Screw it, let's do it

Sir Richard Branson, my namesake and a man I greatly admire

Some people are only too willing to tell you you can't do something or your ideas are stupid. All too often, we listen and scrap a perfectly good idea.

Why? Are we really sure that we can't do it, or are we listening to people who are sure that they can't do it? There's a huge difference.

Writing prompts: Have a rant

One of the biggest problems writers face is continually coming up with something to write about. Oddly enough, people don't seem to have such problems coming up with things to compain about, so why not focus that pent-up indignation?

Think about something you really don't like, or something you're not happy about, and have a rant about it.

 

There are three great things about this writing prompt:

Feeling creative? Motivated? Liar

If you are a creative person, you're more likely to be dishonest. Add that creativity to motivation and you have a recipe for a whole host of dastardly deeds, or at least that's what research seems to suggest. Francesca Gino, an associate professor at Harvard Business School, has conducted numerous studies covering creativity, social influence and ethics and moral judgement. She has found that creative thinkers are more likely to cheat, justify their unethical behaviour and, in the wonderful words of the Financial Times, be more "morally flexible". Apparently, a tendency to think outside the box goes hand in hand with motivation, leading to all sorts of mischief. It all sounds rather sinister, but is it really?	The dark side of creativity What implications does this have for those engaged in creative work, or those who consider themselves to be creative self-starters? Perhaps more pressingly, are we to assume that all creatives are lying, cheating, self-serving scumbags? Well, not entirely.	It should also be noted that the research seems to focus on those who have been primed to think creatively, i.e. presented with tasks that require creative thinking, rather than those who are creative by nature. No excuse for being boring Seth Godin said that great work is never reasonable, safe or boring. This is why the world needs motivated, creative thinkers. They produce great work. Without creativity the world would be a boring place. Safer? Perhaps, but don't use that as an excuse. Embrace creativity and creative thinkers. Just keep an eye on your office supplies.   - Richard Knobbs
	Creative thinkers are more likely to cheat, justify their unethical behaviour and be more "morally flexible".
	Although the research showed that creatives were more likely to steal office supplies or overstate how much progress they had made on projects, it didn't really paint all creatives as a bunch of Machiavellian schemers.

- Read more articles on creativity.

Focus on why, not what

A creative man is motivated by the desire to achieve, not by the desire to beat others. - Ayn Rand

All too often we are pressured into placing labels on what we do, what we think and who we are, but focusing on labels instead of purpose can distract us from the things we are not only passionate about, but also great at. We shouldn't be asking ourselves what we do, but why we do it. Read this post by Danny Choo (Danny is not only a great bloke, but one of the few truly inspirational people I have met). I agree with pretty much everything Danny says in his post: the need to follow your passion and to work hard for what you believe in. We don't have to conform to stereotypes or slot into the pigeon holes we believe have been built for us. Ignore labels Labels create barriers: they focus on the what rather than the why. People tell us we should be something - that we need a label. We need to be a writer, a designer, a doctor, a miner, an engineer, a teacher...the list goes on. But telling people what we are and what we do doesn't explain why we do it.

Ask why, not what Ask yourself this: why do you do the work you do? Does it inspire you? Does it inspire others? Does it help others? Is it what you really want to do? If not, why are you doing it? A reality of life is responsibility: we have to pay bills, we have to eat, we have to take care of those we love. But these things should be fuelling our passions rather than stifling them. We should want to work harder to make our lives better, rather than settling into a complacent, depressing rut. Another reality of life is that there is no perfect time to decide 'screw the 9-5, I'm going solo!' Life is a balancing act: balancing the risks with the rewards, the wins with the losses. It's not about coming out on top or accumulating titles and labels, it's about motivation and desire.  Focus on why, not what.

Highlighting great design: Gijs Van Vaerenbergh

Young Belgian architects Pieterjan Gijs and Arnout Van Vaerenbergh attracted a great deal of attention last year for their amazing Reading Between the Lines church construction, but their other work is equally impressive and thought-provoking.

Is txt spk klg rdg & wrtg?

The less we read well-thought out, well-written long-form writing, the more likely it is we will no longer learn how to write well. - Stephen Tiano

In a recent article, book designer Stephen Tiano discusses the possibility that short-form reading and writing is killing our taste for reading books and, perhaps worse, destroying our ability to write well. So is text speak killing reading and writing and, if so, why and what can we do? The rise of txt spk The proliferation of mobile devices and the seeming need for instant gratification and constant communication has led to text speak becoming something of a lingua franca, especially among younger, more regular users of such devices. Early versions of mobile phones (and even pagers - remember them?) had small screens and limited memory, rendering abbreviations useful and, perhaps, necessary. Hence the rise of overused and often impolite phrases and symbols like <3 and WTF. Smartphones, tablets and other portable devices now allow for clear, elegant and grammatically correct communication, so why is text speak still growing and why should we care? WDYM? Whether we like it or not, text speak has been introduced to many people as an acceptable form of communication. It is acceptable because it is widespread and it is how groups of people choose to express themselves. There are even websites, like this one, dedicated to archiving examples.

It can still be used to save time and convey messages in a simple manner, but its simplicity both produces and masks the problems with it. Some people are now becoming so used to reading and writing in this truncated form that they are unable to produce grammatically correct, intelligible writing. Some also no longer have the attention span for reading books or even articles longer than a few paragraphs. I occasionally receive inquiries and questions from students and remain shocked by how many times I read things like 'wud', 'shud', 'TIA' (thanks in advance), and 'u' in what should be business-like correspondence. Outdated? Is an insistence on correct grammar and spelling an outdated eccentricity? Should we let text speak take its place? No. Absolutely not. The ability to write well is a gift, and we should cherish it, nurture it and never give up on it. I am not such a Luddite that I cannot recognise that text speak has its place, but we should not allow it to supplant correct, beautiful writing. Furthermore, we should not allow it to kill our desire to read and savour such writing. It would be a very sad day if well-written books no longer excited and fired the imagination of readers.