grid is an invaluable tool for designers ... and even more useful for NON-designers. It can provide non-designers with good insight into the methods and techniques that designers can employ to create spatial relationships between visual objects. And this great PDF by Mark Boulton and Khoi Vin brings my love of the grid right back into focus.

Tip of the hat to Lawrence Ardelean over at Three Minds @ Organic.

Gateway to the soul

Gateway to the soul
Originally uploaded by servantofchaos.

I read this post from Diana some time ago. It provides an excellent background on the Rosenhan experiment that looked at "being sane in insane places" ... and showed how the relationships between subject and object are far more fluid than we would like to believe. (One of the things I love about Diana's blog and those of other clever planners, is that they expose the depth and breadth of their thought processes in bringing to light the new visions of old ideas.)

Diana's post reminded me of a time in my life many years ago. I was fascinated by Romantic poetry and just happened to have a relationship crisis (isn't it always the way?) that tipped me over the edge. I didn't sleep for four days, wrote and read poetry incessantly and slowly but surely felt myself slipping into a form of madness. One night, suffering from exhaustion, I reached a point where I felt I could surrender -- just simply stop fighting, and allow my mind to freewheel. For me, I could see there was a choice, but I wondered also how many other people had come to this point and not been able to hold back.

And one of the things that struck me was the seductiveness of this madness ... and also its proximity. I had come to the brink of madness in only a matter of days!

The writings that I had accumulated in this time are powerful ... and some of the best and most harrowing of any of my creative works. The journey had allowed me to tap into a very strong creative stream, but it also meant potential danger and sacrifice. Even now, writing this, I can feel my heart pounding ... remembering the excitement and the fear. I think, in marketing, we call this "authenticity" ... but very few of us are able to creatively take a "message" to this deep and scary place.

Ever since that time, I have maintained an interest in the crossing point of sanity and madness. And somehow, after reading Diana's post, I found myself here at a site called "My Topsy Turvy Life" by Letha who works in a "medium secure forensic unit". The crossover in Letha's life becomes palpable when her work comes home with her ... and she has to change her shopping habits because a patient is released and moves into her neighbourhood. There are many interesting episodes ... but I particularly love this post about a patient who knitted Letha a scarf using lots of interesting knots and colours especially selected for her.

And while we can poetically consider that the eyes are the gateways to the soul, simple acts of kindness for those less fortunate ... or even simple acts of humanity, reach far deeper. It is one thing to look -- but quite another to DO.

Always the Bridesmaid?

A friend of mine, Andrew Howells, has an entry in this year's Bald Archies. For those non-Australians out there, the Bald Archies is an exhibition of paintings that parody Australia's premier portraiture prize, the Archibald Prize.

Andrew's painting depicts Australia's Prime Minister, John Howard, as a bride, with his Treasurer, Peter Costello as the dejected bridesmaid. This reflects recent political events and neatly puts the situation into a typical laconic Australian context. Hope you like it!

Need a Lift?

There are some people who seem to have abundant energy. Creativity oozes out of every pore. They tackle life and life's challenges with generosity, excitement and genuine curiosity.

As I walked up the street yesterday I was presented with one of life's gentlemen -- Paul Bennett. You can't miss him with his mane of silver hair, wide eyes and smiling face. After wishing me a happy new year he handed me a card ... membership of his new Lift Club. Actually, it was more than membership -- I am now a LIFT CAPTAIN.

Membership entitles you to openly converse with others while riding in a lift/elevator. On his site, you can learn the "rules" -- promote friendship, create good energy, create a club environment and HAVE FUN!

Paul also provides ideas for lift games, provides questions to get people talking and engaging. AND if you are daring enough, you can take the PAVAROTTI challenge -- invite your fellow lift travellers to sing with you. I am thinking of trying the Pavarotti challenge myself -- but will only get a couple of bars done by the time I arrive at my destination. Probably best for my fellow lift captives (ahem ... lift travellers).

All joking aside, this is a sensational way of openly breaking down some of the barriers that we allow between and amongst ourselves. Give it a go. Oh, and tell me how you went. Can you get anyone to sing with you?

What is Going on in Your Blogging Brain?

Don't Make Me Mad :)...J/K
Originally uploaded by jcash17588.

The bloggers that I love are those that surprise me. They take me on a journey and then turn around and give me a whack (sort of like Roger von Oech's Ball of Whacks) -- mostly in a good way.

This always makes me think ... about the way that I write, the things that I write about ... and how it could all get better. Today I have an article over at MarketingProfs talking about the types of blogs and bloggers that I love. Check it out here.

Oh, and speaking of great writing, my alien friend, Mindblob, has a fantastic article on the homeless in Paris. It is a great documentary style post that combines insight, beautiful writing and some excellent imagery and video.

Enjoy!

S.

Giving creative feedback to creative work

Emily and Russell talk about "creative" not being a department but more a responsibility. One that we all share. Of course, this also includes clients.

One of the often overlooked creative challenges is providing feedback on creative work. And if you are involved in any type of creative process, then you know that everyone has to provide feedback ... your friends will ask you for your opinion, your colleagues will expect your input and your staff will EXPECT you to provide them with CONSTRUCTIVE responeses.

If you are on the client side, it can be difficult to provide the type of feedback that your agency would like. Clients are necessarily a step removed from the inner workings of an agency ... and no matter how inclusive or engaged you may feel with an agency, there are thousands of small creative decisions that are made in the development of a piece of work ... and client feedback or response to each of these is almost impossible ... until things start to come together.

So as I was considering all this, looking over some work today, I found this great post by Paul Colman. He has some excellent insight into the creative review process. So in a fit of inspiration, and channelling CK, I decided to turn this into a reviewing checklist and see how it works in practice.

Hope this is ok with you, Paul. Anyone who wants it can grab it below. Please share your additions with the rest of us!

S.

Download creative_review_checklist.doc

Why Flickr Fascinates Me

Self Portrait on the Pier 1
Originally uploaded by jea9.

I have to admit that I am a much better interpreter than ideator. I may be able to, on occasion, come up with something clever, but I don't always have ideas on-tap. What I CAN do, however, is interpret ... or re-interpret.

When I was at university I loved directing plays. I was fascinated by the sinewy language that playwrights would use to convey meaning, emotion and space on a stage. I thrilled at the way some writers could make words leap off the page and race around my mind. But most importantly, I found a sort of addiction in interpreting texts for performance.

As I would read, my mind would begin to race. I would find real world connections, links to events or situations, or cross-references to other texts. And the more obscure the text, the more interesting I found it. Then, in searching for ways to explain these problem texts to an audience, I would seek out new contexts that would turn the text into words that an actor could roll around their tongue and bring to life.

I was Hamlet. I stood on the shore and talked to the surf. BLAH BLAH.
-- Heiner Muller, The Hamletmachine.

And when I started researching a sensational perfomance piece by Heiner Muller, I found that images and texts could collide. That there was something spectacular in a text that could do this ... and that an audience could be held in thrall as it happened.

When I was re-reading Russell Davies' post on interestingness (repaying my blog debt), I stopped on the first point. Take at least one picture everyday. Post it to Flickr. I DO love photography ... but I find that I am much more interested in finding other people's photos and re-interpreting them. For example, writing this post, I was looking for a self-portrait ... and the shot above reminded me of the name of this blog and what it is like to write under a pseudonym -- servantofchaos. You feel a little bit invisible -- but there in the shadows.

But the best part about Flickr is that there is soooo much material ready for interpretation. And in a Web 2.0 world, where context is king, content still speaks baby ... as long as you have the ears to listen.

Now only NINE more points of interestingness to work through ... should be finished about March next year!

S.

New Perspective on Photography

On the Phone
Originally uploaded by diverzify.

As a child I was fascinated with photography. I loved the dials, mechanisms and light meter needles. I loved the exotic brand names and funky model monikers. And I loved the spools of film that were threaded through internal workings.

But most of all, I loved the idea of speed. I was absolutely intrigued by the thought that you could capture something at one one-thousandth of a second. It seemed that, at that speed, you could find something secret in the folds of the world.

One day I discovered that my uncle kept a Pentax SLR camera in a box under his television. It was never used -- there were too many dials and buttons. The instruction booklet was in pristine condition and the cameras had that "still-new" smell about it. So everytime that I visited, I would seek out the box and the camera -- and the instruction booklet -- and learn and play.

Zenit
Originally uploaded by Hello, I am Bruce.

My first camera was a Zenit SLR camera and it was the best Christmas present ever. Prior to this I had always used my mother's camera ... normally of the "Instamatic" variety that were so popular in the 1970s. But my camera was different ... it had interchangeable lenses -- it had a light meter and required manual focusing. There were arpetures and F-stops ... and numbers and dials everywhere. And I loved the complexity of it all.

I have owned many cameras since then ... and, of course, I have a digital camera now. I also have a mountain of photos that document various times in my life (it was very expensive for me to develop films as a child, so my earliest photos are smaller in number). In some instances, these photos are my only memories of distant events -- while other photos will trigger whole and rambling memories. I am sure that many others feel the same -- cameras and photos are intrinsically linked to the stories of our lives.

So I was fascinated to read this post by Dina. In India, the mobile phone camera is the first exposure that many people have had to photography. And as the shots are digital, there is no cost to snapping ... no film or development costs. It made me think back to my first camera and my excitement and pride (yes I was proud of that little Zenit). It made me think of those old photos that I took -- and the way that I started viewing the world differently (I am still drawn to ready-made compositions through doorways and architectural angles).

But most importantly it made me think about imagery and history. With millions of Indians now starting, for the first time, to experience the joys and wonders of photography, there is bound to be an explosion of imagery, imagination and history. We live in wonderful times indeed.

Thanks to Diverzify for the image via Flickr.

S.

Creative Chaos

I have always believed that there is a link between creativity and chaos, and the more I embrace the chaos of the world, of life and my work, the more doors open into a creative world.

When I first started using the name "Servant of Chaos", it was simply to create a new Yahoo Messenger ID. I was there at work looking at my office with piles of paper (who said computers would lead to less paper), stacks of brand and style guides reaching up to the ceiling, row after row of Corbus photo sample books and three computers lined up ready to go. And the more I thought about it, the more I realised that FAR from being the MASTER of my own destiny, I was a servant of the chaos that comes into, and forms part of, my own world.

Realising this was great. It allowed me to let go of any sense of control. It allowed me to focus on the end result of my work, not on my ability to MAKE something happen. It made me think about my customers, my colleagues and my friends. Well, I am still pretty pushy, but I am not as bad as I was!

I was reminded of this by this great post by Tara. She is talking about embracing chaos ... from a different perspective, of course, but the lessons hold true (you can read them all) -- embracing the chaos prepares you for ANYTHING. Precisely because you don't know what to EXPECT, you don't exclude possibilities. You are open to, and are able to respond more nimbly to, unexpected events.

Unfortunately, this is not for everyone. Some people DO like a more predictable life. How about you? Bet I know the answer ;)

S.

Creative Challenge

Why do you do the work you do? Why put the effort in?

Do you want to be famous? Do you want to change the world? Do you want to help someone see their world just a little differently?

Google have a mantra, "do no evil". The Staufenbergers have laid down a challenge to designers to "do good things". I really like this approach ... and I like the philosophy behind it.

In the past, I've managed to ease my conscience by reminding myself that marketing has the power to do good and doing the odd bit of COI work can help as well. In the ongoing task of conscience easing, Staufenberger have joined forces with two doctors, Dr Kanwal Kalim and Dr Geraint Lewis. The aim is to marry specialist medical knowledge with communication understanding with the intention of working together with the public and private sector to promote public health. Think about something like Jamie Oliver's school dinners as great example of the communication of public health.

What they are doing is calling on the graphic designers out there who may have an image, a design or photograph locked away gathering dust ... and asking for donations. Sure there may not be any money in it, but a little love goes a long way.

So if you feel you have some love to spare ... drop by and help the guys out.

S.

What Happened to the Customers?

What the consultant saw
Originally uploaded by Scott Adams.

I laughed when I saw this picture the first time. And I laughed when I saw it again today. It was in an article on consultants over at HorsePigCow.

As I read through the article and thought about the picture, I started to also think about this article by David Armano. David encourages us all to get out into the world and mingle ... walk and talk with the people we design and create for. And then it struck me ... the thing that was missing from the picture was the customers. Here was a picture of a park, but there was no one there ... no kids, parents or even dogs.

Of course, it is easy to think that your CLIENT is always right ... they are the ones paying the bills after all. But what happens when you create your work ... a consultant's report, a website, an ad campaign (whatever it is) and no-one buys, watches or engages with it? What if you imagine, design, manufacture and install the BEST swing in the world but it is in a park that no one visits? It is important to keep your focus on your CLIENT'S customers ... because long after the project closes people will remember (and perhaps continue using) your work. And then no one will remember the brief, the challenges or the implementation.

They will only know how YOUR work affects their life now. Is it easy? Nooo! Is it worthwhile? It is if you want to proudly stand by your work.

Stand up for the customers. It might hurt at first, but it is good pain. Go on ... you know its true.

S.

You Are Only As Sexy As Your Words

While I am thinking about the importance of what and how you write ... and what makes an attractive blog entry ... I found this. Looks good to my reading ears.

It's Not the Size of Your Sphere of Influence ...

It has been fascinating watching how the discussion on Spheres of Influence has evolved ... and even more fun jumping from comment to comment and blog to blog to see how the spheres of influence actually work.

There were links to WebMetricsGuru (actually two trackbacks ... perhaps this is something to do with web metrics), comments by Eric Kintz, BobG, Karl Long, Craig Lefebvre, Mack Collier, Nick Rice, MindBlob (whoever he may be), Ed Lee, Toby as well as my good self ... not to mention the earlier suggestions and contributions from Ariel, Bryan Person, Matthew Peschong, Lewis Green, Stephen Downes and Seth Finkelstein, and there were clearly some email conversations also occurring. Now, some of these blogs I know and read myself ... while others are new to me -- and it is clear that there are some fairly high profile bloggers and some relative newcomers all contributing their ideas and energy to this topic. What is PARTICULARLY interesting is the way that the topic has encouraged this diverse range of people to contribute.

It is one thing to read a blog, but quite another to comment ... and this goes way beyond influence, as does the result. Clearly the discussion has generated a piece of great new knowledge ... but the EXPERIENCE of the process was what made this interesting (see also this from David). As Glen Drury, VP at Yahoo! says, "Wisdom is not online. For one thing, not every book is online. And secondly, some knowledge is only experiential" ...

It is the experience of knowledge creation that is part of the excitement of blogging ... not the size of your sphere of influence, but how well it taps into the zeitgeist of new knowledge.

Kick Starting the Brain(storm)

Brainstorm
Originally uploaded by Saad..

It is easy to forget that creativity or innovation doesn't "just happen". Even if you work in a "creative" team ... there is no guarantee that creativity will occur -- you need to find ways to boost the chances of your work being viewed as innovative.

Sometimes it takes coffee (in my case, plenty of it), at other times sugar. But in almost all instances, creativity and innovation take TIME and (horror of all horrors) planning.

Brainstorming is often seen as an end in itself, rather than a small step in a creative process. And while brainstorming can help bring out or enhance ideas, the breakthroughs that we look for often occur in isolation, appear unexpectedly and sometimes take extra time and effort to connect with your own thoughts and those of your team. Hmmm ... starting to sound strange -- what am I talking about?

Before brainstorming

The secret to creativity is preparation. And creative preparation is focused as well as undisciplined (or chaotic). You need to immerse yourself in the world, its ideas, images and trends, but you also need to stand apart. You need to LISTEN to the breathing of the world, get inside the skin of others and look with the eyes of a stranger at the life you live everyday. In short, the best preparation for creativity is LIFE (but from the outside-in). [Actually I don't know if I really agree with this, but I am going with it.]

You also need inspiration. Not an idea ... but breath. Your ideas need to live, they need to take a breath and come to life. So, when you get a brief or a request, take a pad and write down the first thing that comes to mind. Draw a picture if that is what works. Just make sure you do it straight away. Once you have your small piece of inspiration, secret it away somewhere (you will come back to it later).

Now you need to research and think ... and you also need to continue to work on your OTHER projects. One of the important parts of brainstorming is deep, unconscious processing -- you need to let your brain work through the tricks, memories, techniques, stories, images and anecdotes that you have been storing away throughout your life. This is hard work and really cannot be done consciously. If you try to force it, the result won't ring true.

Then immediately before your brainstorming, pull together some thoughts, write them up in a form that makes sense to you, grab a coffee and head into the meeting.

In the storm

There are lots of tips and tricks to brainstorming, all written by people with more authority and expertise than I. The one thing that is always important to remember is that NO IDEA IS IRRELEVANT. It is easy to forget about the STORM part and focus on the BRAIN -- the last thing that you want in a brainstorming meeting is censure. You don't want self-censure and you don't want peer or group censure.

Remember to speak up, and speak up early. The earlier you speak up and contribute to a session, the easier it becomes. Put your ideas up on the board. Let others listen to them and add or change them. DON'T BE PRECIOUS.

Categorise and review the information that comes out in your brainstorm. Find the common threads and bring the ideas together ... prioritise them in some way and find ways of linking categories -- whether as a pictogram or as a word theme/meme.

Now, remember to write it all down. Make a summary of your notes, thoughts and feelings. Share them with the other participants ... and determine the NEXT STEPS ... and responsibilities. Don't let the good ideas go to waste -- ensure that you are all clear about what happens next, who is going to do it, and when it is due.

Finally, take the ideas that don't fit, or are not prioritised, and write them onto a SPARE IDEA card. Place these in categorised boxes. Then, next time, when you are sitting through a idea drought, reach into the box of spare ideas and find new inspiration!

Designers are Wankers

While I think the title of this post is great, I think it is a much better title for book! I found this over at Patrick Syms & Yusuf Chuku's Staufenberger Repository blog.

The Staufenbergers raise an interesting point ... over the last couple of years, debate over "creativity" has been heightened and managed by professional consultants. There have been books, discussions, blogs, articles and so on ... but much of the debate has been transformed into consultant-speak, tyrranised by the voice of the corporation, and starved of human touch.

And while I am more than happy to hear about companies trying to encourage creativity and innovation, I am just as interested in freeing creativity and innovation from the binds that turn it into process. My view of creativity is a little more disruptive and anarchic than this ... and it is precisely those types of disruptions that I am most interested in.

Long live creative chaos!

S.

The Future of Entertainment

Also from Recognize Design, a link through to Marketallica where there is a great mind map of forces shaping the future of entertainment. I have never been a fan of mind maps as a tool for creative thinking ... but this one has pulled together some interesting pieces of information.

And as I began to think about it a little more, it made me think about what works and what does not work. It made me really think about the future of entertainment -- what will work and what will not. Or, I guess, what is working now, and what is not.

There has been a bit of comment flying around since over the Agency.com/Subway "viral" pitch ... with a focus on the BIG idea. David Armano has followed it up with some good digging into the need for BIG execution ... but it seems to me that the problem is not necessarily with the gap between idea and execution, but too simplistic a choice of execution. It comes right back to innovation and the need to be able to pull apart media and technology and creative processes so that they can be successfully be rebuilt in a NEW way.

That is what I mean (I think) when I talk about innovation being HARD. We can't just take one old form and apply it to a new distribution model. We can't just rely on the BIG idea ... because when a big idea gains momentum, you can lose the capacity to DELIVER it. It is not the idea that is important -- it is whether it works.

S.

Is Cool the New Management Consulting

I had never considered this before. Those clever folks over at Fast Company have highlighted the use of agencies to provide insight in the same way that management consultants used to be called in to restructure a corporation's business model.

Of course, this is not a new phenomenon ... and there are some out-standing examples of marketers and strategists who can bring together business, marketing and strategic planning skills. Another form of convergence -- just one that is more about people than about technology. (Reminds me of David Armano's T-shaped creatives again).

But does that mean we will end up with agencies becoming the new McKinseys? Or will McKinseys reassert themselves in this space by hiring trend analysts and creative directors? Interesting!

Thanks to Josh Carlton.

S.

The Art of Giving Feedback

One of my first jobs out of university was as an editor. I worked in a legal publishing company where the challenge was to update our legislation and commentary volumes more accurately and faster than our competitors. Actually, this was a secondary challenge -- the primary challenge was to make our markup and changes quickly but also accurate enough to pass the review of our managing editor ... the eagle-eyed Paul F.

Of course, this was at a time when editing was still done mostly on paper. So there was plenty of "cutting and pasting" ... with real scissors and real glue. And each time, as I approached Paul's office (after double and triple checking my work), I would think "this time I have got him". Each time, such was my optimism, I thought that there would be no errors, that Paul would not find anything out of place, and that I could send my manuscript on for typesetting straight away.

Within seconds Paul would have found an error. "What is that?", he would ask. I would stammer some answer not even being able to focus on the question or the growing amount of green pen on my manuscript. "How did this happen?", he would ask. I would begin answering only to be greeted by even more errors. "The page numbers are out of sequence" ... blah blah blah.

Did this make me a good editor? No, I don't believe it did. Did I take Paul's feedback personally? Only at first. Then I realised that he was exactly the same in any environment ... he even spoke to his mother the same way. Eventually I realised that Paul found it difficult to communicate in anything but a hierarchical way. That is why he liked to work. It is where he felt most in control.

As my career progressed, I found that I was increasingly asked to provide other with feedback, with mentoring and with advice. I reviewed their writing, their planning, their concepts and even their performance reports, and soon I found that it is much harder to give feedback than I ever thought possible. Unfortunately it does not seem to get easier with more experience. But today, Seth Godin has a great piece on giving feedback. His focus is on providing analysis, not commentary.

It is all about peformance. Look at what needs to be improved, focus on the big picture (not the typos) and make sure that, if you find something good, let the writer know. Read the whole post here.

By the way, I did become a passably good editor, also thanks to Paul's persistence. Sometimes criticism is harsh, but there is an art to giving it, and an art to hearing it. Just because it feels personal doesn't mean it is not true!

Thanks to Adactio for the photo.

S.

Saying No

"Difficult people" are everywhere. They are in shops, in restaurants, on the bus and in your meetings at work. They may even be members of your family. You can tell a difficult person because they stop things from happening. They raise questions and ask WHY? But one of the GOOD things about difficult people is that they do say NO.

I was listening to Lisa Haneberg's fireside chat with Johnnie Moore and was struck by the discussion towards the end that focused on "difficult people". I have always been focused on achieving outcomes, making things happen -- often overcoming the problems posed by "difficult people". But Johnnie and Lisa raise some interesting points about difficult people and the way that we label them.

Difficult people are often very passionate and driven people. They are saying NO for a reason -- and while there may be a hidden agenda, there may also be very valid reasons. The challenge for marketers is to work through the issues to find a new way of engaging the difficult person. How do we do this?

Johnnie suggests that we start by leaving our own agendas at home. It is easy to forget that we have our own ideas and expectations that we bring to a workshop, to a campaign or a project. If we REALLY listen to the difficult person, we may find that the problems are not with them, but with us. Finding a new way to communicate is the challenge -- but the first step is listening to the words that come out of our own mouths and understanding how "difficult" we are being.

S.