Tag Archives: inspiration
“I went to a talk that really inspired me today” was the sentence heard around Austin for the duration of the SxSW Interactive conference. Conversations overheard offered glimpses into the emotional rollercoaster of inspiration taking place. Dialogues turn philosophical when privacy or the implications of the great WWW on children are discussed and career paths are questioned. Outside of the philosophical, excitement is built in this really cool way when sentences start with, “What if I …” and end with a new idea.
I went to a talk that really inspired me the other day. The brains behind the3Six5, 6 Items or Less and Victors and Spoils held a panel on crowd-sourced projects that ask a community to be creative, but within the project’s parameters. I’ve been rolling a project like this over in my brain for about 5 months and came out feeling energized and excited. Inspiration is personal and can feel like you’re being pinged by the universe to do something awesome. The voices of the inspired rang throughout the conference locations, so I know I’m not alone.
On the way back to wherever we all came from, moving from inspiration into action is the tough part. My father, always quick on the draw with his words of wisdom, used to say, “It’s really easy to do nothing,” but why waste this kinetic conference energy on taking the easy road? Harness what’s making you tick, whether at SxSW or not, to help you get over the action-hump with a couple of intuitive, but useful tips.
1. Do something to put whatever it is you’re dreaming about into action immediately.
If your creative juices are flowing and nothing is there to catch them, you’ll likely lose your momentum. Do anything to move towards your goal and you’ll be closer than where you were before you were inspired. If you’re going to start a Web site that compiles Twitter photos with the same hashtag, buy the domain name. If you’re going to start a blog, register your Tumblr or Posterous. (By the way, is it P-oe-ster-us or P-ah-ster-us?) Make some sort of commitment to yourself via the Internet that you’re going to follow through.
SxSW = Free sh*t everywhere!!! That is what they do here at SxSW, give out free sh*t (and talk about interactive stuff). If you’re uber-lucky, it’s a new Mac Air or Limited PS3, but if you’re just simply happy-go-lucky it’s free beer, corn on the cob and a slider.
I realized this almost instantly and made a personal, executive decision to abandon my inconvenient and uncomfortable 10 lb bag of free t-shirts, stickers, books and buttons for the much more ergonomic 10 lbs of Tex Mex and beer in my belly. Once I made that decision, everything became so much clearer to me as I moved through town. No longer was I distracted by people trying to hand me paper and product. Weighing the option of a free poster was no longer a decision that I had to make, because behind every person holding a poster, there were the sights and smells of BBQ (and the guy with a giant billboard strapped to him reading ‘Free Food’).
FedEx trucks handed out Fed Ex branded Pizza boxes, MapQuest filled 6 buses on a Roadtrip to Saltlik, Firefox had a free ice cream truck, PlayStation opened a bar with gaming stations and free beer, Hot Mmmpanadas courtesy of GroupOn, Free Breakfast and Bloody Mary’s at EBay Hangover Party, The CNN Grill, Squarespace, FourSquare, Pepsi…. the list went on and on.
If for some reason your nose, eyes or maybe even your two legs failed you in finding one of these stops you could always use your two thumbs… #freefood, #freedrink, #sxsw, foodspotting.com, sxswfreenoms.tumblr.com, etc… there was no shortage of information on the true food network.
Sexy digital. Those 2 words don’t really pair together very often. We hear about sexy adverts or sexy product design all the time, but digital isn’t really thought of that way. It’s often functional, it’s sometimes fun, it’s frequently structured- but it doesn’t have that va-va-voom s-e-x-y of the more obvious creative mediums. And if you think about it, from a tool, personalisation and possibilities POV, that doesn’t make a whole lot of sense.
When I think about all the places digital could go I think of the Never-ending Story. Vast kingdoms, mind-bending experiences, Sebastian realising he was in the story all along…Oh, the possibilities! Experiences that can be so much more surprising, charming, authentic and emotionally in-tune with the individual than nearly any other medium.
Sexy doesn’t come from a spray of cologne or a pair of cufflinks, nor does it come from a place of desperation to be liked. Tarting something up with a new logo or colour scheme does not cut the mustard, nor does a social media campaign for a brand that needs bigger help. Sexy is a way of carrying an attitude–a swagger, an elegance, a charm…and those things start from within. They start before the wardrobe door is opened to dress the body; they are built on a foundation. They’re built on everything we do, from the ground up.
The newest Apple Store that just opened in Austin on March 11 will be closing in 2 weeks… as planned.
It’s no surprise that the company that ‘thinks different’ thought differently about how to position themselves (and the new iPad 2) to the 13,000+ temporary SxSW residents of Austin. Once again, they did what now seems obvious… they found a great retail location, installed hardwood floors, painted the walls white and put oversized product hero shots in the windows… and they created this ‘pop-up’ store in 3 days.
What resulted was what we’ve now come to expect from the launch of any new Apple Product (read as slight upgrade): long line-ups, sold out product and lots and lots of conversation. The interesting part however was being there to witness the process of how that conversation radiated. From pre-opening tweets about a possible store (due to unusual amounts of Apple hooded employee sightings) to the posts and critiques about how Etsy had an even better temporary store, the conversation about the Apple Pop-Up moved like a wave into the presentations of keynotes and material of stand-up comedy and podcasts.
Enjoy this month’s Employee Spotlight with Steve Habbi from our Calgary office.
1. What is your role at CM? How do you spend your days?
As as Senior Planner on the Nissan USA account I spend my days thinking about video games, race cars, tuners and the occasional mini van…I am being serious. I try to think like the consumer and create experiences that I wish were served up to me. I ground my insights on solid research foundations and rigorous debate with creative and tech folks (and sometimes clients). I also apply common sense to planning and ask “So What?” as often as possible. I believe our job is to create value for our clients and therefore consumers, so if ideas don’t pass the “So What?” and common sense test it’ll probably get cut.
2. What is the greatest thing about CM culture?
CM culture is refreshing and invigorating. I truly mean that. Having worked as a freelancer before coming here, my day-time social life was a bit lacking. I often describe CM as being much like life at university; that being a casual place where ambitious and intelligent people gather to work hard, create, collaborate, have a good laugh then head over to the pub.
3. What drives you? What are you inspired by?
I’m driven to do the best work I can. I try to make a big impression and hope to be sought out to work on even better and more exciting projects. Life just isn’t that exciting when I’m not challenged and can’t see the bigger opportunity up ahead. Fortunately, CM provides that environment and I try to take full advantage.
This year we’d like to take a bit of time to show off some of our talent here at Critical Mass. We are incredibly proud to have the best people in the industry, who also happen to be some of the best musicians, parents, athletes, friends, chefs, gamers, artists and beer- consumers. To share a bit of what makes CM special, we’ll serve up these Employee Spotlights with individuals from across all disciplines and offices. For January, allow us to introduce Reza Kay.
1. What is your role at CM? How do you spend your days?
I’m Head of Design at CM London. Part of my day normally consists of reviewing the briefs, estimates and design work going through the studio. Aside from the more administrative tasks, I will normally work with the Creative Director who I will collaborate with and then set design direction for every project/pitch. I also work closely with IA, Planning, AM’s and PM’s, and Tech to ensure that the creative and design ideas are always in place. More importantly, a large part of my role is to inspire, collaborate with and guide our designers, and to be a sort of ‘brand guardian’ for our clients… And yes, I do still spend part of most days designing in Photoshop.
2. What is the greatest thing about CM culture?
I think the greatest thing about CM culture has to be the openness, receptivity and friendliness of its people. It’s a company that cares, respects and looks out for its people. It’s the idea that we’re not made up of numbers or ‘staff’, but of individuals and personalities — fostered from the very top — which I believe builds the very foundation of CM culture.
3. What drives you? What are you inspired by?
Wow… what a tough question! I’m driven by my search for perfection and collaboration, though sometimes just perfect collaboration. I’m inspired by many things: the Interweb (obviously!) and it’s every changing disposition; my close friends and family; design, fashion, music, art and architecture (how clichéd!); science and the universe; the smell of spring in the air… Many, many, things really.
