Tag: creativity

The 'have you seen' society

Posted on by Steve Sammartino

While the sharing of ideas on the social web has enlightened us all, it has also turned us into a ‘have you seen’ society. A society where people want to be first to know and first to show. A community of finders, fans and agents. To the point where it consumes time we could be putting into our own projects, where we could be the thing being shared. While curating the cool stuff has a value, and we all do it, there is a simple thing we should remember –  Without creation than can be no curation. And curation is always subservient to what is being created.

I can tell you from personal experience there is far more satisfaction in saying; “look what I built.”

In 2013 we should remind ourselves that the most valuable thing we can do is get out there create something.

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The future is less

Posted on by Steve Sammartino

You’ve heard this:

If all you ever do, is all you’ve every done. Then you can only expect all you’ve ever got.

It’s changed slightly, actually it has changed radically:

If all you ever do, is all you’ve ever done. Then you can expect much much less than you used to get.

This is because there are a nearly 2 billion people in the BRIC nations who are prepared to do what you do for around 10% of your price. And in a ‘web everywhere’ world people can find them. Yes this includes nearly all of us – Architects, Engineers, Accountants, Lawyers, Graphic Designers, Coders, Developers, Journalists  – every single task that can be done remotely, and even some that can’t be.

For them 10% of your pay is a 50% pay rise. A pretty good deal from where they sit.

What to do – do more with the stuff that lives around the edges. Make meaning from the seemingly disparate. Add a creative edge by mashing things up in a new and interesting way.  And demand the people near you take notice of your ideas. If they don’t, then find a better place to share your creativity.

The trick to the future is to organise the factors of production, not be them.

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Validation of Awesomeness

Posted on by Steve Sammartino

It’s pretty disappointing when you come up with a great advertising idea, new website or app – only to be shown one just like it. To learn that it has been done already. It’s a bit deflating in fact.

Unless we purposely decide to flip it around.

What we ought do instead is a create a list of the ideas and projects we arrived just a little to late on.

The list should be called the: ‘Validation of Awesomeness‘ list.

On this list is all the things that you thought of or started independently, just not soon enough. In fact the longer this list gets the happier we should be. We should be happy if it is long, because it proves we are on track. It proves our brain is cranking, we are on the path to getting it right. And eventually, we’ll have a fresh idea that we can take to market and get our own share of awesomeness. It proves our creative prowess. The list tells us it is just a matter of time. In addition it just might gives us the confidence we need to get it to market quickly.

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Address is approximate – Imagination is vital

Posted on by Steve Sammartino

I came across this piece which is a totally brilliant mash up on of film making and Google maps. There is no real technical genius in this. A few simple time lapse techniques is all it is. The real value is the imagination need to think of this new use of an omnipresent technology. As I have said before the art of business in the new world is taking the seemingly disparate and creating new meaning.

This almost made me cry. Enjoy.
[vimeo http://www.vimeo.com/32397612 w=400&h=225]

Address Is Approximate from The Theory on Vimeo.

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Good ideas v bad ideas

Posted on by Steve Sammartino

We automatically jump to our personal conclusions on ideas that are shared with us.  It’s either good or bad. We can’t help it. But our opinion is somewhat simplified. What we are really doing when we jump to these conclusions is assessing the probability of success. How probable the ideas is to succeed. Good ideas are more probable in our mind.

The interesting thing about probability of success is that ideas that have lower probability are usually the ones with the biggest reward. The trophy ideas. But rather than pigeon holing ideas as good or bad – we consider them in terms of probability. It is only when we do this, that our appetite for risk can be part of the decision making process.

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The rate of change

Posted on by Steve Sammartino

Yesterday I was reading through the business and tech sections of the huffington post. There were so many new stories on new business ideas, new technology, upcoming research, recently funded startups, and product launches from tech giants that I had to stop and take a breath. I realised that there is no possible way to keep up with everything happening in the business world. It was a bit deflating to read it all. I felt out of touch.

With exponential change happening we’ve got to stop trying to keep up. It’s a waste of time. Instead we need to remember no one is responsible for all this innovation, and the only way to be part of any of it, is by focusing on the tiny segment which is right in front of us.

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Maxibon Manchew – Radvertising

Posted on by Steve Sammartino

This is the best advertising I’ve seen so far this year. Really love the concept and the execution. Made me hungry.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-9EL_naUHtY]

If you’re going to advertise your startup then I reckon we can learn something form the radvertising above. And the lesson is this:

Don’t get lost in the middle. Go as close the edge as possible. Make outrageous tongue in check claims and be hilarious, or be 100% authentic and truthful. Everything in the middle of either of these two extreme edges is simply, wallpaper.

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