Strands of Genius: We're Coming to Sydney, How To Predict Cannes Winners, Accidental Cultural Appropriation
Plus: got questions for us?
WRITING FROM | Seattle, WA
WORKING ON | keynote & workshop modules
LOOKING AHEAD
May 5- June 9 | Seattle, WA
June 9-14 | Portland, OR
June 14-19 | Lake Tahoe, NV
June 19-26 | Albuquerque, NK
June 26-June 30 | Nashville, TN
June 30-July 2 | Beersheba Springs, TN for a family reunion & 100 YEAR CELEBRATION of the family house!
July 2-9 | Nashville, TN
July 10-26(ish) | Worcester Park, UK
July 26-?? | Sydney, Australia
Aug-Nov | APAC
:: WHAT’S NEW & WEEKLY GRATITUDE ::
Faris: The way life is chunked up into stories or events or situations is different for us, because of how we have chosen to live our lives. Spending a whole month in Seattle during glorious weather has been great and now as we are preparing to leave it feels rupturing to any routines or habits we have built in this context. A significant portion of human behavior is circumscribed and thus influenced dramatically by our environment, and ours keep changing, which is great and challenging in equal measure, of course, but presents a lot of stimulus for new thinking, and re-thinking.
Rosie: It’s true. During the pandemic-led lockdown, the thing I hated the most about my own day-to-day existence was just how very boring routine was. At least, that’s what I thought. Looking back, I think it was isolation, but routine seemed like an easy scapegoat. This month, I’m feeling incredibly thankful for the routine we built here. With health club in full swing, I managed a month of doing physical therapy for 30 days in a row, and my shoulder is feeing pretty great. The weather cooperated, and my walks have only been getting longer and more glorious. Leaving Seattle feels sad. My mom will be here another couple of weeks, so we’re saying goodbye to my sister and her husband and the new baby AND my mom. When she asked what we’d miss the most (“besides family,” she quickly added) I said, “the weather and the walks!” But thinking about it a bit more, I’ve really enjoyed the routine that we had here. I’m feeling a little sad to leave, but also very much looking forward to our upcoming adventures!
We’re on a west coast adventure - in Portland, then Tahoe, then Albuquerque, before popping back to Nashville for a family reunion, and the 4th of July. Then we’ll be saying farewell to the US of A until winter months.
At the end of July, we fly to Sydney, for a workshop with our clients over at Yahoo, and we’re planning to stick around APAC until November. If you happen to be in Australia, New Zealand, or elsewhere in the APAC region, please hit us up! It’s been a while since we’ve been in that part of the world, and we’re looking forward to our return :)
This week, we’re especially thankful for:
daffodils, Blue Herons (Rosie saw FIVE in less than 5 miles yesterday), Guardians of the Galaxy 3 in theaters, 75F (22C) sunny weather in Seattle, delicious vegan cake, long walks, phone dates, The Ultimatum Queer Edition, also Queer Eye, Red Dwarf, Classic Doctor Who, time to decompress & YOU.
:: THE LINKS ::
WHY YOU SHOULDN’T USE THE PHRASE ‘SPIRIT ANIMAL’
Last week, we included the phrase ‘Dolly Parton is my spirit animal’ and more than a few of you wrote to us about why that was offensive, and an example of cultural appropriation. We strive to be inclusive and uplifting of all communities, and we messed up. We immediately updated the post online, but we also wanted to make sure that we addressed this error in your inbox as well. One reader wrote about being ‘lovingly called in’ rather than being ‘called out,’ which was something that very much resonated with us. You don’t know what you don’t know, until you do. Ignorance is not an excuse, but an opportunity for education. There’s a bunch out there on why using the phrase ‘spirit animal’ is disrespectful and diminishing to Native cultures, and we particularly appreciated reading this article from the University of Wisconsin’s Inclusive Language Series. Not only does it aim to bring awareness to the culturally significant meanings of certain terms, but it also suggests other language that you can replace in your vocabulary. (University of Wisconsin-Madison)
HOW TO PREDICT CANNES WINNERS
Faris’ new column gives away a few secrets he has gleaned from judging global advertising awards and gives you an insight that will equip you to make pretty robust predictions about what will win at Cannes in a few weeks. It’s not magic, it’s mostly pattern recognition and a basic understanding that judges are both an audience and contestant, with their own influences. “To quote CNN: “One of the best ways to know who is going to win in each category is to look at which films and actors have done best in other award shows so far this year. Some award shows do a better job of predicting the Oscars than others.” (WARC)
YAHOO ACADEMY APPLICATIONS - AUSTRALIA & SINGAPORE RESIDENTS, PLS APPLY!
We love (and haven’t been to) the Antipodes since pre-pando so we are genuinely excited to announce that we are heading Down Under for a workshop and speaking gig at the end of July! If you’re a media leader from Sydney to Singapore, you can apply or be nominated to take part in Yahoo Academy, and come play with us for a full day workshop about leadership in the coming age and score additional benefits: “The day will culminate with an exciting group pitch-off competition, with the winners rewarded with an incredible prize – a seven-day trip to a global conference in Sydney in October. In addition, all Yahoo Academy participants will receive a Delegate pass to Advertising Week APAC on August 1 and 2, providing an exceptional three-day experience to fuel growth, shape the future, and make a mark in the industry.” (MediaWeek)
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:: GOT QUESTIONS? ::
#CTAPod has finally traversed enough of the globe to nab a natter with the nomadic power couple* @rosieyakob & @faris
Got a listener Q for their mind muscles to squeeze? Chuck 'em here. *R&F are a rare case where this term genuinely feels like an understatement.
https://twitter.com/Gasp_4/status/1665599333599772674
or here
https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7071365053752467456/
Or here and we can funnel it our hosts ;-)
:: AN INSPIRING AUDITION ::
Just a little something to lift you up today :)
If we can ever be of help to you, even outside of a formal engagement, please don’t hesitate to let us know.
rockON,
faris & rosie & ashley | your friends over at geniussteals.co
@faris is always tweeting
@rosieyakob hangs out on instagram
@ashley also writes for deaf, tattooed & employed
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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 in Tennessee where our company is registered, our admin extraordinaire is based in Playa del Carmen, 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 :)