Strands of Genius: TikTokers Are Not Only Trend Creators, But Trend Predictors, Brands Are Not Practicing "Safe Social", The Gender Expression Great Depression
Guest curated by Alana Gleason
Each year we aim to highlight 50 creative thinkers that have inspired us by giving them the opportunity to guest curate this newsletter, Strands of Genius. This edition is guest curated by Alana Gleason Senior Strategist at The Martin Agency
:: A BIT MORE ABOUT GUEST CURATOR, ALANA GLEASON::
LOCATION: Richmond, VA
I'm Alana, a vivid dreamer who blames my frequent boredom on being an Aquarius. I put mayo on controversial foods, I like making friends with strangers, and I am far too attached to my Dyson vacuum.
Editor’s Note (Genius Steals): Sean Choi has introduced us to yet another amazing person, Alana! Alana, we love everything you're sharing below and completely agree with your sign off ;) Thanks for your wonderful links and insight! And we gotta ask, have you named your Dyson vacuum?!
:: THE LINKS ::
TIKTOKERS ARE NOT ONLY TREND CREATORS BUT TREND PREDICTORS
Okay, okay, I know this is from TikTok, but I love following prediction creators (sometimes they're category specific) or even PR-visionaries for big time celebs). This one talks about the next wave of cool brands being those that tackle very uncool problems. (TikTok)
BRANDS ARE NOT PRACTICING “SAFE SOCIAL”
BarkBox is my all-time favorite brand (mostly due to a great product, but also their unhinged social media content). I find it particularly interesting to examine how these waves of collective pop culture humor juxtapose against the sociopolitical eras in which they exist. Some brands have gotten it right, others, not so much. (Vulture)
THE GENDER EXPRESSION GREAT DEPRESSION
Controversy over gender neutral bathrooms, online attacks against influencer Dylan Mulvaney, and educational materials under scrutiny - in a world where everyone preaches being yourself, gender expression is apparently an exception. (Washington Post)
Looking for more from Alana Gleason? Those enrolled in The School of Stolen Genius will receive a deep dive from her in their inbox shortly! You can access all our expert interviews for SOSG here.
:: AND NOW… SOME FAST FAVORITES ::
:: Game :: Ticket to Ride. It brings out the best and the worst in me.
:: City :: San Francisco, CA is where I discovered myself personally and professionally. It was my first stop post-grad and living on a dime in SF was my favorite way to live.
:: Book :: Daisy Jones & the Six which takes place in my other favorite city, LA.
:: Podcast :: Financial Feminist by Her First $100K
:: Album :: Save Rock and Roll by Fall Out Boy (No, Mom, it's not a phase!)
::GOING VIRAL::
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Whenever you feel like you don't know who you are or what you can contribute to the world, remember there is only one of you and that already is enough.
-Alana
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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.
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