Strands of Genius: Using Time Wisely, Recommendations and Desires, Conversation Starters
Guest curated by Sophie Gallagher Creative Strategy Director @ Slingshot Media
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 Sophie Gallagher, Creative Strategy Director @ Slingshot Media.
:: A BIT MORE ABOUT GUEST CURATOR, SOPIE GALLAGHER ::
LOCATION: Australia
Hello! I’m Sophie, a Creative Strategy Director from Sydney Australia. I’m one of those people who has dabbled in a lot of different parts of the media industry. I’ve been a journalist, a social media manager, commercial strategist at a publisher and now I’m bringing it all together as a strategist at Slingshot Media, a creative media agency.
One of the things I’m most passionate about is helping young women in our industry raise their voice, share their story and cultivate confidence. I think storytelling is key to our work, and I feel very privileged to curate many stories for brands, clients and people every single day.
Two people who have helped inspire my interest and love of storytelling and strategy are Rosie and Faris. I was very lucky to meet them and present to them at Yahoo Academy recently, and over a wine Rosie suggested I guest curate Genius Steals, so here I am! I won’t lie, this has been a dream for a long time so I did fan girl massively when she asked.
When I’m not working, I’m eating at lots of great restaurants, reading obsessively or struggling on a reformer pilates machine.
Editor’s Note (Genius Steals): We had such a blast in Sydney at the Yahoo Academy and were especially thrilled that our paths crossed with Sophie. She’s an absolute gem, as are her links below. We can’t wait to see what you do next, Sophie!
:: THE LINKS ::
USING TIME WISELY
I watch this Koganada video essay on cinema and time once a year. Every time, without fail, I burst into tears. I think so many of the best human insights are found in cinema and art, and Richard Linklater is a master. Time is on my mind almost constantly. How am I spending it? How can I get more of it? How can I use it in the most valuable way? Will I be happy with my use of it in 20/40/60 years? This essay helps make sense of our place within time, the world and each other. We’re transitory. We’re molecules. And we’re just passing through. "And he appears and disappears. Like a sunrise and a sunset. Anything, so ephemeral. It’s just like our life: We appear and we disappear. And we are so important to some. But we are just passing through."(Vimeo)
RECOMMENDATIONS AND DESIRES
I think we can all agree (especially as readers of Genius Steals) that one of the best things about a newsletter is the recommendations. I race to the recommended links first, loving what feels like a personalised guide from my favourite writer or commentator. Anne Helen Petersen recently analysed this in a really interesting way, seeing its transformation from something that was once only in the realm of women’s magazines. She explores how we form bonds with each other through recommendations and interrogates our desire to feel like we know what’s 'good'. It’s an interesting way to set tastes and trends among a microcosm of people, and her analysis opened my eyes to the different ways a trusted voice has power. (Culture Study)
CONVERSATION STARTERS
This episode of Brené Brown’s Unlocking Us is a few months old, but it’s such a good conversation starter. I have asked so many people the question at the heart of this episode, and every response has been so different. It’s been especially enjoyable watching them all trying to work through the positives and negatives of their response. Brené asks, “At the end of the day, do you think everyone is just doing their best?” What do you think? (Spotify)
Looking for more from Sophie Gallagher? Coming Friday, look for an interview from her in your inbox!
:: AND NOW… SOME FAST FAVORITES ::
:: Game :: Jenga
:: City :: Copenhagen. One of the most beautiful places in the world. Sign me up for more puffy-sleeved Ganni dresses and smørrebrød.
:: Book :: This is so hard, so I have to go with what first came to mind which is The Dud Avocado by Elaine Dundy. New York Magazine described it with one of my favourite quotes: "Guzzle a flute of Champagne (or read the closest thing to it). Pure joy.
:: Podcast :: I have three very different podcasts which will either make you love me, or think I am one of the most boring people in the world. 1. Shedunnit, which explores the mysteries behind classic detective stories. 2. Gardens, Weeds and Words: A gardening and storytelling podcast - we learn so much about ourselves from plants. 3. Chat 10 Looks 3 Hosted by two Australian journalists and icons, Annabel Crabb and Leigh Sales. If you know, you know.
:: Album :: Currents, by Tame Impala
:: THE CHANGERS ::
As I mentioned up front, one of the best ways we can grow our industry is by hearing more voices. In Obama's 2016 campaign, female staffers felt their ideas were making less impact, so they decided to all deliberately repeat each other's ideas to give credit and raise female voices in the room. If even Obama needs help with that, we could all use a little help. Beyond my day job, I have created a communications training program in my agency to help female and diverse voices speak up, communicate with candour and own their hard work and successes. So, to round out this Genius Steals, I want to amplify five diverse Australian voices you should pay attention to.
Designer Ngaio Parr and her newsletter Good Things
Indigenous podcaster and sports commentator, Marlee Silva
Disability advocate Hannah Diviney, editor in chief of Missing Perspectives
Writer Emma Saunders and her newsletter Verticals of Light
Writer Bri Lee and her newsletter, News & Reviews
Thanks so much for reading today! I'm always lurking on LinkedIn - feel free to reach out and chat!
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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.
Hit reply and let’s talk about how we might be able to work together :)