The Adaptive Creative

Just published a new book of personal work: 10 years in the making...

2010-11-09T21:20:00.000-08:00

http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/1715813

Los Angeles-based, Parisian import Guillaume Wolf is known for his role as Creative Director of Whitewall magazine, as well as his influential art direction and illustration work for brands like Colette, Isabel Marant, and Lucien Pellat-Finet. But for over a decade, Wolf has also been producing art reflecting on themes such as power, fear, desire, human frailty, and the nature of reality.
With “High: Lost & Found,” Wolf introduces new work that is both striking and overtly personal by pairing photographs of landscapes and interiors (often obscured or blurred) with bold words and phrases.
The photos were taken over a ten-year period in which Wolf moved from Paris to Los Angeles and experienced a series of life-changing events. He makes sense of it all through this body of work, revisiting memories and years past, reinterpreting them into a universal visual language.

http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/1715813

Tom Sachs interview for Whitewall summer issue 2010

2010-07-31T14:59:00.000-07:00

Here is the full transcript of my conversation with artist Tom Sachs. I had a great time during this talk, Tom is a really interesting artist/visionary/explorer — he's easy to relate to... and has many things to say about LIFE! Read on...

(Link to Whitewall at the end of the post)

Whitewall’s Creative Minds is an ongoing conversation with visionaries in the fields of art and design that focuses on the unique drive behind today’s top thinkers. For this issue’s installment, we talked with the artist Tom Sachs for an intimate conversation about the new Mars mission, psychedelics, alchemy, life, and the “universal formula for growth.” by Guillaume Wolf

WHITEWALL: So, Tom, what’s going on?

TOM SACHS: Right now we’re working on our Space Program 2.0. In our first Space Program, two and a half years ago, we went to the moon — which is Gagosian Gallery in Beverly Hills. We jackhammered the floor and took back some samples of lunar soil and moon rocks from the gallery floor, and have been analyzing those in our laboratory, here in Manhattan. We’ve got the results we were looking for, plus some surprises, and now we’re retooling the same spaceship and astronaut delivery system for a more complex mission to Mars. This is the first announcement of this.

WW: Lovely.

TS: Some of our Mars mission features include a roving vehicle, based on the lunar roving vehicle built by Boeing in the seventies. We’re making it a full-scale, functional electric car. We’re developing more elaborate food systems, human-waste disposals — which is going to be a part of the demonstration — that’ll be an interesting thing to witness.

WW: Are you taking cigarettes this time, too?

TS: Yes, our flight has a smoking section, definitely.

WW: Why did you choose to call this a demonstration versus a performance? To me, it’s a performance.

TS: Sure, it is a performance. The reason we call it a demonstration is because the things that we make are sculptures. We use these performances to demonstrate the elements of our sculptures that exist in time. For example, if you go to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, you see a samurai sword, but it’s in a glass case. It’s only when the sword is being used in combat that it becomes functional. So in that same way, we try to demonstrate how things work.

WW: You just picked a samurai sword as an example; you talk a lot about weapons. You made a comparison between guns and high-end handbags, and you said they were both symbols of status and power.

TS: In the hierarchy of manufacturing goods, things like aerospace are the highest quality, and things that are made for your bedroom and bathroom are the lowest quality of consumer goods. I’m interested in the things that are the highest caliber of manufacturing quality, and the military equipment has always been in that category.

Furthermore, I’m interested in optimizing conditions like the human body. I use the best food, and the best exercises, and disciplines that I can to make sure [my body] is healthy and it functions well so I can continue to make the best sculptures.

WW: Your body is at service to your art? There is this fantasy of the artist who endures all kind of abuses (such as drugs) as a part of the experience. You need a good body to do good art?

TS: Yeah [laughs], but the opposite is also true — I also have to be very indulgent and explore. But I don’t think drugs are an escape; I think they are an exploratory tool.

WW: They can be both.

TS: I certainly explored them in both ways — but now that I’m old, I look at it as two separate experiences. One is about using as a social lubricant, as an escape, or to eliminate pain. But then, more rigorously, I use drugs as an exploration tool, as an opportunity to go deeper inside, or, most radically, to help see the different dimension of the reality I’m used to every day.

WW: Are you talking about psychedelics like mushrooms?

TS: Mushrooms and LSD. Psychedelics are the most dangerous, effective, and quickest ways to get to those places.

WW: They’re a shortcut. It’s funny that we’re talking about different dimensions, because while preparing for this interview I had the insight that in some ways you are like a modern alchemist. Alchemists are people who can transform lead into gold, inside and outside. Is there some sort of alchemy in your work?

TS: I’m honored by your analysis, because it’s a word that I use very often when I’m explaining what “bricolage” means [Note: Sachs often describes his work as “American bricolage”]. It’s common in French, but it’s not an American word. When people ask, “What does it mean?” I say, “It’s like alchemy meets do-it-yourself but it’s not just do-it-yourself because there’s an element of spirit or tradition to bricolage.” There’s a spiritual quality to it. It’s about showing resourcefulness and love. It’s also a word for a culture that repairs rather than replaces. I come from a culture that replaces . . . when you save something, there is a little bit of magic in it. When alchemists were trying to find gold out of lead, they found other things along the way.

WW: Real alchemists are looking for inner transformation.

TS: The ultimate creation is life. To make a baby is the most magical creation there is. Everything else, whether it’s going to the moon or building a bridge over a giant valley, is impressive but . . . technology is a shadow of natural technology — nature.

WW: Let’s talk about digital versus analog. In the art world you’re the opposite of someone like Jeff Koons — the obsession with high polish, high gloss.

TS: I believe that for me the magic is about showing the glue, the screw, the materials — the evidence [in the work]. That’s where the magic is for me, unlike Jeff — whose work I admire — who seeks to eliminate the evidence of his work’s making.

For me, I came to that through trying to make very sleek work, through difficulties . . . [it ended being] a disaster. In a sense, it was a very inexpensive lesson — it helped me find my voice.

WW: It seems that in your career obstacles, catastrophes, and dramas are the building blocks of who you became.

TS: I think that’s a universal formula for growth. We learn best through our failures, and we all have failures. The people who are the most successful in life — and by that I mean personal growth — are the ones who can learn from those failures, and mainly so as not to repeat them. The losers are the ones who keep making the same mistakes over and over again. Which we all do! [Laughs] And it’s just a matter of to what degree do we do this — repetition. These mistakes that we repeat have been programmed into us by our experiences from a very young age, usually. It’s hard to eliminate them, but one of the best things we can do in life is to identify them.

If you have something like that and it doesn’t work, let’s cut that out and try to find something that is you — something that does represent who you are, something that makes you feel good about yourself. There’s this great quote from David Foster Wallace that goes something like this: “You have to believe in one of the conventional religions like Christianity, Wicca, Hindu, Judaism . . . because if you believe in the nonconventional ones like beauty, power, and money — if you believe in beauty, you’ll always feel ugly; if you believe in power, you’ll always feel powerless; if you believe in wealth, you’ll always feel you never have enough money.” These things that live outside of who we are can be very destructive. So finding what is you is so important. Sometimes it can be a tiny, humble thing; it’s like a flower that must be cultivated. It can be very small, but it can be beautiful and very inspiring.

WW: You also often quote Dale Carnegie and his famous book How to Win Friends and Influence People.

TS: Yeah! [Laughs] It’s a great book!

WW: In that regard you embody the American artist’s spirit — a bit like Andy Warhol with his integration of popular culture and popular wisdom. It’s very gutsy. Some people are very highbrow and despise that.

TS: This is a condition of the modern age — an over-intellectualization of things. Now, I love that stuff . . . but you have to have equal parts, because there is some great conventional wisdom and there is some great intellectual stuff, too. I think you’ve got to have it all. The simple things in life are the best — right?

WW: I think so, too. You said, “I enjoy the ultimate luxury — I get to be a student my whole life.”

TS: Yes, it’s all about learning.

WW: Maybe you get to be a student of your own life at the same time.

TS: [Laughs] That’s part of it, too — for sure.

link to Whitewall

Whitewall cover Summer 2010

2010-07-31T14:44:00.000-07:00

New Whitewall cover I designed with one of my favorite artist, Robert Longo.

The Creative Advantage Book is available on Amazon!

2010-07-08T18:21:00.001-07:00

The book is on Amazon! Amazing! check it out!

http://www.thecreativeadvantagebook.com

Remember Your Creative Self

2010-04-25T16:42:00.000-07:00

Win The Creative Advantage Book (e-program)

2010-03-23T18:47:00.000-07:00

The Creative Advantage Book celebrates spring: I'm giving away 3 programs! see details on the fan page...
Hurry! Contest ends Tuesday the 30th!
http://tinyurl.com/yl6496c

Su Fei (Sophie)'s adventures in China.

2010-02-25T10:39:00.000-08:00

In this series Su Fei goes around China, talking with real people... In this video she reveals how the Chinese adopt English names... to some hilarious results... So much fun!

More Augmented Reality

2010-02-04T16:38:00.000-08:00

Here's an interesting japanese video describing a future possible saturation of augmented reality... produced by Keiichi Matsuda.

Horrific! Brilliant! (pick one)

Augmented (hyper)Reality: Domestic Robocop from Keiichi Matsuda on Vimeo.

What happened to Graffiti?

2010-01-09T18:52:00.000-08:00

Graffiti Analysis (iPhone) - DustTag v1.0 from Evan Roth on Vimeo.

Here is Graffiti Analysis (iPhone) - DustTag v1.0, a new Iphone app. It looks very cool, but after thinking about it, I'm just wondering if this is not the kind of gadget that kills the spirit of the art it intends to celebrate.

Let me explain. Call me old school — but... back in the days, graffiti meant something. Going outside at night in strange places, messing up with stinky paint, not getting caught in the process... it was a little adventure with some possible serious risks involved (let's just say that walking at 4 a.m. in dark alleys can be a great way to meet strange characters — and yes, you can also get arrested for it). Graffiti is interesting because it is the combination of art with a thrilling experience. If I may say, it's the last act of artistic defiance in a commodified society.

Once you had done an interesting piece, you would be celebrated based on all these factors combined...

A graffiti from your iPhone... well, it's cute and all — but it's just not the same... Could this possibly bring the digital gentrification of graffiti? I hope not.

Nice music though —

Philippe Starck interview for Whitewall Winter issue 2010

2009-12-09T15:43:00.000-08:00

Here is the full transcript of my conversation with superstar designer Philippe Starck for Whitewall magazine winter 2010. This is a far out interview... It starts pretty mellow and flyyyyyyyyys faaaaar away into powerful creative ideas. Thank you Philippe for this great talk!

(Link to Whitewall at the end of the post)

WHITEWALL: Tell me about the lamps you designed in collaboration with Jenny Holzer, made by Baccarat and Flos? How did the collaboration come about?

PHILIPPE STARCK: It’s very simple. We loved the idea with Piero Gandini of Flos to create high contrast between the magical, empirical, and archaic aspect of the crystal and high-tech electronics. It took the shape of writing. In a poetic way, you could say that it’s to “give a voice to the crystal.” It’s also an answer to Chateaubriand’s question: Inanimate objects, do you have a soul?
The next step was to find what message we wanted. For me, it had to be political and crafted in such a way that it became poetic. Jenny Holzer was the natural pick. Twenty years ago, I owned a black Mercedes flanked with a “Protect me for what I want” decal on each door, so I’m very used to living with her work. For Piero and me, the choice was self-evident.

WW: A collaboration by Starck and Holzer — is it art or design?

PS: None of the above. It’s politics, making luxury objects that express political statements. By the way, it’s luxury — not by choice — but simply because structurally, crystal is very expensive. What you see is one of the biggest pieces of crystal in the world. It’s quite extraordinary. So it’s not art, because I’m not an artist, and with Jenny Holzer it becomes something else.

WW: Political poetry?

PS: Yes, a form of politics that becomes more acceptable to certain people because it is expressed with a luxury object, through an artist.

WW: Isn’t it what you could call the subversion of subversion? Isn’t it a dangerous game?

PS: It might be so, but it’s better than doing nothing. Nobody’s opening their mouth anymore, nobody says anything. We’re in a society where the opposition is idle. In that context, I’m not very picky when it comes to the choice of subversion. Knowing also that I’m not in the easiest position to be subversive with furniture, you have to be either courageous or a little bit stupid. When you are a writer, a singer, or a politician, you can make a revolution with an article, a song, or a law but for me, trying to shake things up with a lamp or a toothbrush, it’s not easy.

WW: The first time I saw the lamps, it made me think of the seminal scene of Stanley Kubrick’s 2001 when the character is stuck in a strange neoclassical apartment where time and space morph and collide. Do you remember that scene?

PS: You are very perceptive — it’s not that I simply remember that scene; it’s actually the basis for all my work. For me, this scene by Stanley Kubrick has been foundational because it contains everything I love: mystery, poetry, surrealism, the future, a vision. It encompasses all. A lot of the things I do are from this mindset, this way of thinking. I’ve always been very close to Kubrick’s vision. How could one not be?

WW: It seems that your lamps could fit in that scene. They have this shifting quality — a blend of past, present, and future. Is this an approach in your work, the collapse of time and space?

PS: You are terrific — that’s exactly it. It’s present in all my creations. I only work around relativity. Why am I mixing time, cultures, or play with oversize objects? It’s always to talk about Einstein’s relativity, which states (and I’m oversimplifying) that nothing exists. Unfortunately, I live in that realm, and it’s not fun to be stuck in there because I almost need to pinch myself to make sure I exist. I have enormous existential angst. The foundation of my life is not being sure I exist. This is probably why, if we do some psychobabble, that I work so much. It’s a way to constantly remind myself that I do exist. I don’t have any relationship with life. I barely have a relationship with death. I “under-feel” life. I need to remember death to know there is life. This is why I’m into astrophysics, quantum mechanics, and relativity, into the micro-macro.

WW: In the past you were talking about aerodynamic objects that accelerated space. Today, are you producing objects that distort time and space?

PS: Aerodynamic objects — it was over 20 years ago. I had a “family inclination” to do it. It was a bit regressive for me, as I grew up surrounded by aerodynamics with my father building planes. It was something easy. Later, I got into quantum physics. It was more modern and closer to who I was, because it’s so poetic. Why did I accept working on Baccarat? Because reflection, diffraction, and aberration are expressions of mathematical formulas that are absolute poetry. When I can, I spend entire afternoons talking with astrophysicist Thibault Damour of the Institut des Hautes Etudes Scientifiques (IHES). I love working with him because he teaches me, and he says I have poetic visions inspired by math and science.

WW: You’ve talked about getting your inspiration from the “collective memory” and “the unconscious of society.” How do you tap into it? Also, I heard you take naps to get your ideas. Is that part of your process?

PS: First, I don’t really get my inspiration from collective memory; it’s simply a method I sometimes use. There are objects that come from (almost) nowhere, and there are others that directly follow collective memory in order to be better assimilated by their users. When I create something from scratch, it’s something that comes from me so the users need to accept this personal thing. But when you synthesize collective memory, they don’t need to make this effort. They don’t have a relationship with me, but a relationship with themselves. It’s a communication strategy with the other. I call it “humble friends,” “discreet friends,” or “silent friends.”
The second question is about naps. You see, I’m very anxious with consciousness because it always lies. We manipulate it or society manipulates it by absorbing everything. I’m very cautious with this — that’s why I prefer working with the subconscious: the untold, the slips of the tongue, the accumulation of little invisible signs. They all provide a more solid foundation. In order to work with the subconscious, you need first to use rigorously the conscious state and later from a “half-open” state (between awake and asleep), you can start using and structuring your subconscious.
I’m not an intelligent person, but I have an extraordinary intuition that allows me to place myself in the world differently and to do things differently. In the classic orthogonal way of thinking, I’m completely lost. I cannot even read an operating manual. But in the diagonal way of thinking, I’m faster than everyone else. Generally, when I ask a question, the solution appears completed, in one block. Unlike people who will do a thorough analysis and do a linear map of their thinking. In a sense, I’m a “beast of subconscious,” even if I pay dearly for it.

WW: This super-intuition you’re describing gives you a great advantage over your contemporaries. But at the same time it carries a demand as if life had given you a gift but in exchange was taking a lot.

PS: That’s very true. That’s when you have luck through randomness or, as Jacques Monod would say, le hasard et la nécessité. Because you had a creative father, a mother who was a little bit foolish, because you suffered a lot, because you worried a lot, because you were an outcast — there are many reasons — naturally you end up creating because you’re inadequate in society, like me. I did not understand anything in school, and I rarely went. Today, everything is filtered around me. Thanks to my work, I was able to create a protective bubble with a lot of people who love me.
At some point you realize that the only choice you have is to create, and you enter into the Faustian myth to save your own skin. You sell your soul to the Devil to live, you sell your life to creation. You suddenly get stuck into a system where you don’t live your life but instead are permanently out of sync with time — five minutes, five hours, five years, fifty years, five hundred years, five billion years to always know what’s going to happen in advance, to predict and structure this future, to show new paths or denounce the ones that seem unjust. It is a monastic life.
This is what I live with my wife. We’re extraordinarily lonely because we are either in a plane (where we’re alone), in hotel rooms (where we’re alone), and we leave all this to stay in houses in the middle of nowhere (where we’re alone). But this solitude helps protect the “print head.” The subconscious works alone. It is a bit guided and structured in order to produce more than just nebulous ideas, but then you have to be in the proper state when the subconscious delivers its finished products. You have to be “ready to print.” This is why I live mostly in my bed, anxious, biting my nails, in a semi-open state of anxiousness and melancholy in the middle of nowhere. When I feel a “delivery” is coming, I always have a little table by my bed that I use to draw with great precision all the elements. At this point I don’t have to think, I just execute.
When I’m done “printing,” I look if it’s worth something and, if so, I send it to Thierry Gauguin, who has been chief of design with us for 20 years. I would not be anything without him because he is really intelligent. We’ll talk about it and he’ll make sure the project is going to exist. I don’t have any relation with reality but I have real visions. I understand the big tides of ideas.

WW: You have talked a lot about the mutant, the idea of mutation . . .

PS: We all are mutants, from the amoeba, the fish, the frog, the monkey, the super-monkey, to what we will become in four billion years, right before the sun explodes. We all are the products of a long mutation. That’s evident. For example, the two of us talking, in just three minutes we already have changed. I’m the one who says, “Let’s accept being mutants, let’s enjoy being mutants, let’s consciously manage our mutation instead of doing the opposite.” All the problems we have on earth come from our refusal to accept our mutation, and we’re walking backward so we constantly fall on our butts. We should embrace the beauty of this state of being. It’s our intrinsic value.
We’re the only known species who was able to take charge of the quality and speed of our mutation. Every day we should have conversations to learn how to do it. What are the next steps, what are the next challenges, how do we move to bionism? I only live in that realm, it’s the only thing that interests me: tracking mutation signs, classifying and indexing them. You know how in movies they put smoke to reveal the invisible man or use ultraviolet rays to detect phantoms? That’s what I do all day. I say, “Look at these clues! Wake up!” because if we miss the boat, there will be terrible consequences. The big thread of evolution is linear but it works with micro-jumps. Unfortunately, every micro-jump we create out of laziness and not intelligence calls for a revolution. A revolution is only amusing for morons. It’s always extremely costly in blood, tears, and energy.

WW: There will be a revolution not in the traditional political sense but a revolution through people accelerating toward the next mutation. They are everywhere, young people we know nothing about doing things differently. You might feel alone at this point but there are people standing behind. What’s funny is that it’s a silent movement, a different paradigm.

PS: You give me shivers! That gives me immense pleasure — not for me because I’m old — but if only there was a little bit of self-awareness so we could become a little more intelligent and remember where we came from and where we’re going, people would be so much happier. If we could move toward a civilized civilization, this would be amazing. You just shed some light on something, though we don’t see the thread. We don’t see any more differences between the left and the right. Democracy is collapsing, it’s imploding from within, science is starting to lie. Things are getting darker, strangely enough.

WW: But they will lighten up and I would like to leave you with this idea: I think we are heading toward a creative revolution. So far, creativity has been the privilege of an elite group of professionals, but it’s going to explode to touch everyone. There are signs everywhere, but it’s a silent movement. It doesn’t mean everybody will become a rock star or anything like that but it’s a totally different way to use creativity, integrated in the day to day.

PS: I would love that God exists so he could listen to you! [Laughs]

WW: Well, I just finished talking with the God of Design — that’s a start! [Laughs]

— Link to Whitewall Winter 2010

Whitewall Winter issue 2010 featuring Dennis Hopper

2009-12-09T15:05:00.000-08:00

Winter 2010

On the cover, Dennis Hopper - portrait by Jesse Shadoan. Sharp!

Love it... Little Dragon's video = very creative!

2009-12-08T11:34:00.000-08:00

Green Spider: mini-monster

2009-11-04T08:59:00.000-08:00

This spider lives hidden in the basel... I assume she takes care of eating all kind of bugs... great!

Please note the camouflage color — amazing

Click on the image for larger view.

Augmented Reality Now.

2009-10-08T17:06:00.001-07:00

Under Polaris-fixed from citrusink on Vimeo.

One of the weird things that might hit us in the future is Augmented Reality. You put your glasses on (some say implant but I'll pass) — and magic! — everything around can interact with you like in a video game. Do we really want/need that? I don't know...

But how would it be? Here comes Cloud Eye Control with the experience of Augmented Reality on stage in Under Polaris. Cool performance.

Now think beyond the play and imagine the same thing in your home, at the supermarket, everywhere — a marketer's dream! My personal nightmare.

Here's a blurb from Cloud Eye Control's P.R.:
At once playful and deeply expressive, this young Los Angeles-based multimedia ensemble confronts head-on the tension between primal nostalgia and modern technological optimism. In their latest mix of projected animation, live theater and electronic music, Cloud Eye Control charts an epic journey across a vast arctic expanse—a sublime icebound landscape illuminated under the ethereal lights of the Northern sky. At the center of Under Polaris is the quest to preserve, inside pristine shards of ice at the top of the world, a seed containing the wealth of all human history: a back-up system for our genetic imprint and the sum total of our personal memories. En route, the story’s protagonist shape-shifts into many a mythic creature to survive the elements and, in the process, learns about the inextricable interdependence of humans and nature. Formed in 2004, Cloud Eye Control consists of animation and media artist Miwa Matreyek, writer, musician and actor Anna Oxygen, and director Chi-wang Yang.

♥♥♥ Karl loves Whitewall ♥♥♥

2009-10-06T19:40:00.000-07:00

As it turns out, Karl loves the cover I imagined for WW fall issue. Illustration by Jean-Philippe Delhomme. Success!

When food is dangerous.

2009-10-05T14:03:00.000-07:00

I'm posting here a link to a very interesting article by the New York Times that details how a woman became paralyzed after eating hamburger meat tainted with E. coli — if you eat hamburgers or fast food — read this, then make up your own mind.

Although this seems to have little to do with creativity — it does on many levels. There are many area in our society where we need creative solutions for positive change. Food is one of them.

If you have ideas to promote healthy food — your time is now.

Read the New York Times article.

Ross Lovegrove interview for Whitewall.

2009-09-20T09:32:00.000-07:00

Here is the full transcript of my conversation with legendary designer Ross Lovegrove for Whitewall magazine fall 2009. Ross is a VERY interesting guy — on many levels. Every Creative should read this.... there are a lot a ideas here...

(Link to Whitewall at the end of the post)

Whitewall’s Creative Minds is a continuing conversation with visionaries in the fields of art and design that focuses on the unique drive behind today’s top thinkers. This new feature offers a condensed version in print, followed by an extended online experience that allows you to download and listen to the full interview. In the first dialogue, Whitewall speaks with the legendary designer Ross Lovegrove about the role of nature and technology in his creative process, as well as a mysterious white marble cube. Find below the full transcript and a condensed version in the fall issue of Whitewall, out at the end of the month.

WHITEWALL: Last time we talked you were in Miami, presenting the chandelier you designed for Svarowski. What has happened since then?

ROSS LOVEGROVE: [Laughs] Oh my God, you mean generally? I don’t know what the joke is. It’s like “a year in the day of.” People like me are incredibly active. I don’t know if it’s a disease, an addiction, or something healthier than that. [Laughs]

WW: Actually I was leading you on with this: I know you were a few days ago in New York and now you’re back in England. You travel constantly. Is it part of the job?

RL: Yeah, I think it’s a good point to discuss. Most weeks I do a minimum of two countries. This week I’m in Milan and then I’m in Paris. Last week it was Copenhagen, Vienna, and Venice. And the week before I was in New York. The reason for that is very simple, really, I don’t work where I live. I’m in a profession which has become very very global. The industry is constantly relocating; it means that certain countries have different approaches to production or making things. Italy, is an obvious example, where there is an enthusiasm for making objects. Whereas if you broaden your horizons you have to go to places like the United States, you have to talk to very big corporations about new possibilities.

WW: People who look outside-in may not understand this. They might imagine, “being Ross Lovegrove, he should get an agent and have the agent do the travel for him everywhere.” Whereas in reality you have to be there to speak with actual people.

RL: I’m more of an artist in that sense because I represent what I represent — the way I speak, my body language, my motivation, my philosophy. There is nobody else I’ve ever met who can totally represent that. You know, ‘what you show is where you go’. It’s much better to be clear. The clarity is everything. In the work that I do, in the way that I meet people, there is a certain synergy and good energy that comes from just the chemistry of people. But I’m not really interested in just being anything that come my way. It’s quite the opposite, really. I control very much who I am, and I don’t deviate from my belief system. I have a lot of asking me if they want to be my agent. One of the rules in life in never to be owned. That’s when people have a financial interest in you, or they have other interests and they’re pushing their own interests.

At the end of the day, I’m creating a body of work which is a sort of “life work,” if you like, which tries to stay relevant to the possibilities of the times in which we live. Design has become a very sophisticated art form, I think.

WW: You once said: “I don’t know what’s design anymore.”

RL: No, I don’t [laughs].

WW: [Laughs] I also heard you say: “Design is the new art form for the 21st century,” so…?

RL: You know, I’m just trying to be provocative; but I mean something I question. And I think that’s why I try to do interesting things because I haven’t found a formula that I’m spreading like butter on everything. I’m really not interested in that. I’m interested in a sort of organic morphology of ideas and the fact that you create an entity which can absorb other possibilities. That’s why as a designer I believe that if you’re going to take the resources out of the earth and create something with it; you should create something as extraordinary as possible. Design is often regarded as disposable or easily replaced with another idea, whereas art has a certain enduring feeling to it.

WW: In your day to day, how do you break through the status quo? As an innovator, when you meet with corporations that are not necessarily opened to new ideas. Do you have a technique of ‘shock and awe’? How do you do it?

RL: [Laughs] No, the thing is I’ve never had a fear of the future or being visionary in some sense. What we understand is based on some previous history — what we read, what we’ve seen in films, conversations. It’s what we know and what we know is always a retrospective thing. There are certain kind of people who can visualize or ‘plot the future’ in some way. But they’re basing the future on all the same information everybody else has. These people must be really unusual. How can you see the future if you haven’t been there? This is all predictive theory. I’ve always said “what man thinks often becomes reality, it’s just a question of time,” you know. Because there’s an unspoken objective in society. For somebody like me, I like to work at my full potential.

What interest me right now is the concept of evolutionary theory. Evolution comes into three phases. In the primary evolution nature moves forward at a glacial speed it’s almost imperceptible. Nature creates through adaptation and it is a very slow burn. But the period we’re in right now is tertiary evolution, it’s a third level evolution. And what excites me about that is the fact that a couple of engineers can sit down in Tokyo and decide that they can make a television which is 3 millimeters thick; and in one year have it standing there. I find that incredible. Human beings have accelerated that process for good or bad.

For me the new millennium didn’t start in the year 2000, it will stat next year [2010], a decade later. That’s interesting because it’s given us this decade to settle in, to understand where the world is going. Even the recent crisis is helping fund that; it’s helping industry and society generally to look at the geopolitical nature of what we do to be a little more human-centric. So it’s really not a bad time, one way or another. You know, the evolution of sustainable projects, new energy resources, the way cars will look, the way that cities will look, how we deal with collective issues, that is fascinating, and that give people like me a chance to maybe participate at a more effective level.

WW: There is a funny idea that came about while preparing this interview, when you talk about life, nature, etc. When you say “nature is about adaptation, morphology and response to environment and change,” I thought to myself, “is he talking about nature or about Ross Lovegrove?”

RL: The thing is, one works through observation. You have your silent thoughts, staring at nature. Funny, I woke up this morning at 5 A.M., reading a book on the work of Hiroshi Sugimoto, the photographer. I was interested in his childhood; how somebody like that could suddenly engage in the concept of light either through his photography of theaters or his photography of the sea. Where do people come from? And what read was incredibly honest and very transparent which is very rare for artists, they don’t really speak in a very transparent way. And one cannot deny one’s past.

WW: My understanding is that you grew up in a military family. Legend has it that your dad would bring back interesting objects. You grew up in a small village, not an urban environment. Did it force your mind to wonder, to look at things?

RL: The key was that I felt very different; never fitting completely in my family or community. Hard to explain that because I never had any experiences to compare, never travelled, never really went anywhere. So, you develop the power of observation. I was quite silent as a child, I use to go on long walks by the sea and it was just me and nature — and, you know, it’s enough.

If you want to escape, if you want to have some peace and serenity you go to nature. And even the sea — it comes out, it comes in — there’s a rhythm like the rhythm of the blood flowing through your veins. It’s an absolute joy.

Recently I went out to the desert in Libya. It was incredible because in the afternoon when the sun was overhead, the whole scene was very bleached out. And as the sun goes lower it creates shadows which gives you what look like waves in the sand and you feel like you’re in an ocean, even though you’re in a desert.

WW: The patterns are matching — patterns of the ocean, patterns everywhere. That’s one of the themes in your work, the idea of finding patterns and playing with them.

RL: Yeah, only two hours ago I had a break from a meeting and I went to buy a book on clouds. They’re all the same. I’m an earth sign, I’m very grounded in a respect and interest for nature — nothing moves me more. Typically, when I’m in a city environment, which I am a lot, I start to feel like there is something missing. So I become a conduit for a lot of people’s feelings who would prefer to be in nature but are embedded in the technocracy of cities. So what I’m looking to do in my work is to put very subliminal, earth, human-centric resonances back into the objects.

WW: You call yourself an evolutionary biologist, but are you a kind of modern Daoist?

RL: Again I was reading in this book on Sugimoto about the concept in Japanese making artifacts, the idea of reaching the absolute goal — the Zen buddhist concept of ‘Mu’ — nothingness. The idea that their ultimate goal is the silence of the object. I feel as if most objects around us aren’t embedded with a deeper concept of spirituality. I really do think that objects can communicate a very polysensorial deep resonance of power of an object. I certainly put that into my art pieces, the pieces I look at that are absolutely private and true to what I do.

WW: You talk about spiritual objects, and it’s interesting because we are leaving the Information Age to enter the Mythical Age. How do you connect with that?

RL: It’s really important — mythology. But I don’t calculate from the mind, I shoot from my heart. I try to retain instinct on behalf of people. Things I do are more than what they are, they have an aura of something more. The fact that we can talk with someone across the planet as we are now. The fact that we have something unconnected to create connectivity is shockingly interesting for me.

I have to go back to the desert a little bit. I went walking, and you have a very hard surface on the desert, like a crispy top, a sort of crème brûlée, and it just slightly breaks with your foot. And you can’t stop walking — it’s an amazing feeling. It’s so purposeful, you’re out in the horizon — it’s an incredibly sensual experience. And as the sun goes down, it is replaced by the moon and I was there when it was a full moon. And you suddenly realize how beautiful our planet is. The moon is like a mirror reflecting the light from the other side of the earth; I find that incredible. We take these things for granted, but we live in a moment of almost perfect harmony between nature, mother earth and the potential for human beings. I think it’s really an interesting moment and it is spiritual — it’s got to be spiritual.

If you take all of those factors: the need to understand population and migration of people, issues of resources wether that be food or manufacturing of objects, our energy sources, or how we create money and wealth. I mean everything, as we speak, is up for reconsideration. That has to be a globally conscious spiritual act — it has to be.

WW: You have said that in your studio you “try to keep innovative thinking, this energy of innovation flowing.” How does it work? How many collaborators do you have?

RL: We have 12. It means that anymore than that, I become a manager. I could have more people, but more people would probably mean I would become more of a service processing work, rather than studying it. I like the research process because then you can come up with something new. [In order to do that] you need time and you need funding to go in deep and ask questions. It’s very hard to find really well educated designers these days. I can’t take casual people to help me do what I do. It would be a disaster because my work is an art form. Trying to find the synergy between its need, its typology, its technology, its shape, its overall impact. There are so many factors which go in, which is a bout sitting and staring. It comes back to my youth when I spent hours just staring at the sea. I can look at 8 different violins and tell you which one is a great violin without touching it because I have a kind of instinctive position. People don’t have that today and you can’t be trained in instinct. You either got it or you haven’t. So I have a very tight group of people who understand my idiosyncrasies, who support my dreams; there enthusiastic about the ideas, about pushing things forwards and they don’t see limits. You have to run a studio like this with a very very high energy, almost like you’re still are a student, with that enthusiasm where you can work all night, you can go on a plane, you can go and do it.

WW: In that regard you lead by example?

RL: Yes, I do, absolutely. You know, Leonardo never went anywhere. He went to France, that’s it. Times are different. What I’ve always advocated is to never deviate from the absolute free expression where you fuse design, art, technology and nature. You fuse it all together, and you show that the best you can and hopefully you attract the right people.

WW: Maybe that’s your secret – we talked about this before. Your personal approach is to be an artist; looking for people who support you in your art. It becomes a great filter. You said, “If you have to design a telephone in 3 weeks, it all comes back to instinct,” and you can only have this instinct if it relates to the core of your work.

RL: Exactly, and you might end up coming with something completely new and different. You can work 2 ways: one is on the basis of what you know, which often is limited, of course. Or you work on the basis of what you don’t know. And what you don’t know is very exciting. It’s what you perceive or what you imagine would be an ideal solution. Wether it’s a telephone — on the one side it’s beautifully soft and on the other side it’s cut through like a galet, like a stone. Just the look and feel of objects, without being too romantic about it, but you lead with your ideas and then let technology follow your ideas. Technology is there to back up and reinforce your ideas, not the other way around.

WW: It’s funny you talk about “galets” which are stones on the seashore. I have in front of me [a picture of] the Andromeda lamp that looks like an aquatic creature. There is really this relationship with you and the ocean.

RL: Coming back back to Sugimoto, when I first look at these photographs of the sea where you couldn’t tell the difference between the sky or the ocean what blew my mind was not the image but what he said next to the image. He said that this is probably the last true unchanged image in humanity; meaning maybe 4 millions years ago our ancestors would have had the same view. I find this really beautiful…

WW: What are the things you would like to do let’s say, 10 years from now? What are the big dreams that seem like mountains to climb?

RL: Often the dreams are not about doing bigger things; it’s not about scale. If we were sat together here in my studio and could show you objects around me; I could easily be happy not do anything for 3 months and just, maybe, look at the poems of Carl Andre.

WW: So, again, it’s all about observation first?

RL: You have got to take a deep breath. You can’t run if you don’t breathe. You need to take that space in between. This is the issue of becoming more known, more desirable, more, more, more. It doesn’t leave enough space for reflection. In a kind of very flowing way, I’m quite good at that. This is interesting because a lot of people say to me “Gosh, we’re entering your world now” where the convergence of interest in nature but also understanding of technology and human beings is coming together — all the stuff I’ve been talking about for years.

The thing is, what do you do? At a time where it’s becoming your next decade, do you speed up or do you slow down? Or you just really handpick amazing things which just reinforce the focus of your intent?

WW: I guess this is where you trust your instinct.

RL: I have to, I’ve got nothing else! [Laughs]

WW: Recently, I’ve seen incredible use of bamboo for laptops [prototypes]. In your work so far, you use a lot of very technical material. Is this something yo would like to be involved with, working with natural materials?

RL: I’ve got a cube of bamboo on my shelf, with honeycomb in it. It’s amazing; it’s extruded bamboo. It’s from Japan, they use it as a filter for rice. I did this bamboo bicycle for Biomega which is a very pure expression of bamboo in its very raw form. If I was given the choice I would love to work with hemp or some of these alternative materials; and I would love to look at them in the field of car design or mobility generally. It would be interesting to do some research, you know, one foot in the tree-hugging thing and one foot in luxury — how you define the culture of quality…

WW: In the luxury world there is an important shift right now. It’s not about the bling anymore, it’s about going back to the roots of luxury: quality, craftsmanship, true uniqueness.

RL: The solar car I did for Svarowski was exactly that. It’s being shown in automotive, art, design and technology shows. That’s what interests me – forming a bridge. I’d love to get my hands on a luxury company and be able to bring the heart out and show people that ‘yes, it might be a beautiful suitcase but if it weighs ten kilos; what’s the point?’ You know, 3.2 billion people bought plane tickets last year, lightness is a very dominant factor that we should support. Our ancestors made everything themselves. If they made a bow and arrow, they had to make it as lightweight and as dependable as possible and they only had organic materials: animals and some plants. We live in an age when we have so much access to technology, I’m not sure we’re working at our full potential.

WW: Let’s go into the future: 20 years from now, society has changed in the best possible way. What do you want to see?

RL: I think life would have settled down and we would have understood where our energy comes from and how we use energy and that’s fundamental. How we move around the planet will be looked at again so the way we interact and conduct business will change. There will be unspoken rules about the way that clothes are made, the sheer quantity of the things that are made and lightness will be an amazing factor. I think the concept of “off-grid” where people can be autonomous in the way that they live and make decisions. If I had my way, I would be designing houses which would be self-generating energy and maybe would generate even more that what’s required and would put that back into the grid and share. There would be a sense of community in the way we exchange and share. On a very private level, I have dreams where I would build a white marble cube, and thin the marble in places so that the light would penetrate. There would be no door in it; you’d have to find the door, it would be remote. And I would go there from time to time and in there, would be a minimum of 5 objects which are the greatest things I’ve ever loved. From a Piranesi drawing, to Greg Lynns’ tea and coffee set for Alessi, to one of the greatest prehistoric tools, just objects…maybe incredible sound…

WW: And a book?

RL: Maybe something that would take me a long time to understand — John Donne sonnets from the XVIIth century, which I’d probably have to read a hundred time to understand. Something optimistic in a way, something about love. I would have incredible sound in there, I’m working on a violin right now, so by that time hopefully, it will be finished. There would be objects I could stare at, or feel — objects for each of my senses.

You know, I would have an amazing key made and I would give that to the person I love; and they would continue with it. Maybe they add an object themselves, it’s like an exchange. I think about something that is so peaceful and silent that you can refine yourself.

WW: I love your marble cube idea, that’s really beautiful — I’m there already.

Link to: WHITEWALL MAGAZINE FALL 2009

Musical Birds

2009-09-11T10:15:00.001-07:00

Birds on the Wires from Jarbas Agnelli on Vimeo.

Whitewall Fall issue 2009 featuring Karl Lagerfeld

2009-09-09T12:10:00.000-07:00

Yes, the new Whitewall is out...

In this issue there was so much good stuff we had to do 2 covers:
- One with Karl Lagerfeld
- One with David Lachapelle

The portrait of Karl was done by Jean-philippe Delhomme — one of my favorite illustrators in the world.

The interview is just awesome... I love it when he talks about his creative process: “People don’t have to remember what you did. They should see what you do. If you want respect for your past, it means that you have a problem with your present and even more with your future.”

And

“I like to do things for doing things, not for having done things. And when something is finished, I want to do something else. That’s why the world of fashion is perfect for me, because it’s about change and redoing it again.”

Wise words from the master of Chanel.

Read the online version here.

Tron: Legacy

2009-08-30T15:39:00.000-07:00

Tron Legacy: let's see... a remake of a cult movie from my youth + Jeff Bridges + a soundtrack by the Daft Punk?

Sounds good to me!

I actually like when Jeff Bridges plays the evil bad guy... he's awesome!

One more thing... Here's a treat... the 80's Tron for your enjoyment...

here's a link to the teaser of Tron Legacy:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1AwvuirSEAA&feature=related

Curious Indian film on... poetry!

2009-08-15T14:00:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I watched a curious Indian film: Pyaasa (1957)...

It tells the story of Vijay, a young (and broke) poet. When he suddenly becomes famous, everybody loses it — chaos and social unrest ensue — pure poetry TNT power!

This is a very strange movie because:
1 It's about poetry
2 There are some "ladies of the night" involved
3 The hero somehow transforms into a Christ-like figure towards the end of the movie

The mix is very odd to say the least — but I truly enjoyed it. After you pass the fact that it was made a long time ago; it's quite modern. The drama of the struggling artist is well rendered. The main actor is pretty cool — and he sings too!

Check it out — for a truly different experience. Where can you hear a dialogue like: "The man who followed me is poet"?
Odd but good...

After all, we all could use a little bit of poetry, right?
— I know I do.

Redefining Reality

2009-07-30T12:26:00.000-07:00

Funktionide Part II from eltopo on Vimeo.

What is real?
— Do you have an easy answer?

One of the important waves of change we will soon have to face might be related to our capacity to deal with reality.

The truth is — reality is not what it used to be. The line with the imaginary is getting thinner...

Take these two examples: First there is the thesis of Stefan Ulrich based on electroactive polymers... He imagined a future where animal-like machines “will fall in love with us”... The exploratory video says it all... It’s cool, nicely made but... I had to meditate a bit on this one. If you look beyond the slick movie, to me, it really depicts the “ultimate solitude” — giving-up on anything organic (other humans, animals, plants) and relying on machines to get a sense of emotional comfort... Again, imagining that technology will solve all our problems (communication, relationships etc...) is the biggest fallacy of our culture.

Next, there is Immersive Media, a company that films life in full 360 degree and edit it so we can look around with a simple click of our mouse — the result is truly awesome.

Immersive Media is only at the beginning stages... but it’s easy to imagine that in a few years, the advanced version of this technology can be used to cover any event — live. Imagine this: there’s a Madonna concert (80 years and going on strong!), you are at home and put on a virtual helmet... There are 50 guys, holding the 360 cameras at different spots around the event. The VR effect is live, so when you turn your head, you can look around you — you’re there, it’s real-time. Because there are 50 camera-spots broadcasting 360, you can channel-hop from one to the next... you can see everything, go everywhere — you’re free from physical limitations.

As you see, if something like that goes mainstream: everything, and everyone becomes part of a global, giant reality show, broadcasted 24/7 on the web. Pretty weird, right?

Take simply these two innovations and shake well... it’s getting a bit confusing... What is real versus simulated? — if you can’t tell the difference, it becomes a tough question to answer!

That being said, I don’t really believe in the theories of laid down in the 70’s by Alvin Toffler in his book Future Shock. He theorized at the time that technological changes are so fast that we can’t adapt to them and enter a “future shock” or “information overload”. In the end, it’s partly true. There are people who go crazy texting, tweetering or who knows what... But they are a minority... so are the lonely people who get “real dolls” for companionship.

Here is my prediction — the future will not be about technology but about inner evolution. How do we interact with each others; how do we feel, think;... our creativity, our empathy. And as you know, to achieve these things, you don’t need a worm-like machine that’s programmed to “love you” — you are already equipped with everything you need.

Check out Immersive Media here.

Kiki, my new weird friend, the Praying Mantis

2009-07-26T14:06:00.001-07:00

Look at this... this is my new friend Kiki. I found her this morning in the garden... It's a good thing because praying mantis protect edible gardens from bugs... my basel and rosemary plants are safe!

I took the picture using an old Sony Cybershot (click on pictures to see full-size)... looks pretty nice. I have to say that praying mantis ARE feisty... Kiki tried to attack me and jumped on my arm! Creepy but safe — mantis are harmless to humans. I delicately brushed her off back into the plants where she belongs... Mantis are very intriguing creatures, very useful and dare I say... beautiful!

Live long and prosper Kiki! My home is your home!

Kiki's color is intriguing — if you know about it, post a comment.

today and tomorrow... part2

2009-07-24T17:28:00.000-07:00

Love that house, designed by Alphaville — look at the staircase! Thank you today and tomorrow

today and tomorrow... another great blog

2009-07-24T16:53:00.000-07:00

Again, for your inspiration... the excellent blog today and tomorrow. Featured here, the Pixel clock — a great design by François Azambourg for Ligne Roset.

I found FFFFOUND!

2009-07-22T17:08:00.000-07:00

I found this interesting image bookmarking blog... so far many interesting images such as these... It's a big mix — some are better than others... that's the catch, the content is user-driven — good users brings great content, bad user... well it's just bad. That being said, I like to check it out from time to time, there's always a good surprise, something odd and inspiring....

FFFOUND! Website

Lagerfeld Confidential

2009-07-16T10:38:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I saw the documentary Lagerfeld Confidential... It's very interesting, — how one can choose to reinvent himself endlessly and stay relevant in the cut-throat environment of Fashion... you get a good glimpse at the out-of-the-ordinary life of Chanel's mastermind. Karl is an extreme character — very entertaining. For some reason he reminds me of Andy Warhol... maybe it's the hair... I don't know.

Metropolis by Fritz Lang

2009-07-11T13:53:00.001-07:00

Metropolis is a 1927 science fiction movie directed by Fritz Lang... It's an interesting vision of the future... from the past.

The movie is quite over-the-top... Because it's a silent movie, the actors use a lot of body language to convey emotions — and in this movie... they go wild!

Metropolis has been a long lasting major influence in the creative world: Madonna did a clip based on it, George Lucas based his Star Wars' C3PO on the Metropolis' robot...

Here, I'm posting stills from a scene where the evil robot takes the shape of the main female character and hypnotizes everyone into destruction with her "erotic dancing" — see the men go crazy!!!!

Rent it, — this movie is great, the esthetics, beautiful.

Whitewall Summer issue 2009 featuring Daft Punk

2009-06-21T13:36:00.000-07:00

Whitewall Magazine,

Summer issue 2009

Here’s a little preview:

— a cool interview of Daft Punk's Thomas Bangalter with wonderful photos by Mitch Feinberg...

Also features Terence Koh, François Pinault, Doug Aitken...

I'm the creative director of Whitewall, and I'm very happy with this new issue, — I'm also very grateful to work with WW collaborators who have helped make this happen...

It's always a pleasure seeing dreams coming to reality... almost magical!

See complete issue here

Today, spotted a Mini E

2009-06-14T17:23:00.000-07:00

The date is June 14th 2009 — I saw a Mini E on the streets! Yes, you are reading right, the all electric Mini Cooper.

The first, good-looking zero-emission car I saw with my own eyes... finally!

I really hope it's the beginning of a new era — think about it... Electric car + solar panels on the rooftop of your house = no money for Big Oil.

Wow! That's a revolution right there...

How about zero smell? Nice. I asked the driver how he liked it... his answer: "It's super fast!" as he drove away into the sunset with a futuristic buzzing sound, typical of these new machines.

Here's a thought... I hope I will read this post ten years from now and will laugh because it will sound so dated ("a futuristic buzzing sound typical of these new machines")... I hope electric cars will soon become the norm.

As of right now this car is a limited test run... (each car has a limited number edition on it).

BMW/Mini people, please hurry and make them available and affordable for everyone — fast!

I know I want one.

Mini E site

Towards a Noosphere Ecology — How creativity can save the Ad world (from itself), and why you should care (1/2).

2009-06-08T17:50:00.000-07:00

Note: This essay was originally written for Creatives working in the advertising industry. It is however a good read for anyone — “working Creative” or not. If you’re interested in the future of communication and finding new ways to make the world a better place... read on! Another thing... this piece was designed to be an open conversation, please leave your comments and pass it on to your network.

THE MENTAL GOO THAT EATS YOUR BRAIN
Let me ask you a funny question... In your circle of friends, how many people do you know right now who have given up on their television... 0, 3, 15? Nationwide, the numbers keep growing each day. These folks are well educated, and well read — call them Cultural Creatives, if you will. They might actually even have a TV, but it’s only connected to a DVD player — to watch movies. What about the news? you may ask... What about the fun TV shows? It’s all done online, wirelessly, on a big screen laptop computer.

But why? Why are these people giving up on cable?

Apparently, “because there’s just too much garbage.” For these Americans, the media has crossed a point of no return — a mental pollution that has become unbearable. As one of these TV deserters puts it: “They keep pouring this mental goo non-stop that dumbs everybody down — there is no way I’m paying cable to watch this junk.”

That’s to the point.

If you probe a little bit, you will find that the fingers are pointed at the same usual suspects: reality-TV, news-as-entertainment, pundits, tabloid culture and of course... advertising.

In these circles, TV is now perceived as “pure junk.” These same Cultural-Creatives who are quasi-religious about eating organic food are now casting away the little screen. Junk food and mental junk food walk hand in hand. “We don’t eat that crap” rhymes with “we don’t watch that crap.”

If the numbers of people following this behavior are still marginal, they nevertheless reflect a trend — I call it the Invisible Distance. As of now it is just a whisper, but it is getting louder... and it is not just about unplugging the TV.

The Invisible Distance affects every type of behavior: what you eat, what you watch, what you read, how you spend your free time, and how you interact with others. As more educated people — influencers — are separating themselves from a mainstream culture they perceive as toxic, the bigger the trend grows. And on the top of the “toxic list” you will find... advertising.

If you could picture this Invisible Distance — this invisible line — it would be a frontier drawn between two worlds: one where you are a pure consumer and one where you are living a creative life. It’s the act of moving from the “mainstream” to an “upstream” where products, goods and services are “healthier.”

THE HOPE IS IN THE PROBLEM
According to researcher Paul H. Ray and Sherry Ruth Anderson there are 50 million Americans that fit the Cultural Creative profile (as of 2000) — the Invisible Distance might not be such a small trend after all.

In 2008, the global market crash came with a rude awakening. In one instant the illusory bubble of reality burst, leaving everyone scratching their heads for what could happen next.

Here are tough questions to ask: what’s the participatory role of advertising and marketing in this fiasco (if any)? And, as a Creative, what role (if any) do I play in it?

In this essay, I will present you with a provocative theory: the obsolescence of the classic marketing model. Not that the model doesn’t work — it does — but it clearly shows signs of aging. And like all aging mechanisms, it becomes potentially dangerous the longer we keep using it (without any new alternatives). To support this point, I will take you on a journey to show you that the very foundations of marketing were set up on shaky grounds. We’re going to travel back into the past and explore the little known origins of modern advertising and marketing. (In this first part I will draw extensively upon the work of British documentary filmmaker Adam Curtis and his brilliant “The Century of the Self” [BBC Four], see references at the end).

Next, I’ll introduce you to the work of mythologist Joseph Campbell and will show you why the “hero’s journey” is probably going to be the next big idea in a twenty-first century world, driven by what I call Archetypal Communication.

Later, I’m going to show you successful examples of positive Archetypal Communication at work.

And finally, I’m going to introduce you to the concept of Noosphere Ecology, what you can do to be a part of this emerging movement, and why it’s important.

Ready for something new? Yes?

Perfect, so am I.

Note: If you already know about Edward Bernays, and the history of advertising (like the back of your hand)... Click here to skip this part and go directly to part 2.

HOW IT ALL STARTED: INTRODUCING EDWARD BERNAYS AND UNCLE SIGMUND
If you’re like me, you may not always enjoy exploring the dusty archives of history to find hidden truths. Yet today I would like to invite you to do a little time traveling.

Let’s jump back a hundred years to a very busy New York. Imagine the smoke, the grey wool coats, moustaches and bowler hats — the swarms of European immigrants looking for a better life. In the America of the early 1900’s, an invisible but dramatic change is about to take place: the slow shift from a working class society to a consumer society.

In the 1920’s industrialists were concerned by the possibility of overproduction and were looking for a way to get the American citizen to consume more. But how do you do that?

Enter Edward Bernays (1891-1995), the most influential (yet unknown) figure of the modern world. (I know it’s a big statement — but read on).

Edward Bernays was originally a regular press agent based in New York. He also happened to be the nephew of Sigmund Freud (1856-1939). After reading his uncle’s work describing how “the unconscious [is a place where] lust, rage and repression battle for supremacy,” Bernays got hooked. From then on, he tried to devise a way to control these irrational forces within the masses in order to make money. He immediately started to experiment.

His first success came about when he was able to incite women to smoke — by associating the act of smoking with freedom(!). He hired women during the Easter Day Parade in New York to protest for equality by lighting up “torches of freedom” (cigarettes). This stunt singlehandedly broke the taboo of smoking and turned women into cigarette smokers. As Adam Curtis puts it “What Bernays had created was the idea that if a woman smoked, it made her more powerful and independent. An idea that still persists today. It made [Bernays] realized that you could persuade people to behave irrationally if you link products to their emotional desires and feelings.” As a result cigarettes sales for women took off worldwide.

Bernays concluded that the way to sell product was not — as previously thought — through the intellect but instead through the emotions. Purchasing a product became with Bernays a way to “feel good about yourself.” And consumerism was born.

Corporations were enamored with Bernays’ psychological theories and he became the most influential consultant in America. Describing his work, he coined the term “Public Relations.”

If Bernays’ techniques proved to be very effective, they were based on murky foundations. For example, Freud’s obsession with the dark, dangerous forces of the unconscious have been criticized repeatedly. In a total opposite view, Wilheim Reich and Carl Jung describe the unconscious as benign — unless, of course, you try to restrain its natural needs.

But for Bernays, who espoused his uncle’s theory, danger was looming. The masses needed to be controlled and restrained at all cost. In the chilly introduction of his 1928 book Propaganda [IG Publishing], he declares:

“The conscious and intelligent manipulation of the organized habits and opinions of the masses is an important element in democratic society. Those who manipulate this unseen mechanism of society constitute an invisible government which is the true ruling power of our country.”

Yes, you are reading correctly. This was written by the forefather of marketing.

CRUISING THROUGH THE 50’s

The concepts originally laid down by Bernays were enthusiastically followed years later. All major New York agencies started to integrate teams of psychologists onboard who were now working alongside the Ad men.

In his 1957 book, The Hidden Persuaders [Pocket Books], Vance Packard describes how ad agencies who experimented with psychological techniques “concluded that the sale of billions of dollars’ worth of products hinged to a large extend upon successfully manipulating or coping with our guilt feelings, fears, anxieties, hostilities, loneliness feelings, inner tensions.”

In the 50’s, “psychological advertising” was working like magic. Ad men were selling endlessly to what seemed perfect consumers. But underneath the fantastic numbers, something was wrong.

Behind the happy-go-lucky social masks, a profound social unrest was looming. Consumerism did not equal happiness. Behind the facades of their suburban homes, it was not uncommon to discover that “proper” housewives were drinking or self-medicating with “happy pills.” The contrived conformity of the era — the pressure to fit an imaginary lifestyle mainly dedicated to materialism acted like a pressure cooker on all members of society.

Giving us a glimpse of the state of affairs, Vance Packard quotes an October, 1951 article from Fortune magazine that describes the ideal wife of an executive: “With a remarkable uniformity of phrasing, corporation officials all over the country sketch the ideal. In her simplest terms she is a wife who is (1) highly adaptable, (2) highly gregarious, (3) realizes that her husband belongs to the corporation.”

Behind its bright smiles, two-tones cars and perfectly manicured lawns, the 50’s were not a consumer’s paradise but a suffocating box.

And by the time the 1960’s surfaced, some invisible switch clicked; and all hell broke loose. American society imploded from within, torn apart by political and social unrest.

THE REVOLUTION
By the mid 1960’s, students' groups stood against “corporate America,” accusing it of brainwashing the public into buying things they did not need while conducting an oppressive war in Vietnam. Their movement was partly inspired by the ideas of political philosopher Herbert Marcuse who described the American consumer as the “One-Dimensional Man.” Marcuse was a virulent critic of the Freudians, who “had helped created a world where people where reduced to express their feelings and identities through mass-produced objects.”

But confronted with much violence and repression, the 60’s political activist movement began to morph. The outward battle was traded against an inner exploration for the Self — the idea being that if enough people realized their “true Self” at the same time, society as a whole would change. This is what would become the human potential movement, led by figures such as Abraham Maslow and Frederick Perls.

By the 70’s, a whole generation embraced this search for this “true Self” by rejecting the old values and experimenting with new ideas and behaviors. And as it turned out, this new generation of consumers was not responding in predictable ways. Ad agencies began to feel the pressure to close the giant gap that separated them from this strange generation. They commissioned more research to find out what was happening. They found out that the new revolution of behaviors reflected a need for self-expression. These new consumers wanted products like everyone else, but products that reflected their individuality “their difference in a conformist world.” Adam Curtis talk about a memo from an Ad agency circulating at that time that stated: “We must conform to the new non-conformists.”

But the idea of self-expression that had begun as a fringe movement permeated society as a whole in the early 80’s. We entered the era of consumerism as lifestyle. Based on Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, advertisers (with the help of the Stanford Research Institute) devised a new way to categorize consumers, not by social status but by inner values based on different psychological desires and drives. The new system was called Values and Lifestyles (VALS) and offered a division of Lifestylers into different segments such as Innovator, Thinkers, Believers, Achievers, Strivers, Experiencers, Makers, Survivors.

The original 70’s aspirations to self-express and create a unique identity was repackaged in the 80’s as “the identity you can buy” — thanks to a new endless supply of ultra-customized products.

Contemporary marketing models have since then evolved, based on the VALS model. They eventually reached their peak (unchallenged) until 2008 when the global market crashed... leaving everyone shell-shocked.

NOW WHAT?
If you look at this quick (and much simplified) tour of the history of advertising and marketing, it is easy to see a dysfunctional pattern. No matter what period of time (early 20’s or 70’s), the prerequisite is the same. When using psychological pressure points on the masses, it is assumed that (1) people are just consumers, (2) the masses need to be controlled at all cost, (3) these techniques work, (4) the ends (i.e., profits) justify the means (i.e., psychological manipulation), (5) advertising is all about money anyway — end of discussion.

Unfortunately (or should I say fortunately) this way of thinking is not working anymore — the model is unsustainable. Not only is the system of endless expansion of profits clearly showing its limits, but these not-so-subtle techniques of persuasion are starting to crash against the rock of new generations with superior understanding of the Ad game. Yes — you will still find today shopaholics who still believe maxing out their credit cards at the mall is the way to go. But they are a vanishing tribe.

But still, in the Ad world, marketing tricks prevail today. Recently I received a piece of direct mail from my bank congratulating me — I had won an iPod! But wait... in minuscule (barely a size 4 pt.), the piece also stated that by claiming my “prize” I would automatically enroll for some kind of fancy $24/month recurring service I have no interest in. Who in his/her right mind believe that this kind of trickery works today? Who’s the genius behind this? What does it say about the bank? What kind of brand-building is that?

But if marketing is starting to hurt brand-image, or simply land flat, and if the new generation is highly suspicious of the Ad world, what could be the next move?

Now trend bureaus worldwide will show you how you can reconnect with these folks by using catchwords like “green,” “global,” “organic,” “hybrid”... but these are again gimmicks. A “hybrid” behemoth SUV such as the 2009 Cadillac Escalade Hybrid doesn’t really fool anyone. It is still a behemoth SUV – even if it has a sticker on the side that says “hybrid.” It still consumes far more more than a Toyota Prius. The gimmick can’t cover reality.... So now what?

>>Click here to read part 2/3

P.S.: Don't forget to leave your comments below + pass it on to your friends.

Towards a Noosphere Ecology — How creativity can save the Ad world (from itself), and why you should care (2/2).

2009-06-08T16:54:00.000-07:00

USE THE FORCE, LUKE
As we know, the bottom line in advertising is money, not art. OK.

So let’s talk a bit about big money — in the movies this time. George Lucas’ Star Wars is a good example — a worldwide phenomenon. “As of 2008, the overall box office revenue generated by the six Star Wars films has totalled approximately $4.3 billion” [source: Wikipedia].

So, we can agree that, from a marketing perspective, Star Wars is an amazing success. But when Lucas created Star Wars, he did not consult marketers, or segments. He turned to the works of mythologist Joseph Campbell.

In the biography of Joseph Campbell, A Fire in the Mind, Lucas explains: “In literature we were going off into science fiction... so that's when I started doing more strenuous research on fairy tales, folklore, and mythology, and I started reading Joe's books. Before that I hadn't read any of Joe's books... It was very eerie because in reading The Hero with a Thousand Faces I began to realize that my first draft of Star Wars was following classic motifs... so I modified my next draft [of Star Wars] according to what I'd been learning about classical motifs and made it a little bit more consistent... I went on to read The Masks of God and many other books.”

The relationship between Star Wars and the work of Joseph Campbell is further developed in the 1988 documentary The Power of Myth filmed at Lucas' Skywalker Ranch and hosted by Bill Moyers.

Now interestingly enough, the Harry Potter books and film series (that claimed $4.48 billion in worldwide receipts), and The Matrix series ($1.6 billion worldwide) [source: Wikipedia] are also using the same mythical structures described by Joseph Campbell.

If you total these three alone that’s $10,38 billion. It’s a lot of money.

From a marketing perspective, it’s interesting to figure out at this point who was Joseph Campbell, and what his work was all about. But there’s a catch. As you’re about to find out, stepping into the world of myths requires a little more than just an analytical brain.

THE POWER OF MYTH
Joseph Campbell (1904-1987) was an american mythologist, writer and a mesmerizing lecturer. During his lifelong study of world myths and religions, Campbell found common hidden structures behind stories and traditions. For Campbell, myths are filters for fundamental truths that are impossible to access through the rational mind. In that sense, mythical stories offer a map for guiding oneself through the complexities of the modern world.

But of course, there is more to it. The work of Campbell — very much in echo of Carl Jung’s — deals with archetypal powers, these mysterious, invisible forces that permeate and influence human culture since the dawn of time.

In the preface of The Hero with a Thousand Faces he writes: “My hope is that a comparative elucidation may contribute to the perhaps not-quite desperate cause of those forces that are working in the present world for unification, not in the name of some ecclesiastical or political empire, but in the sense of human mutual understanding.”

Please note how Campbell describes these forces not as abstract theories but as very active energies: “forces that are working in the present world.” These are, according to Campbell, powerful living principles striving “for unification”.

Now the question would be, how do we access these archetypes to include them in our communication?

Tough question. When it comes to archetypes, Campbell is very clear — you cannot harness anything: “For the symbols of mythology are not manufactured; they cannot be ordered, invented or permanently suppressed. They are spontaneous productions of the psyche, and each bears within it, undamaged, the germ power of its source.”

The thing is, archetypal forces are VERY powerful and always at work. In A Brief History of Everything [1996, Shambhala], Ken Wilber has this to say: “real archetypes are subtle seed-forms upon which all of manifestation depends. In deep states of contemplative awareness, one begins to understand that the entire Kosmos emerges out of Emptiness...” He continues later with the dramatic: “[With archetypes] you are looking at the basic forms and foundations of the entire manifest world. You are looking directly into the Face of the Divine.”

That’s bold.

But still... incredibly powerful archetypal forces we can’t really understand nor control? What’s the use?

Not so fast.

The thing is, there is one person who can sometimes connect with Archetypal forces — an outsider not always appreciated by the status quo (and by the Ad world): it’s the Artist-Creative. And when he/she makes this connection, the creative work leaves the banal to enter the realm of Archetypal Communication.

THE ARCHETYPAL COMMUNICATION PHENOMENON
In the feature documentary The Mindscape of Alan Moore, acclaimed graphic novel author Alan Moore offers interesting theories on the role of the artist. He considers that “Art, like magic, is the science of manipulating symbols, words or images to achieve changes in consciousness.” But he insists that “Artists have accepted the prevailing belief that art, that writing are merely forms of entertainment. They’re not seen as transformative forces that can change a human being, that can change a society.”

Interestingly, he continues by stating that “the people who are using shamanism and magic to shape our culture are advertisers.”

Now listen to advertising legend Bill Bernbach parallel this idea, forty years earlier: “A communicator must be concerned with unchanging man — what compulsion drives him, what instincts dominate his every action... For if you know these things about a man, you can touch him at the core of his being. The creative man with an insight into human nature, with the artistry to touch and move people, will succeed. Without them he will fail.” Sounds very magical indeed.

When the Creative/Artist is able to fully engaged (or be engaged) in his/her art something amazing can happen. There is a powerful resonance that occurs, a mysterious force comes through the artist and the result product has the potential to touch millions.

Interestingly, this phenomenon can happen in the context of advertising — and the good news is: art and business don’t have to be an evil mix. Far from it. A healthy community depends on a healthy economy, that depend on a healthy promotion of healthy goods and services. And to do that you need to pick “healthy” clients that carry “non-toxic” products or services... it may take more time but it’s rewarding in the long run (both financially and creatively).

And yes, creativity-supported marketing and communication can be done with a clear conscious.

Let me show you a few examples of positive Archetypal Communication at work in different fields — past and present.

THINK SMALL
This legendary ad campaign signed by Bill Bernbach, (1911-1982) the co-founder of advertising agency DDB, was a way (according to David Ogilvy) to “position Volkswagen as a protest against the vulgarity of Detroit cars in those days, thereby making the Beetle a cult among those Americans who eschew conspicuous consumption” (sounds like this was written yesterday).

About Bernbach, Ogilvy continues “he worshipped at the altar of originality, and was never tired of denouncing research as the enemy of creativity. This may have irritated some of his clients, but it made him the hero of the creative fraternity.” Needless to say, Volkswagen was very pleased.

In total opposition of the ultra-stretched cars (that were literally devised as “penis extensions” — an idea backed by Freudian marketing research), Bernbach touched the core of a generation with the Beetle — in one elegant gesture, he captured the essence of the spirit of the times.

Two great quotes by Bernbach: “Advertising isn't a science; it’s persuasion. And persuasion is an art.” And, “Properly practiced creativity can make one ad do the work of ten.”

THINK DIFFERENT

In 1997 Lee Clow, creative director for Chiat/Day devised a new ad campaign that restored Apple’s brand image. Completed in close collaboration with Steve Jobs in only 17 days (according to legend), the ad series became an instant success. So successful indeed that Apple used the campaign’s concept until 2002.

Nice quotes from Clow: “When advertising’s done well, I think it can become a part of our culture. When it’s done badly it becomes visual pollution.” And, “The term ‘focus group’ was coined by either a complete fool or a master of irony.”

THINK HOPE
What do you remember visually from the Obama presidential campaign? Shepard Fairey’s bold graphic posters and stickers, of course. "I wanted strong. I wanted wise, but not intimidating," said Fairey. His political art with an instantly recognizable style “went viral” — how much did it help win the election? Hard to tell. How much did it help with the Obama’s brand image towards younger voters? A lot! Shepard Fairey created a ultra-iconic visual communication that will remain in the history of art... and just plain history.

THINK LITTLE CREATURES
French artist Genevieve Gauckler’s magic touch has been courted by advertisers to sell anything from make-up, telephone plans, software, soft drinks or cars. Why so much love? Her work speaks directly to the happy side of the unconscious. Her humorous and sometimes abrasive visual world is populated with little critters that speak directly to our preoccupations — they are us. Gauckler’s enchanting world is unique and terribly attractive. It echoes the myths and legends of the past, populated with fairies and goblins — yet it is expressed in a very direct, modern way. I had the pleasure to speak with her for this essay.

About finding a balance between art and business she explains: “the main thing is to choose the client properly, you have to feel comfortable with the brand. Second, I try to have the same state of mind when I’m working for an ad or when I work for a personal project. I’m in the same mood — I try to do my best and come up with something new, I try to surprise myself all the time. The difficulty is to get rid of self-limitations, and stay in that open space.”

But for Gauckler, the creative work comes with personal responsibility, “Since the beginning of my career I’ve been aware of the power of art. As Creatives we are responsible for the world, in a way, because we are delivering images that do influence people. So we have to be careful. I think everyone should feel like this but as image creators it’s even more important — you have to feel this responsibility.”

THINK TWICE
Can archetypal communication work too well? Being in such good company I could not resist adding some of my work to this prestigious list — because yes, archetypal communication can sometimes go out-of control. In 1998 I was contacted by a French luxury fashion designer to help him build his young brand. Inspired by the old masters’ Vanitas paintings, I designed a bold color skull ad campaign — a statement at the time as no other brands were using illustrations or pop graphics. It was an instant hit. The brand took off immediately and within a ten years period went from a small operation to a multimillion dollar business. Lucien Pellat-Finet cashmere became an instant cult-icons in the micro-niche of ultra-luxury fashion, with customers willing to spend over $3,000 to get their very own skull sweater (and shifting from being “consumers” to becoming “collectors”).

The success didn’t go unnoticed — imitators jumped on the bandwagon. The brand was credited for the subsequent worldwide proliferation of skulls that contaminated the fashion world until today.

A MAGIC FORMULA
In the above examples (taken for very different industries: cars, computers, sodas, luxury fashion...) there is a common thread. All the Creatives involved are aware of their power. They know the magic formula.

What’s the Creative magic formula?

It’s PERSONAL INTEGRITY + ARTISTRY = POWER

PI + A = P (for short)

All the Creatives cited here are very unique individuals who “follow their bliss” as Joseph Campbell would say. They don’t “do a job they are being forced to do,” they live with purpose. Furthermore, these Creatives understand marketing as well as the pros; so they can transcend it.

Finally they have personal integrity — a sense of responsibility and understanding of how, what and why they influence. None of these individuals would work for something that would not match their intrinsinc values.

TOWARDS A NOOSPHERE ECOLOGY
In his 1955 book The Phenomenon of Man [Perennial], visionary Teilhard de Chardin popularized the term “Noosphere” to describe a “sphere of the collective mind” superimposed on the biosphere (sphere of life). For the author, the Noosphere acts as a transforming agent of evolution, “an ascent towards consciousness,” converging towards an “Omega point.”

Since then, science has consistently confirmed that the very fabric of our universe is “primal information” — the stuff Creatives work with. Nobel Prize winner, physicist Niels Bohr (1885-1962) puts it very directly: “When it comes to atoms, language can be used only as in poetry. The poet, too, is not nearly so concerned with describing facts as with creating images.”

As a Creative, your work automatically becomes a building block of this Noosphere permeating everything.

And, no matter if we like it or not; Advertising is a strong force that shapes the global Noosphere nonstop — 24 hours a day.

At the individual level, how you choose to use your creativity is your responsibility. In the computer science world they have a saying: “Garbage in, Garbage out.” This apply to all of us. It's a call to question what we do as Creatives. Are we trying our best to produce something great, something good? Or are we cynical, and just content to drop any kind of toxic mind-trick that can scare people into buying... buying the kind of things we would NEVER want our own children to approach with a ten feet pole?

It’s an important question.

It’s also a powerful question for the advertising industry in general. If we look at the history of the modern world, we went from the Agricultural Age, to the Industrial Age, to the Information Age... And present advertising work with that frame of reference. But the Information Age is already behind us; we are already moving into a new Conceptual Age — and the industry as a whole needs to wake up and start reflecting that. Now.

In his book A Whole New Mind [2005, Riverhead Books], Daniel H. Pink contends that “we’re progressing yet again — to a society of creators and empathizers, of pattern recognizers and meaning makers,” defined by (among others concepts) design, story, empathy, meaning. For Pink we are leaving an era dominated by the left brain (analytical mind) towards a right brain world (creative mind).

Near the end of the book, he quotes Forbes publisher Rich Karlgaard with his Oracle-like call for change: “So what’s next?... Meaning. Purpose. Deep life experience. Use whatever word or phrase you like, but know that consumer desire for these qualities is on the rise. Remember your Abraham Maslow and your Viktor Frankl. Bet your business on it.”

Very wise words indeed. In a shifting world, denying the change is always a death sentence – survival is at stake.

IT’S UP TO YOU
Entering a “Noosphere Ecology,” and working with “Archetypal Communication” sounds catchy and cute; but it is not an easy thing to do. These are two deep, powerful concepts that need to be ponder upon. My hope for Advertising is that Creative, Marketing and Sales will eventually start growing up and entering adulthood (that is, working together — not against each other). Unlike Daniel H. Pink, I don’t believe in a new “right-brain world” but I believe in a full integration of the left and right brain. Unity is a powerful thing to accomplish.

In the Ad World it means Creatives starting to learn serious marketing skills — and becoming as qualified and knowledgeable as Marketers themselves — to the point of being able to transcend statistics (and to perceive the hidden truth behind numbers). The next step is about dropping the attitude and understanding and appreciating Sales — and working in synergy to find amazing clients. And finally, having the courage, the energy, and the will to deliver earth-shattering creative ideas that connect with people — unitive ideas. This is about claiming back the creative power.

A kind of Creative Intelligent Revolution, if you will.

Now as you read these lines, your mind will probably start racing, “Yeah! Love the idea, but in our agency it can’t be done because... (write your excuse here).” I’m with you here... nothing is easy, nor simple.

It’s always hard to see the potentials hidden in any present situation — it’s either the corporate culture, the pesky boss, or the evil client... it’s never perfect. But in the essence of every reality lies the potential for change, for evolution. The trick is to be willing to look for an opening, a little speck of creative light and taking a chance — catching it and expanding it. By definition, every situation directly reflects the status quo, and it is the role of the Creatives to shake things up. As Rollo May humorously describes in his book The Courage to Create [Norton, 1975]: “creativity provokes the jealousy of the gods. This is why authentic creativity takes so much courage: an active battle with the gods is occurring.”

In this new Conceptual/Mythical era, you (and your company) need urgently to get acquainted with the classic structure of story and the role of archetypes (get your education from the best: C. Jung and J. Campbell) — and start looking to what extend your clients can connect with these concepts. If you don’t have the time to research it, find a friendly “Creative Shaman” to mentor you.

Advertising is entering a new era of complexity — dealing with complex people (yes people, not just consumers). But if the world is ever changing and complex, it also hides incredible treasures for the ones who can access the truths behind the veil...

Does it sound like the introduction to a mythical story?

Yes...that’s because it is.

P.S.: Fun fact: the day after I sent advertising legend Lee Clow an invitation to read this essay, he posted this on his Twitter page “Like all storytelling, great advertising dresses archetypal structures in alluring new clothes. Dress your brand appropriately.”

A simple coincidence? Or a friendly wink from the master?

— I’ll let you be the judge of that.

Guillaume Wolf is an L.A. based visual artist and creative consultant. He is currently the creative director of Whitewall magazine. http://www.guillaumewolf.com

Contact: theadaptivecreative@gmail.com

Click to return to beginning (1/2)

REFERENCES
BOOKS:
- Campbell, Joseph. (1949) The Hero with a Thousand Faces. Bollingen.
- Larsen, Stephen and Robin. (2002). Joseph Campbell: A Fire in the Mind. Inner Traditions.
- May, Rollo. (1975) The Courage to Create. Norton.
- Packard, Vance. (1957). The Hidden Persuaders. Pocket Books.
- Pink, Daniel H. (2005). A Whole New Mind. Riverhead Books.
- Ray, Paul H. and Ruth Anderson, Sherry. (2000) The Cultural Creatives: How 50 Million People Are Changing the World. Three Rivers Press.
- Teilhard de Chardin, Pierre. (1955). The Phenomenon of Man. Perennial.
- Wilber, Ken. (1996). A Brief History of Everything. Shambhala.

FILMS/DOCUMENTARIES:
- Joseph Campbell and The Power of Myth hosted by Bill Moyers [PBS series - Wellspring, 1988]
- The Century of the Self by Adam Curtis, [BBC Four, 2002]
- The Mindscape of Alan Moore, by DeZ Vylenz [Shadowsnake Films, 2003]

EXTERNAL LINKS:
- Lee Clow http://twitter.com/leeclowsbeard
- Shepard Fairey http://obeygiant.com
- Genevieve Gauckler http://www.g2works.com
- Guillaume Wolf http://www.guillaumewolf.com

- The Century of the Self by Adam Curtis (Google Video)
- Joseph Campbell Foundation

P.S.: Don't forget to leave your comments below + pass it on to your friends.

Memphis style is back again

2009-05-26T11:17:00.000-07:00

I know this would come... Memphis is back.

Here is "Bulletproof", a cool video by La Roux... Nice tune, catchy. But look — isn't the esthetic of the clip a bit "Memphis-meets-Rubik's cube? (see the proof below)
Perfect, nice cocktail! Check out at 2:30 the "Platonic solids rain"... nice.

The design and architecture movement Memphis group was founded in 1980 by Ettore Sottsass. Ground breaking and influential, the Memphis esthetic (simple shapes, bold color palette) infiltrated everything in the 80's; from video clips, magazine design, comic books, jewelry... to the MTV logo. Yes, I'm old enough to remember this: it was really everywhere. Eventually Memphis faded away after being over used and copied ad nauseam.

Here are a few examples:

Bonus: the Platonic solids...

The Big Idea

2009-05-14T19:49:00.000-07:00

Welcome to The Adaptive Creative.
Before you start exploring this blog, I’d like to introduce myself — why I am doing this, and how you can benefit from it.

WHO AM I?
My name is Guillaume Wolf, I’ve been a creative consultant for over 20 years. I’m a creative director, and visual artist. In the course of my career I’ve been involved in many creative industries: music, radio and print media, luxury fashion, and advertising.

Interestingly, I’ve never received any advanced art or communication degree — I’m mostly self-taught and was lucky enough to find great mentors.

The thing is, I’m a bit of an oddity in my field. In visual communication, the vast majority of the key players are often graduates from prestigious art schools, and generally come from wealthy or creative backgrounds — I’m just a regular guy who was able to figure out certain keys and it worked really well. Nothing in my early years pointed in the direction of becoming a creative consultant. In fact, by academic standards, I was a complete failure — I was kicked-out from the public school system at 9 years-old; and years later, failed at my art school entry exams.

At 18 years old, my life seemed to be going nowhere. I was broke, angry, jobless, and without an education. I vividly remember how I spent hours walking day or night in the street of Paris, chain smoking — jacked-up on a diet of eight coffees per day — trying to figure things out.

I remember the suffocating sensation of wanting to express my creativity but having no outlet to do it — being isolated; feeling trapped in a grim reality I hated.

But as luck would have it, everything changed one day when I literally bumped into my first mentor.

The truth is, all my early education came from mentors I met by accident. And while I learned from these great creative minds, I took extensive notes.

I always asked myself this same question: “What makes this person a creative high achiever? What makes him/her different from their peers?” In the course of this ongoing study I found a series of patterns and structures that all these great men and women had in common.

I’m going to teach you the patterns and techniques I uncovered, so you can apply them into your life. Needless to say, what you're about to learn here is not taught anywhere else.

WHY AM I DOING THIS
The creative techniques and mindset that I’ve learned have helped me continuously in my life and in my career. From “destined-to-fail-troubled-kid” to consultant, creativity has always be my biggest asset; and more than once — a life saver. I taught these techniques to many — creatives or not — and saw incredible positive results occur into their lives.

Today, I decided to teach these skills as a way to give back. If you can get the full benefits from the Adaptive Creative, my job will be done — I’ll be a happy man.

YOU ARE CREATIVE, GO FOR IT!
If you are asking yourself — “Yes, it sounds great but I don’t know if I’m creative, really.” Don’t do that.

You and I are both creative — it’s a gift every human is born with. I would even go as far as saying that creativity is what makes us human — but I’m slightly biased. Don’t take my word for it; experience it instead. I don’t care if you are a stay-at-home mom, a computer student or a sales person, you have it in yourself (and you know it).

But you say: — “I’m too old, too young, too sensitive, too strong-headed, too weak, too nerdy, too sporty, too marketing-y, too mommy-y, too granny-y!”
— “Go for it!”
— “I’m too fat, too skinny, too shy, too scared, too small, too tall, too wide, too undeserving... I’m too much, I have no time, it’s too soon, it’s too late!”
— “Go for it!”
And, remember, no matter what your situation is, the world needs your creativity right now. Here’s why...

THE WORLD NEEDS CREATIVES
We live in strange, pivotal times — if you look around, everything appears to be in crisis: the economy, education, health care, the environment, etc... Everywhere, there is a lot of confusion and frustration. The desperate question — “What do I do now?” seems to haunt our collective and individual mind.

At the global scale, we need new ideas, new models — we need to bring about new possibilities for ourselves, but also for future generations. To put it simply: the world needs Creatives. Not a few thousands, but millions of them (yes, the world needs you!).

Yet, would you be surprised if I told you that despite the urgent need for creativity, our society seems to block, prevent or destroy what could save it from itself?

You know the simple reflex in tough times: close and cut all funds for creative/art education and focus on “what’s important.”But let me ask you this: in difficult times, what could be more important than the collective and individual capacity to see beyond the current challenges, devise new plans, and implement them?

Russell Simmons, the legendary music and fashion mogul (who contributes to art education with his Rush Philanthropic foundation), puts it this way:

“Cultivating creativity has got to be the most important thing you can do for a young person, especially in the communities which are hit first, where kids have to imagine themselves out of difficult situations... In order for this country to build itself out of this struggle, we need vision, and creativity is central in our children’s education and for those who have to figure out what our next steps will be.”

I couldn’t agree more. But why not more art and creativity education in schools?

THE GREAT MISUNDERSTANDING
There is a problem, a very big problem. Our culture perceives creativity as “fringe” — creativity is always looked down upon with suspicion.

Why?

Because we live in an ultra-specialized, left brain world where everything is categorized, organized, rationalized — to the point of absurdity. It is understood in our culture that there are “Creative People,” and (depending on certain variables) they are:

1- quickly forced to drop their “creative dreams” and wake-up to reality (i.e. “Stop this none sense or you will become homeless.”)
2 -pushed aside to an art school when they can learn ultra-specialized “art knowledge.”
As you probably realize now, this societal reaction towards this strange creativity “phenomenon” is highly destructive for everyone.

• People who are forced to abandon all creative expression through social pressure, end up trapped in unhappy lives, prisoners of a terrible void they cannot grasp.
• Conversely, most art students (who spend too much time studying over-specialized art knowledge), become disconnected from reality and once they leave school, face terrible challenges to find their place in what looks like a “hostile” society.

The workplace is a great example to illustrate this point. In large corporations it is common to find very clear physical separations between marketing and creative departments — most employees carefully avoiding to interact with “the others.” If you look in your memory right now, you surely have had some similar experience of this kind.

THE SHOCKING FACT
What’s in it for me? Why should I care?, you wonder.
Ultra-specialized knowledge is limited and dangerous because it obstructs perspective. It forces us into a limited “tunnel vision” where we only see what’s at the tip of our nose, disregarding everything else.

However, when you look at the past (and present) for the few thousands of geniuses who seem to be able to create impossible things and change the course of history — people I call Creative High Achievers, you will find that none of them are or were “ultra-specialized.” None.
All the men and women who changed the world had/have one thing in common: a highly functioning, opened creativity.

Note: To illustrate this point, I am posting at the end of this thread a very powerful speech by Apple Computer founder, Steve Jobs — make sure to watch it. In this public address, he explains how apparently random sources of information from different domains came together to help him in his life.

THE BIG IDEA
Let me ask you this:
— Imagine what would happen if you could access to your creativity and apply it into every area of your life... What would you do? How would you feel?
— If I could show you a way to boost your creativity, and teach you easy simple steps to follow; how valuable would that be?

With The Adaptive Creative Training, I will give you the best tools, techniques and mindsets used by Creative High Achievers to make their lives masterpieces.

The idea behind Adaptive Creative is to teach you creative skills that are adapted to your life situation. In the programs you will discover the emphasis is placed on the structures and skills you can learn and adapt into your life.

Sounds good?

It’s because it is good.

But there’s a catch. I’m going to be brutally honest with you here. As you already know, to apply creativity into your life takes courage, discipline and commitment. So if you are one of these people who believes things will come automatically by simply wishing for them; the Adaptive Creative is probably not for you. However if you are willing to learn new things, be open, and resolute to try things out consistently — I will be happy to guide you, and help you along the way of your creative journey.

WHAT ARE THE PAYOFFS?

Creativity adds enormous qualities into your life. When you live creatively you feel happier, fulfilled, productive, alive, open, free-spirited, and independent. You feel free and you live free. You have also more impact, you're able to contribute to the world in a meaningful way.

A friend who works at the NASA once told me: "There are more avenues open to creative people since they do not see so many blocks in life, and they create themselves around any roadblocks." Very true.

When you master your creative process into your life — you step into another zone. Things will change, incredible synchronicities will occur — and it will be normal. It’s as close as real-life magic can be.

So are you ready to express yourself?
— “Go for it!”

Do you have a specific issue you’d like addressed in this blog? Are there specific areas of the creative process you are really curious about?

So here’s my email address: theadaptivecreative@gmail.com. I’d love to hear from you soon.

Guillaume

P.S.: Don't forget to watch the video below, it's very powerful.

New Daft Punk photo...leaked!!!! (sort of)

2009-05-14T12:22:00.000-07:00

Here is an exclusive picture of Daft Punk for the upcoming issue #14 of Whitewall magazine. The summer issue (due June 15th) will feature a long, in-depth interview with Daft Punk’s Thomas Bangalter — who talks about finding inspiration and creative expression in “a world where there’s an overdose of images and sounds”. The 10 pages feature a mini-portfolio of Daft Punk’s costumes, shot by legendary still-life photographer Mitch Feinberg. More in future posts...

The Power of Rest, introducing Ultradian Rhythms.

2009-05-12T21:41:00.000-07:00

As a Creative, if you are passionate about what you’re doing, you are probably able to immerse yourself completely into your work. Author Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi calls this immersive state, the "flow." The flow state can be achieved under any circumstance: when you are writing, painting, dancing, exercising — even when you’re cleaning the house. Interestingly, the flow experience can be reached even in stressful environments. For example, you can read a complex book in a cafe; or, you are able to multitask in a noisy work environment. When you are in the flow state, your mind is clear, your movements are graceful. All is one, in perfect harmony.

When you work passionately, you strive on “positive stress” — it feels good. It seems your life runs at 100 miles/hour, you lose perception of time, you feel unstoppable — you get a buzz from it. You start working on a project, and next thing you know, an entire day has passed, you have not eaten anything, you've taken no rest. — Fantastic, right?

Wrong.

When you let your creativity run your life, you unknowingly place stress on your body. The problem is that if you sustain stress for too long, at some point, you will cross an invisible threshold, and all systems will crash. You will burn out.

So as a Creative working on a project, you need to be aware of your threshold and manage it properly. If you work extended hours without rest and dismiss the signals your body sends you (headaches, muscle pain etc...), you are putting yourself in jeopardy. It is stupid and dangerous. It doesn’t serve your creativity.

ENTER ULTRADIAN RHYTHMS
As you know, the whole universe is based on rhythms. There are cycles that dictate the movement of the planets, the seasons, day and night; and at the human scale, we are familiar with a woman’s menstrual cycle or our need for sleep.

In his book Rhythms of the Brain [Oxford University Press], Gyorgy Buzsaki explains: “Nature is both periodic and perpetual. One of the most basic laws of the universe is the law of periodicity. This law governs all manifestations of living and non living.”

Ultradian rhythms (from the Latin ultra dies, meaning “many times a day”) are mind-body cycles repeated throughout the day in men and women. They correspond to oscillation periods of activity and rest.

As Tony Schwartz explains in The Power of Full Engagement [The Free Press]: “Ultradian rhythms help to account for the ebb and flow of our energy throughout the day. Physiological measures such as heart rate, hormonal levels, muscle tension and brain wave activity all increase during the first part of the cycle — and so does alertness...” Unfortunately, deciding to ignore these cycles has a cost. Schwartz quickly warns that “the long-term cost is that toxins build up inside us. We can only push so hard for so long without breaking down and burning out...” He goes as far as saying: “Override the need for oscillation long enough and the symptoms may extend to headaches, back pain, gastrointestinal disorders, and ultimately to heart attacks and even death.”

Well...let’s try to avoid that for now.

As you can see on the graph, there is a window of 90 to 120 minutes of a peak performing state that is followed by 20 minutes of necessary resting. (Note: the graph is an adapted from “The 20 Minute Break: Using the New Science of Ultradian Rhythms” by Ernest L. Rossi, Ph.D. [Tarcher])

So now the question is: How can you use it? What are the benefits?

You can try to implement the Ultradian rhythms right away by taking voluntary breaks of 10-20 Minutes after every intense focus period of 90 to 120 Minutes. To find out what works best for you (90 or 120 minutes), just listen to your body. When you start to yawn, and stretch: it’s time.

Let’s say you start your work day at 9 a.m. Periods of 120 minutes work/20 minutes break would look like:
9:00 a.m. Work
11:00 a.m Break
11:20 a.m. Work
1:20 p.m. Lunch
etc...

Same day, but with periods of 90 minutes work/10 minutes break:
9:00 a.m. Work
10:30 a.m. Break
10:40 a.m. Work
12:10 p.m. Lunch
etc...

If you start experimenting with the Ultradian rhythms in the context of your work, you will discover an astonishing boost in your productivity. Understanding of course, that the periods of work need to be intensely focused, and the periods of rest, intensely relaxed. For example, browsing Facebook, watching T.V., or online shopping do not count as rest. To rest properly, you need to move your body, stretch a little, and breathe some fresh air... going outside and walking around the block is a great idea, for example, or you can take a little nap — yes, you are reading correctly, a nap.

I was very skeptical about Ultradian rhythms at first because I didn’t like the concept of “following the clock.” But I decided to experiment and gave it a try. The first thing I realized is how much time I was actually wasting when I was working without stopping. Even though I was working long stretches — the quality of the focus wasn’t there. I was distracted by a lot of meaningless emails and guilty of spending too much time on Facebook. Embarrassing, but true! Uninterrupted chunks of work for 120 minutes without a phone call or an email were intense, but fruitful. I doubled my productivity in a month!

— What can you do in 2 hours?, you may ask.
— A lot! The key here is to make sure it’s uninterrupted.

Tip: In my process, I use the alarm timer included in my phone to keep track of time.

Now, as always, I invite you to try this technique for yourself... will you double or triple your productivity?
Let me know, and please feel free to post comments.

Faces, by John Cassavetes (1968).

2009-05-12T20:30:00.000-07:00

Yesterday evening, I saw again, for the second time, Cassavetes' Faces. Wow. This black and white drama depicts the breaking up of a marriage: an old man (John Marley) leaves his wife for a prostitute (Gena Rowlands); while his wife falls for a young beatnik gigolo. This simple set-up is the opportunity to unleash the actors into delivering the most amazing performances I've ever seen. Cassavetes' use of the camera (documentary style) takes you so deep into the action that you can't help but wonder if you are watching a drama or something real. The opening scene, with the two men arriving drunk at the escort's house and behaving erratically, is simply amazing: it is seedy and raw; yet, very human.

The dialogues are also incredibly witty. I highly invite you to discover this movie (late at night, with a nice glass of wine),... get ready to be transported into something very unusual. Genius!

Simon Schama's Power of Art

2009-05-12T16:16:00.000-07:00

OK, I must confess: I hate art history and art historians (shocking!). That's it, I said it. Well, not anymore! This is the most surprising DVD I found recently, because I was ready to be bored to the bone watching it. But no, it's pretty amazing... Famous English art historian Simon Schama takes us on a journey through time and introduces key works of art. To do that, he presents the historic context and also the personal life of the artist. So What?
Well, the result is really explosive: you have power, sex, violence, intrigue, murder, seduction... all packed in one. All characters are fascinating and feel alive in all their complexity.

The episode on italian sculptor Bernini is alone worth the price of this 3 DVDs set. It is very sexy, and Schama's introduction on the famous Ecstasy of St Teresa of Avila statue, totally erotic... and dare I say it... arousing! Simon Schama is himself a pleasure to watch, charming, charismatic, impeccably dressed... I want to grow old just like him!

Bill Bernbach is my hero.

2009-05-12T16:00:00.000-07:00

I mentioned Bill Bernbach before. He is my one of my heros because he was a master communicator. And when I use the word "master" I mean it. I actually trained myself around principles laid down by Bernbach.

Here is the Wikipedia entry on him: William (Bill) Bernbach (August 13, 1911, New York City - October 2, 1982, New York City) was a legendary figure in the history of American advertising. He was one of the three founders of Doyle Dane Bernbach and directed ad campaigns such as "Think Small" for Volkswagen Beetle (recognized by Advertising Age as the top advertising campaign of the 20th Century). Bernbach was noted for his devotion to creativity and offbeat themes, a legacy that has hailed him as a major force behind the Creative Revolution of the 1960s and 70s. He is also credited with being the first to combine copywriters and art directors into two-person teams—they had commonly been in separate departments—a model that still flourishes in advertising agencies today.
Other notable campaigns of Bernbach's are "We Try Harder" (Avis Car Rental), "Mikey" (Life Cereal), "You Don't Have to be Jewish to Love Levy's" (Levy's Rye Bread) and "It's so simple" (Polaroid).

Quote from Bill: "Let us prove to the world that good taste, good art, and good writing can be good selling."

Respect!

Fun facts: did you know that Guillaume is the French for William?

— But please, don't call me "Bill."