I'm sitting in my local coffee shop, it's amazing how a couple of coffees, a writing pad, pen and a hour or two can create your next special project. I get away from the computer to begin any new project - I like to draw a lot when coming up with ideas.
After nearly ten years of writing most days I find it takes 2-3 pages and about 45 minutes of just dumping down all those random thoughts on your mind before whatever idea is in your head finally comes to the surface.
Turning those ideas into something real takes a hell of a lot longer.
Over the years there have been many experiences and books consumed which have helped mold the creative process.
It was a gift of Julie Cameron's "Right to Write" years ago that gave me confidence to just let the information flow. If people like your stuff they'll embrace - let it flow, be yourself and edit later. Very Zen.
In terms of marketing then Seth Godin's "Purple Cow" and his incredible daily insights which has had the most influence - be remarkable.
I'm also a fan of Garr Reynold's "Presentation Zen". Keep it simple.
Our experiences and ideas morph into our own unique ways of doing things - from initial brainstorming and conceptualisation, through project planning, management, creatiion, delivery and engagement.
I suppose that's one of the challenges - "information overload" and how to incorporate all these thoughts, models and processes into your own unique style.
At times you have to wonder what the return on investment is - isn't it much easier to just consume, comment or share?
I suppose the answer to that question is the final product or service that is delivered and your measurement of success - sales, subscribers, personal feeling of satisfaction, seeing other people smile, engage or learn?
Now onto "The Project" and to research some online project collaboration tools.
Tsunamis of change flatten landscapes causing us to reevaluate and rebuild. The same process impacting people and brands. The marketplace is fundamentally different then yesterday. How do you reconfigure and set direction?
Moving foward I'm reminded (unfortunately) of Kevin Costner's Field of Dreams "Build it and they will come". Do you recreate based on Malcolm Gladwells "Blink" - your gut instinct and passion, or conform and risk analysis paralysis? The old rules are "old rules".
My favorite blogger Seth Godin wrote today about "The customer is always wrong" and the difference between a hobby and a career. Do what you enjoy, life is short.
Sometimes it seems as if either the goal posts have moved or that you find that the path you were heading on was not going in the right direction, ie you're not happy in your job, people don't respect your work, you wish you were somewhere else and so on (note see my favorite advertisement from this years Superbowl)
How do you respond to the new market place, what do you do?
You evaluate, and decide to change tack like a sailing boat navigating across an ocean, you steer in another direction, maybe you create a new product or service?
It seems to me the ultimate destination is always centered around happiness, wealth and good health and I think it was Confucius who said - "it is not the destination but the journey that matters"
Happiness -what can you spend hours doing, enjoying, "in the zone", with passion!
Wealth - is there a market for your products and services?
Health - mental, physical, emotional, intellectual, financial, spiritual, social, creative.
When you start on any new journey there are so many unknowns and diverting noise demanding attention which can appear daunting or, maybe you are not aware of what you don't know and simply step into the darkness, learning as you go - in time your eyes and senses adjust, substance takes form.
No matter what, practice makes perfect and builds confidence in all aspects of life. Over time we develop our knowledged eye and understand the difference between real and imagined limits.
As the Nike ad says Just Do It! If it is right your audience will connect.
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Much is said about the end of print and television - yes and no. Of a weekend I still like to read the newspaper or magazine down the beach or the coffee shop of a morning but yes, day to day, news is mostly delivered via internet news feeds, blogs and email report subscriptions.
Like we've seen in music what we'll see is more of convergence and transformation from analogue to digital - like old vinyl records to CD to online. Conventional media will increasingly incorporate digital elements - website addresses, semacodes, interactive advertising and so on.
The hardware may change - paper vs electronic but not the central communication.
This month Esquire magazine launched a new digital cover - very cool.
Magazines in particular offer a great model for online social community engagement - they already have a central subject matter; readers and advertisers - the challenge is the transformation - to maintain advertising revenues, profits and subscriber loyalty in the highly competitive online space - online, a reader's attention may only be a click then onto something else - consumer attention is not guaranteed.
The central factor here is maintaining "customer attention"
One of the major costs to magazines is production and distribution and certainly distribution and consumer consumption habits are changing. Many magazines look a bit like Hugh Hefners old smoke jacket - not with times, a sort of Gatsby feel.
Digital production costs are decreasing and digital media will increasingly encroach across all marketing and advertising channels - from interactive billboards to eventually videos on soup cans on supermarket shelves.
I can see it now as I walk past a can of spaghetti on a supermarket shelf. "eh, maxy boy, think spag on toast tomorrow morning after you've played touch footy [noise from left] over here mate, the low fat one!"...taking it further, imagine being a bloke (or girl) trying to buy some nice lingerie for your girl.... the mind boggles...back to subject.
A quick update since my last post – things have moved forward a bit faster than planned (smiles)
The Maxys website has now been updated with Australian video content featuring yours truly….
The acting performance is a bit rough (smiles) but certainly good enough to quickly demonstrate our new, very cool, Australian internet video production and technology capabilities (this could very easily be you!)
Hopefully the video adds a bit more personality and character to the site (smiles) which is what we are all about "personalising the web" to enhance your internet marketing, public relations and online customer engagement.
Very interested in your feedback and comments?
Anyway, with all the technology now sorted we are READY TO SHOOT YOUR VIDEO NOW
We have limited times available this Thursday and Friday 17th and 18th July at the RidgeFilms Studio (Taren Point) for pilot/ demo/ early adopter productions (ie 1/2 price).
The two most important elements of the productions are the Scripts and Talent.
I'm sitting in my local coffee shop, it's amazing how a couple of coffees, a writing pad, pen and a hour or two can create your next special project. I get away from the computer to begin any new project - I like to draw a lot when coming up with ideas.
