If we are not changing, we are dying
by Tim McMullen
This is one of the core values of redpepper. The best way to change is to learn.
I have learned and in many cases continue to learn from the sources below. Not everything that guides me comes from this list, but I felt it worth sharing.
In no particular order:
Marcus Buckingham: “Focus on your strengths and passions”
John Maxwell: “Show me a growing person and I will show you a happy person”
Alex Bogusky: Stop thinking normally – explore the uncomfortable places in your mind, brand and advertising. (He did not say that, but that is what I take away)
Seth Godin: He does a great job of researching and articulating the leading edge of marketing as it relates to consumer engagement.
Verne Harnish: If we do the “No Fun” stuff efficiently, we will have more time and resources to do the “Fun Stuff” great.
Creativity Magazine: They do a great job of displaying the latest expressions in commercial (and other) forms of creativity
Harvard Business Review: Those geeks are smart and they study human behavior stuff to the last detail – why not cheat off of them – I did in school.
redpepper’s Daily Diversion: The wonderful, yet semi-quiet, little spots of creative inspiration. There is way more creative inspiration out there than what you see in the awards books.
redpepper’s Lagniappe: Customers have always been important and they always will be, so let’s be friends.
Independent films: I just love every frame and every line in almost every indy film I watch.
Marketing Sherpa: The big guys spent a lot of money in trial and error. We don’t have to make all our own mistakes. Case studies galore.
Visits to other agencies around the country: What not to be – what to tweak – what to adopt. For some reason, they always get me jazzed to make redpepper more unique.
I would say that you, too, could learn from these sources. I would like more sources – sources you find inspiring to your creativity and your development.
Could you share just one or two with me?
Thank you,
Tim
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I agree, learning is the anecdote for lifelessness.
One of my favorite places online to get away from the ordinary is http://www.itsnicethat.com/
They update daily and are dedicated to staying on top of creative culture. You can not possibly leave the site without seeing your world slightly different.
And in the physical space, I find one of the best places for stimulating new thought is the airport. Maybe it’s because you’re anticipating your arrival in new territory. Nevertheless, if you are cognizant of the places your brain runs wild, you have a better chance of capturing your fleeting thoughts.
Posted at 9:58 am on October 2nd, 2009
I’m love, love, loving this post! Couldn’t agree with you more on the quotes and resources.
I heard this quote a number of years ago and loved it so much that I recently got a tattoo of the quote. It is in Spanish and I am not sure of the author: “Nada es Seguro, Todo es Posible” translated – “Nothing is Certain, Anything is Possible”. I try to live by this in both my personal and professional lives…and have found it to be so true!
My tip to contribute to your sources is: always capture ideas no matter how silly or insignificant they may seem. Anytime I have an idea I write it down and file it away. I began doing this when heard the idea from a company (that I can’t seem to remember right now!) that literally has a cardboard box labeled: “idea box” for all of their employees to drop their ideas into as they come up with them. It’s brilliant because sometimes we think of something that may not be perfect for execution at that very moment, for one reason or another, but a situation could arise in the future that the ‘old idea’ is the perfect solution for!
It’s a great way to brainstorm and it is also fun to read ideas you came up with in the past that you may have totally forgotten about!
Posted at 12:47 pm on October 7th, 2009