The Musings Of An Opinionated Sod [Help Me Grow!]

While I appreciate that is a relatively superficial answer, there’s truth in it.

Put simply, what you find interesting is directly related to the experiences you have and the people you meet. The more experiences – and people – you have, the more interesting the possibilities.

But when I look around, it can feel like a cultural echo chamber.

Everyone reading the same things. Following the same people. Commenting on the same issues.

Sometimes I wonder if people even look at life outside of work. Hell, there were people over the festive season who used social media to only talk about ‘ad issues’.

WHAT THE FUCK?

Look, I get strategy means everything can have some sort of professional value … but there’s a big difference between looking at life with ‘professional blinkers’ and just doing shit for the sheer curiosity and interest of it.

It’s why I think there’s huge value in the messy stuff.

The weird … the strange … the ‘makes no sense’ …

That’s where you find the new and the different.
That’s where you gain understanding rather than answers.
That’s where you learn about people not ‘consumers’.

Of course it’s rare these days.

Now everyone is looking for short-cuts.

From online surveys to AI driven chat bots.

Optimise … maximise … squeeze every inch of efficiency out of what you’re doing.

And while some of that has value, it’s no where near as good as running with reality.

It’s why Wieden – despite being all about the work – has always been so good at strategy.

Because they celebrate those who are more than just professionally curious, but culturally.

The people who have a hunger and desire to get ‘in it’.

To get messy and lost in the opinions, behaviours, actions, viewpoints and nuance of the communities and subcultures they’re exploring and working with. Which is why they value being among them as much as reading every possible book about them.

A commitment to authenticity over advertising.
A commitment to adding to culture not just stealing from it.
A commitment to finding the interesting rather than repeating the tropes.
A commitment to fucking around and finding out rather than playing where you’ve always been.

Sure it takes more work. Sure it takes more time. Sure it probably adds more initial cost.

But putting aside the fact this helps get to better work – that plays to where the culture/subculture is heading rather than where it currently is, or worse, was – there’s the simple fact of doing things right. Because, as my Dad once said to me, if you’re not interested in doing that, then what’s the fucking point of doing it at all?