Strands of Genius :: Weekly Awesomeness for WARC Webinar Attendees
WRITING FROM
Rishikesh
WORKING ON
Ad:tech talk and debate topics
UP NEXT:
Oct 22-Nov 11: Rishikesh & Delhi
Nov 12-24: Auckland, NZ
Nov 24-Dec 4: Honolulu, Hawaii
Dec 5-9: Los Angeles, CA
Dec 9-12: Nashville, TN
Dec 12-19: Beersheba Springs
Dec 20-22: Atanta, GA
Dec 23-30: Nashville, TN
Dec 31-??: Greenville, SC
LOOKING AHEAD
Nov 14: ad:tech [Auckland, NZ]
SPEAKING
We're currently booking speaking gigs for 2020! If you're at all interested in collaborating, check out full descriptions and key learnings from our talks on here:
http://bit.ly/TalkDescriptions2019
If you're pitching us to others, here's a handy press kit:
http://bit.ly/GeniusStealsPressKit2019
NEW CLIENTS
We're not accepting any more clients for 2019, but if you're looking for training, workshops, or strategic support in 2020, please get in touch: hello@geniussteals.co
THE WORD | HI FROM FARIS & ROSIE
A warm welcome to our new subscribers from Faris' recent WARC webinar! We're so happy you're here.
Strands of Genius is our twice-weekly email. We curate and collect the most fascinating tidbits the internet has to offer that are worth a damn, and serve them up to you with our (sometimes snarky, often interesting, and occasionally sage) two cents.
We are Faris & Rosie Yakob. But you knew that, right? Strategic and creative thinkers in a cluttered, polarized, but awesome world — just trying to make sense of it all.
Here’s what we believe: Originality is a myth — but nothing comes from nothing. And copying is lame. You’ve got to expose yourself to the best of what’s out there. That can be anywhere, or anything. Leverage everything. (Maybe even links from our newsletter?) Because creativity comes from unlikely connections. And we’re all about unlikely connections, to new things and new people.
We hope you'll enjoy these brief bursts of inspiration, but if you'd like to unsubscribe, go on and break our hearts.
WHAT WE'RE THINKING ABOUT | MINIMALIST LIFE
When we left NYC, we were not minimalists. It’s hard to be a hoarder in NYC because unless you’re incredibly wealthy, you simply don’t have the room to keep everything. But we certainly weren’t minimalists. And to be fair, we both had 60L backpacks (that we checked) for the first few years of our travels, before that fateful day we chose to fly Veuling. (More on that another time.)
Leo Babauta is the author of author a number of books around living the Zen lifestyle, and he says that minimalism isn’t about living with as little as possible, but instead about discovering what’s important. I’d argue that it isn’t always so easy to figure this out without letting go, first.
But decluttering your apartment or even just your closet can help to provide mental clarity. Studies show that messy spaces, whether at home or at work, cause us to feel not only overwhelmed but anxious and helpless.
Overstimulation is an enemy of mindfulness, and of creativity. Cuttered lives make it hard to direct our focus, and our senses have to work harder to react to the stimuli that aren’t helpful or important. When our brain is focused on processing all of the unecessary stimuli, we’re using energy that could be devoted to creative tasks, from problem solving to brainstorming.
This is a special edition of Strands of Genius, for our Warc Webinar participants, to introduce you to the newsletter and give you a taste of what's to come. We'll be back to our regularly scheduled programming on Monday, where we'll also share a link to the slides from the webinar.
Should You Listen To Music At Work?
#Productivity #Music #Behavior
It's a big question -- because music affects everyone differently, depending on if you're an introvert or extrovert, whether the song has lyrics, how familiar you are to the song.... But there are some key learnings -- For example, lyrics may not be your best bet for productivity, but listening between tasks could give you a performance boost. And if you're stuck with some repetative tasks, music is likely your friend. ::QUARTZ::
The Media Pyramid: A Case for A Balanced Media Diet
#CommunicationsPlanning #Media #StealThis
Our Media Pyramid came out of a desire to have better balanced media diets. It was only after the immense coverage and radio interviews that advertising practitioners started asking: What does this mean for us? On Medium, Faris has more about the case for a balanced media diet, why we like things that are bad for us, and how to balance your media plans. ::MEDIUM::
The Greatest Grifter
#Work #Hustle #Scam
A lot has been written about the WeWork disaster and how Adam managed to walk away from a company built on lies with over a billion dollars. It's all horribly fascinating as a story but this article also considers it implies about the current state of start-ups, venture funds and capitalism adopting the language of new age hucksters. ::THE ATLANTIC::
Why We Don't Have An Exit Strategy
#NomadLife #MakeYourLifeYourLifesWork
The last time we had an apartment lease/home base was March of 2013 -- meaning we've been nomadic for almost 7 years now! We like to keep this newsletter more focused on the world around us, but occasionally we write a little bit more about our journey as nomadic entrepreneurs. If you're at all curious, here's our story. ::MEDIUM::
The Genius/Steals team at an event we curated for Magnetic Media in London. #HairOnFleek
If we can ever be of help to you, even outside of a formal engagement, please don’t hesitate to let us know. We always love getting to meet like-minded folks, so please let us know if you see if we'll be in a city near you :)
rockON,
rosie & faris & ashley, geniussteals.co
@rosieyakob / @faris / @ashley
HIT REPLY & LET'S TALK ABOUT HOW WE CAN WORK TOGETHER.
STILL WANT MORE?
In March of 2013, Rosie & Faris left NYC. They've been #OutOfOffice for 6 years & counting. Want more on the nomad lifestyle? Check out Technomadix.co
Want to collaborate with Rosie and Faris? They are a husband and wife team that consult, speak, write, teach, strategize, facilitate & generally play well with others. You should definitely get in touch.
