Well. Feeling quite Autumnal this week. Enjoying it too đ. Hope you are too. That lovely liminal time, before it all changes. Right, enough waffling, letâs go.
âWe could use art to make the revolution so irresistible, so scintillating and exciting, that justice and liberation would be among the most pleasurable experiences we can have on this planet.â
Adrienne Maree Brown, Author of âPleasure Activism - The Politics of Feeling Goodâ.
culture // pleasure vs pain
We all have a God like hole in our hearts we long to fill. So running, spin classes, and sadly even dogma have become our new churches, masses and religions. It's our ongoing search for meaning. Because more than just survival, as Viktor Frankl said, we need a why. He believed thatâs how we endure the pain of life. That instead of trying to reduce it, we should learn to endure it (5:10). Work is enduring it, marketing is reducing it etc etc. But what if pain is the wrong organising principle for the world? What if pleasure was our organising principle? Instead of spending our time avoiding or reducing pain, we focussed on creating pleasure. What if we moved from solving pain points, to solving pleasure points. And with more than half of young people believing humanity is doomed, we need to believe the future is pleasant.
brands // houdini
Houdini are a cool Swedish circular sportswear company committed to sustainable innovation. They've just expanded their circularity platform, by opening a new retail concept in Stockholm, where customers can choose how they access their garments. This includes renting, subscribing, as well as purchasing new, second hand or exclusive remade pieces, or trading in garments for other Houdini pieces. They launched their âLive Large with Lessâ brand platform in 2022, challenging people to downsize their wardrobe and find joy in owning less. Houdini Circle helps delivers this vision. The future doesnât have to be boring. Sustainability can be cool.
creativity // asymmetric
Love this story. In 2009, a Stanford business class was split into groups and issued a challenge. Each group was given $5, and 2 hours to make the highest return on the $5, then present their strategy. Most used the $5 to buy and resell items and made a modest return. A few ignored the $5 and focussed on making the most money in the 2 hours, like reselling restaurant reservations or refilling bike tires. They made a better return. The winning group not only realised the $5 was a distraction and but that the most valuable "asset" was the presentation time in front of a class of Stanford students. So they got a sponsor for $650. Boom. Remember, donât get distracted, ask the right questions and importantly creative, non-linear, asymmetric thinking generates creative, non-linear, asymmetric outcomes. Different results, requires different thinking.
technology // hyper personalisation
We live in an increasingly personalised world. We just expect it now. Home screens, newsfeeds, playlists. Personalised healthcare, personalised insurance plans, personalised stylist, skincare, haircare, and on and on. Me, me, me. So much so, that it probably drives trends like the âwhat about me effectâ and rampant individualism. But sadly, enabled by tech, the web and AI, the hyper personalisation of everything has only just begun. And if the 20th Century was about mass consumption, the 21st Century is about âbespoke consumptionâ. Even more fragmentation. And imagine when itâs all curated personally for you, by your AI assistant. Yâall ready for that?
five random (ish) things:
2023 design in tech reportđšđ»âđ€.Â
Tinder for interesting breakfasts đł.
Ahhh, do random nice things đč.
Truth is always possible ䷌.
Dentuâs 2024 media trends đČ.
listening // louâs tune
Been listening to this tune all week. So I decided to share it. Anyway. Enjoy.