Filed under: A Bit Of Inspiration, Agency Culture, Attitude & Aptitude, Bands, Colleagues, Comment, Confidence, Craft, Creative Development, Creativity, Music
One of the things that rarely seems to be mentioned in the creative process is chemistry.
Where different people – often from different backgrounds and disciplines – just know how to work together.
I don’t mean in terms of their craft. Or understanding the process as to how things work. But in terms of being on the same wavelength of the people around them and respecting what each other does and what they need to do to help them be as good as they can be.
I don’t mean some corporate ‘kum-ba-ya’… where everyone is superficially polite to each other so as not to offend. I mean a group of talented people coming together with the same values and vision. Who know the importance everyone brings to the party. Who have such regard for the abilities of each individual, they are equally as comfortable pushing, provoking as they are listening and encouraging. Where everyone is given the space to experiment and explore … because everyone respects who they are, what they do and how they do it.
It’s also worth pointing out that there tends to be one person who ignites it all.
Someone who you all respect that little bit more.
Not for what they’ve done, but for how they think.
So they act as some catalyst to make everyone come together.
To be better together.
To want to be better for each other.
Elevating standards, ambitions and possibilities simply because of their presence.
It’s rare.
Very rare.
That’s not to say every time in-between is bad or fractious … far from it … it’s just that sometimes, a certain combination of people just click in a way where the capabilities of what can happen and be achieved are greater than when you’re apart.
In my professional life, I’ve had 4 occasions where this has happened … though I didn’t really realise it with 2 of them, until they had ended.
And it tends to end … because life has plans for each and everyone of us, so you accept it, enjoy it and hope something like it will happen again.
In the main, if it does happen again, it’s rarely with the same people.
I’m not sure why …
Changing times.
A change of personal circumstances.
A pressure to make it happen rather than it just happening.
Not always, but often.
I say all this because I recently watched an interview with ‘The Revolution’ … the backing band for Prince from ’79 to ’86.
Though ‘backing’ isn’t the right term … because even though they played Prince’s songs, Prince valued what they all brought to them.
But that said, they haven’t played together in decades.
They are all at different points and places in their life.
But there is a bond. Bound by history, experience and the realisation that what they did together – albeit with ‘the master chef’, Prince – became immortal.
Not in an egotistical way.
Not even in a sales of record way.
But in terms of the intensity of what they created as individuals, to elevate the whole.
Different people.
Different backgrounds.
Same chemistry, values and vision.
If you are lucky to find this, hold on for as long as you can.
Because magic rarely happens on its own and some combinations keep casting the spells.
Filed under: A Bit Of Inspiration, Apathy, Attitude & Aptitude, Comment, Complicity, Culture, Daily Fail, Daily Mail, Diversity, Dysgraphia, Education, Empathy, England, Fatherhood, Hope, My Fatherhood, New Zealand, Otis, Perspective, Relevance, Resonance, Respect
OK … so yesterday I said the posts this week were all superficial shite, but that was until I read an article that has pissed me off.
Have a look at this headline:
On one side, it’s from the Daily Mail – so this sort of divisive headline is to be expected – but what made me especially angry is the daughter in question is not ‘rebellious’, she has dysgraphia and dyscalculia … so she finds writing, reading and maths incredibly difficult.
NOT because she isn’t smart or capable, but because she has a neurological condition so she learns in a different way to the one the education system is set up to teach.
To be fair to the school in this article, it sounds they tried to help … but it also sounds they were so stretched that the way they approached it was more about giving them time off school rather than adapting their approach to schooling.
I’ve written about this in the past given Otis has dysgraphia and his school has been active in trying to adapt to help. Even then it’s not been easy – or perfect – but at least Otis knows he’s seen, heard and valued … which is more than the woman in this article probably feels.
Imagine being neurodivergent and having a national newspaper refer to you as rebellious and having your own Mum be OK with that.
Worse, the Mum makes it all about her and ‘her struggles’.
Yes, it can be hard … and yes, it can be stressful … but it’s a fuck-of-a-lot worse for kids going through this sort of thing. They feel stupid. They feel left behind. They feel discarded and useless. So the last thing they need is a parent – and an education system – labelling them rebellious or lazy when what they’re dealing with is neurological. To make matters worse, this neurological challenge doesn’t impact their capacity to learn, just the way they do learn … so they have huge amounts of potential but with too few people wanting to see it, recognise it and liberate it.
This article could have been about the need to relook at how we educate. It could have been about the importance of needs rather than standardisation. It could have been about progress rather than judgement. Instead this ‘newspaper’ decided to write a piece that shows they view compassion and encouragement as weakness and unfairness.
Shame on them.
Shame on the mother for allowing this headline.
Shame on the people who commented negatively without understanding.
You have to be pretty fucking vile to be jealous some kids need special attention from their schools.
It’s not elitism you pricks, it’s dealing with an issue not of their making and helping them stand a chance of having a life that is bigger than the one people like you want for them.
Fuck you. All of you.
You’re welcome.
Filed under: Comment
This week appears to be superficial post week.
I know … I know … you’re wondering what the hell is the difference from normal weeks. Well I’ll tell you. On normal weeks I at least attempt to write something that has some sort of relevance to marketing or strategy or creativity.
And this week?
Well so far its been about word games and Freddie Mercury’s birthday.
But that’s nothing compared to today.
Because this post is about the best blagging I may have ever achieved … and even though I say it myself, my blagging skills are Olympic Gold Medal standard.
Ladies and gentlemen. Boys and girls. Please welcome the flightsuitcase.
A metal case for a metal band.
Seriously, how much more metal can you get?
German engineering meets Bay Area thrash. I call it the Rimowattica.
Perfect for all the freebie holidays Andy Boucher and John Dodds always say I have.
Filed under: Bands, Birthday, Brand, Comment, Freddie, Management, Marketing, Music, Queen
Today would have been Freddie’s 77th birthday.
That’s almost as crazy as the fact he has been gone 32 years.
And yet his fame may have never been so high as it is now.
Yes … I appreciate this has been ‘managed’ and certain ‘iconography’ has been drip-fed into society … but for someone dead, he doesn’t half feel alive.
A biopic movie [albeit with a to of creative licence] that made a billion dollars.
A Greatest Hits album that is the biggest selling album of all time in the UK.
More ‘billion played’ songs on Spotify than any other artist in the world.
Countless books, TV shows and tribute acts … where they always feature Freddie in his ‘yellow jacket’ phase, despite that being when he was more performer than rockstar.
Regardless what you think about the optimisation of Freddie as a ‘brand’ in modern culture, you have to say it has been brilliantly done.
I can’t think of many celebrities who achieved the same level of cultural presence, 3 decades after they died.
And he’s only going to be more in our daily lives as the auction of his personal belongings starts in a few days.
Of course, I can imagine Freddie would love it.
When he was close to death, he called the band manager – Jim Beach – and said this to him:
“You can use my image, music and memory in any way you choose … just don’t make me boring”.
Given he is more present than many people alive and on our screens, it’s safe to say mission accomplished.
Happy 77th Freddie. You’re missed even though you’re around.
Filed under: Comment
… because while the worst of the pain from that terrible day has gone … I know the scars and memories remain. Biggest, big hugs. Will call you later today.