Strands of Genius: Broken Veil Podcast, Fix The News, Metalabel
Guest curated by John Higgs, Author
This edition of Strands of Genius is guest curated by John Higgs, Author (Faris and Rosie will be back next week!)
:: A BIT MORE ABOUT GUEST CURATOR, JOHN HIGGS ::
LOCATION: Brighton, UK
Hello - I'm a writer from Brighton on the South Coast of England. I've written a pile of books which are broadly about cultural history and what it reveals about our world. My subjects have included William Blake, The KLF, Watling Street, James Bond and the Beatles. My new book Exterminate/Regenerate: The Story of Doctor Who is out on April 10th!
Faris: This is very exciting! John Higgs is one of my absolute favorite writers - his books make history and culture seem magical. The first one I read was the KLF - Chaos, Magic, and the Band Who Burned a Million Pounds, which Rosie and I both loved. I’ve joyously munched through most of his books. Stranger than Fiction: An Alternative History of the 20th Century, William Blake vs The World are both wonderful.
He writes a lot about how creative ideas make it into and are received by culture and after I heard him on a podcast talking about Doctor Who I excitedly emailed him hoping for a book. He kindle replied with a wink, because of course he was already working on it! I’m super excited Exterminate/Regenerate: The Story of Doctor Who and it is genuinely an honor to have him. Thanks so much for being here, John!
:: WE ASKED JOHN FOR HIS HOT TAKES ON DECLUTTERING TO DELIVER ::
What’s one thing in your work right now that feels overly complicated? How could simplifying it help?
I'm currently writing two very different books at the same time, with about five other projects lurking in the background. It's far from ideal but the nature of life and work means that times like this are inevitable. The trick is to make projects vanish from your mind the moment you turn you attention to a different one, so that you can give that your full focus. To do this, you have to be stern with them. They will keep yapping at you if you let them. Don't put up with their nonsense.
:: THE LINKS ::
BROKEN VEIL PODCAST
If you haven't yet fallen for this uncanny but modern take on British folk horror, you are in for an unsettling treat. I include it in particular as an example of what independent media can be - how talented people with a vision and no budget can produce work far more vivid and compelling than big companies. (Shows Acast)
FIX THE NEWS
One problem with our current news environment is that you are only told half the story. Anything that angers or horrifies you is reported in detail, while things that are getting better and improving are left out. This means that if you want to have a reasonable understanding of the world, you can't get that from traditional news media alone. Sites like Fix The News, then, are invaluable sources of all the events and achievements too positive for the algorithm to tell you about. (Fix The News)
METALABEL
Most platforms for independent creators - such as Patreon, Bandcamp, Substack etc - assume that they are individuals working alone. The history of creativity tells a different story, however, with scenes or groups of individuals being the true engines of creativity. Metalabel is a distribution platform designed for groups from the ground up - well worth keeping an eye on. (Metalabel)
:: AND NOW… SOME FAST FAVORITES ::
Game :: Red Dead Redemption 2
City :: Brighton and Hove
Podcast :: The Inadvisable Trapdoor
Song :: Freak Scene by Dinosaur Jr
:: A VIDEO FROM THE 90’S ::
In the current circumstances I think this video of Robert Anton Wilson in the 90s seems relevant…
:: SIDE QUEST ANNOUNCEMENT! ::
After rave reviews following Rosie & Kim’s collaboration on a negotiation training at the Ladies Who Strategize retreat, they’ve formalized their training and are sharing the goods live, April 24th. This is a 2 hour session, capped at no more than 20 participants. You’ll learn the guiding principles of negotiation, hear how cognitive biases can shape outcomes, learn key tactics to deploy while negotiating, and participate in a live exercise. You’ll also leave with case studies that spotlight real world scenarios we’ve navigated, and a list of recommended reading. This $400 investment is sure to pay itself back in no time. Use the code GENIUSSTEALS for $50 off.
:: ‘TIL NEXT TIME ::
This edition was guest curated by John Higgs who you can connect with via his website at www.johnhiggs.com. Your regularly scheduled hosts, Rosie & Faris Yakob, will be back next week!
Hit reply if you’ve got a guest curator that we should highlight - There’s no fancy application process, we just want a few sentences as to why they (or you!) would be a good fit. (Because yes, self-nominations are always accepted!)
Strands of Genius is currently read by more than 15,000 subscribers. Support us by sponsoring an issue, encouraging friends or colleagues to subscribe.
It's called Genius Steals because we believe ideas are new combinations and that nothing can come from nothing. But copying is lazy. We believe the best way to innovate is to look at the best of that which came before and combine those elements into new solutions.
Co-Founders Faris & Rosie are award-winning strategists and creative directors, writers, consultants and public speakers who have been living on the road/runway since March 2013, working with companies all over the world. Our Director of Operations is nomadic like us, our accounting team is based out of Washington, our company is registered in Tennessee, and our collaborators are all over the world. Being nomadic allows us to go wherever clients need us to be, and to be inspired by the world in between.
Hit reply and let’s talk about how we might be able to work together :)