I talk about cartooning as a metaphor for innovation. Launching a new product in a crowded marketplace has a lot in common with launching a cartoon. I cover the process of coming up with remarkable ideas and then sharing them with others so that the end result doesn't suffer the "death of a thousand cuts." Includes quotes from Bill Watterson and Matt Groening.
27. I used to think it was like a well. And I worried it would someday run dry. But, it's actually more like a muscle. Tom Meyer, Former Editorial Cartoonist, SF Chronicle
28. Watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places Roald Dahl
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30. “ In Braindraining, you sit and think about what to do. You suck, stew, drain, fret, and bleed ideas from your skulls, hoping something great will ooze out…” Doug Hall, Eureka Ranch
33. The way to be interesting is to be interested. You’ve got to find what’s interesting in everything, you’ve got to be good at noticing things, you’ve got to be good at listening. If you find people (and things) interesting, they’ll find you interesting. Russell Davies
35. 1. Take at least one picture everyday. Post it to flickr. 2. Start a blog. Write at least one sentence every week. 3. Keep a scrapbook 4. Every week, read a magazine you’ve never read before 5. Once a month interview someone for 20 minutes, work out how to make them interesting. Podcast it. 6. Collect something 7. Once a week sit in a coffee-shop or cafe for an hour and listen to other people’s conversations. Take notes. Blog about it. (Carefully) 8. Every month write 50 words about one piece of visual art, one piece of writing, one piece of music and one piece of film or TV. Do other art forms if you can. Blog about it 9. Make something 10. Read Russell Davies: How to be interesting
37. Bill Watterson, Calvin & Hobbes It never occurred to me that a comic strip I created would be at the mercy of a bloodsucking corporate parasite called a syndicate, and that I'd be faced with countless ethical decisions masquerading as simple business decisions.
41. Hugh Macleod, Gaping Void Your plan for getting your work out there has to be as original as the actual work, perhaps even more so. There's no point trying to do the same thing as 250,000 other young hopefuls, waiting for a miracle. All existing business models are wrong. Find a new one.
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43. 70% non CPG only by aiming niche was I able to reach the mainstream
67. Don’t be afraid to take risks. Corporations have an amazing array of checks, balances, and safety nets to prevent you from hitting the wall at ninety miles an hour. Be bold and brash. Develop a reputation for it.
Alice nicely invited me to speak today about “envisioning” and “enrolling”: 2 key aspects of leadership. I read this as coming up with ideas and sharing them. That’s what every cartoonist does. And it’s essential to innovation. It struck a chord because that is something I’ve been thinking about for a while.