NORTHERN PLANNER

If you haven't read Originals you probably should. It's not a strategy book, it's how to survive /how to become an original thinker..which is actually what the job is about, so maybe it is a work book after all. 

There's lots in here, from a winning pitch by admitting what's wrong with, it to the virtues of procrastination (the tortoise usually wins).

As one of the older people in my industry I especially liked thoughts on late bloomers (or sustained) v brief, young intense genius. It speaks to a long held prejudice that this industry should favour the young, suck dry their limited window of originality and then cast them out.

A prejudice that's total bollocks.

Young supernovas like Einstein, Hawking or Mozart tend to have a blinding flash of inspiration, or hit on a rich vein of creativity. Then struggle to ever repeat it because they try and repeat that burst of magic. Like Einstein said himself, doing the same thing over and over again, expecting a different result is madness.

Slower burning red suns continually evolve, experiment and try different ways of doing things. They have the benefit of experience and the flexibility to continually change it up. They sustain a level of continuous originality and creativity because they never stand still or try to repeat what was, essentially, a lightning bolt of serendipity. 

This why I get nervous about a fixed process or proprietary model, or even a fixed creative brief structure. You end up with the same kind of work, but increasingly less good. 

It's why I'm afraid of younger people in senior positions who haven't lived enough yet to understand the thing they did that was good won't happen in the same way again. Just as I'm afraid of older folks who ignore the young turks, missing the opportunity to change it up.

You'll have your own way around it, mine is based on a love of sport. 

I always loved the story of the actor who had to play Roger Bannister, and actually ran a lot faster when he had to pretend to be him. 

So much of sport is about pretending. When you step into another's shoes, the brain is tricked into thinking you're better. When I played tennis, my forehand was so much better when I copied Lendl. When I returned to swimming after a long break, my freestyle was modelled on Phelps and improved in amazing ways. When I cycle, I copy Van Der Poel's position and peddle style.

Adopt a different style you admire and what follows will be different and better.

It's the same with strategy. Find some work you liked, and agency or a person you admire. Adopt the approach for your next project and you'll find it easier to get going, with work different to what you did before.

Then do it different next time. 

Like a great white shark, keep moving or die – just keep changing things a little bit and you'll never stand still.

Forget those who say old folks are past it, creativity is an endless well if you keep filling in.