Strands of Genius: Why Are People So Nasty, Enter the House of Dreams, Yes, You Can Fall in Love with Brands
Strands of Genius: Why Are People So Nasty, Enter the House of Dreams, Yes, You Can Fall in Love with Brands
Guest curated by Amy Charlotte Kean
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 Amy Charlotte Kean, Founder, Six Things Impossible.
:: A BIT MORE ABOUT GUEST CURATOR, AMY CHARLOTTE KEAN ::
LOCATION: London, United Kingdom
PLACE OF EMPLOYMENT: Six Things Impossible
I'm Amy Charlotte Kean, and I... always use my middle name in introductions, because I think it's completely ridiculous that people have middle names they don't use.
Why? Unless it's a secret? It's like, at a certain stage of a relationship we do the *middle name big reveal.* WHY? I love my full name, so I use it as much as I can.
I'm Amy Charlotte Kean, and I'm a writer and creative sociologist. I've worked in advertising for 18 years (dear god) coming up with campaign ideas for brands like Nando's and Domino's and HSBC and Unilever. And I launched One Direction's first album with an ARG.
I write a column, as cultures editor, for shots magazine, and have a video show called 'shots fired'. I run a diversity organisation called DICE, which is focused on inclusive lineups at events. And I know for a fact that Rosie has bought my bestselling fairytale The Little Girl Who Gave Zero Fucks for a number of people she loves, adores and respects.
Editor’s Note (Rosie): Last fall, when we were in London, Faris mentioned that Vicki Ross was nearby, with Amy Kean, and that we should go say hi. I love Vicki, and only knew Amy from the internet, but was keen (ahem Kean... see what I did there?!) to join. What did I love more, Amy's red lipstick, open arms, punchy questions, or wonderful laugh? I don't know, y'all. I loved it all. When Faris and I were de-briefing later, he mentioned that Amy was the author of "The Little Girl Who Gave Zero Fucks," and I immediately texted her to fangirl over those credentials. I didn't put two and two together when we had been hanging out, but remembering how much I loved the book, I ended up ordering copies for all my girlfriends (and my mom, ha!). This is a woman of many talents and I'm so thrilled to have her as our guest curator today! Thank you Amy and hope to hug you again soon!
:: THE LINKS ::
WHY ARE PEOPLE SO NASTY?
As a sociologist, I'm fucking obsessed with people. And to be honest, I'm not a massive fan of most of them, but I think if you can understand human beings it makes tolerating them a hell of a lot easier. My biggest pet peeve with people is how mean they can be. So, I revisit this video roughly once every six months to remind myself of one of the biggest drivers of douchebaggery: pain.
When you work in advertising you get used to people being mean. If it's not abusive clients, it's psychopathic CEOs or power-hungry colleagues, but often the source of everybody's negativity is insecurity. And sadness. Especially right now, in *gestures at everything* this climate.
The School of Life, who made this video, are brilliant at taking complex human behaviours and distilling them into something that's not only easy to comprehend, but reassuring, too. In reality, most people just need a bloody hug. They won't get one from me, but I wonder if there should be a service. Like an ice cream van, but for friendly embraces. (YouTube)
ENTER THE HOUSE OF DREAMS
Lately, I've been focusing a lot of my attention on weirdness. We're all weird - of course we are - but some of us lock that side away as soon as we're old enough to become self-aware. I have a hypothesis that we'd all be a lot happier if we allowed ourselves to be the weird that we naturally are. (As long as you're not hurting anyone, that is!)
According to psychologists, the weirder you are the more creative you are, because weird people have something called 'low latent inhibitions', which means you're able to draw ridiculous associations between seemingly unrelated stimulus. You have no filter, basically.
I've decided to go on a weird pilgrimage; to try and find the weirdest places and talk to the weirdest people. Last year I went to the House of Dreams and interviewed its creator, Stephen. The House of Dreams is this amazing colourful space filled with statues and mosaics, and Stephen describes it as "the inside of his mind". He's odd, eccentric and incredibly creative, and loves the fact that his parents encouraged this from an early age.
We had an hour long chat when I visited him, and he said something that will always stick with me: "The greatest gift you can give someone is to let them be themselves." (Secret London)
YES, YOU CAN FALL IN LOVE WITH BRANDS
It's always amazed me that we don't have more sociologists in advertising, because the craft is entirely about people. Persuading people, entertaining people, tricking people...
Our relationship status with brands is complicated. It's more than just 'loyalty' (repeat purchase) or 'affinity' (getting a better vibe from one brand over another). Sometimes it really can be love.
In 1998 Susan Fournier ran a pretty groundbreaking piece of research that proved people are able to fall in love with brands in the same way we fall in love with each other. But the process is the outcome of many years' of memories, usage, ads and advocacy. In her study, she uses the example of Harley Davidson: a brand that means very little to some, but everything to others.
Her research ruffled feathers at the time, not only because it discussed brands in quite a radical way, but because it was based on a sample size of three. (The Atlantic)
Looking for more from Amy Charlotte Kean? 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 :: Cheat. A card game where you have to intentionally cheat, and the other players guess whether you're lying. I love a game that also involves amateur dramatics :-)
:: City :: Can I have a town? Siem Reap is the most beautiful place in the world. I go there whenever I can.
:: Book :: A Happy Death, by Albert Camus. I read it at the perfect time, and it completely changed the way I look at life.
:: Podcast :: Off Menu with Ed Gamble and James Acaster. It's the ultimate wholesome listen.
:: Album :: Funeral, by Arcade Fire
:: THE CREATIVE GENIUS OF SUMMER RAY ::
Please tweet me with your weirdest observations - Twitter needs to be much stranger!
Amy Charlotte Kean
amycharlottekean@gmail.com
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This is the first time I’ve read the comments of any of your curators and thought how narcissistic, puerile and full of their own certitude this person seems to be. She must have to work very hard to keep up this edgy, (non edgy) persona. First time I was disappointed in one of your guest curators.