Duarte Design Annual Pumkin contest

Duarte Design, revered by Garr Reynolds on Presentation Zen, each year have a Halloween Lantern Competition. The designs get better and better each year. Truly creative companies always run these type of annual events. Does your business, group of friends, family do something similar? If not why not? Accountants, tree surgeons, builders, bin men and all use their creative skills shouldn't you be encouraging them?

People who can use their whole brain are more productive and are more likely to give your company the edge which will make a difference in these time the media are calling a recession.

What can you do to stimulate your team/friends/life.

What ever it is do it today!

What if... We all refuse the recession

Each morning on Radio 4 more and more news comes in of the world wide recession. In reality there's not much I alone can do about the recession.

I realise that I'm only small and even if I put everything and every penny I've ever made or am likely to make into a bank or business it would absolutely no difference at all. I like most people of the world am small fry.

But what if...

But what if all us small people did something amazing. What if we all refuse the recession? I know it sounds fanciful and impossible but think about it a bit more. All this mess has been made by only a few people who someone gave a load of cash and power to. What if a huge number of people got together and collectively made a difference. What if we all refuse to have a recession or change how we live so that we don't care and don't let the recession effect us? What would all the big wigs do then? How would they cope with the fact that their cock-ups and messes didn't matter to us because we just got on with life and supported each other?

I'm not saying I have any answers. What I am saying is that there's a recession because they told us there was one and there telling us that we're all going to hell in a hand cart and what do we do we sit here and take it!

My profession has a lot to answer for Marketing as a whole has a way of putting spin on everything. Government now runs on marketing, it'll tell you what's good for you, doesn't matter which party it is or even which country.

My mantra is that marketing and everything in life should be used for good, there's no reason why not. So let's market ourselves mentally and physically out of the recession. Positive Mental Attitude is what's needed.

Keep looking for glimmers.

Stand for something

I read Seth's Blog each day. There's always a great insight into his mind.

Today's is relevant not just for Business or Marketers but for the population as a whole. Stand for something! You can't be everything to everyone, no matter how much you'd love to. You have to make tough decisions and stand by them that's what make you - you!

Have a good read and think over how you can stand for something, something important to you. Be yourself - no one else is going to do it for you!

Day in my Life

I really love my digital camera. The really cool thing about it is that there is no cost involved in using it, other than batteries. With camera 1.0 film and processing where quite a cost, which is why when I was a kid photos where only taken on special occasions and everyone had to be positioned and smiling at the camera, or holding something or pointing at something. Pictures where still a luxury.

Well not any more. Now I can take as many as I like and if they are crap they can be deleted. My thought is that if they are essentially free and instant, why should they be deleted?

What better way to catch your life and what's important to you than capturing an image of it. When time's passed you can never, ever get it back so if you have a picture of it you should keep it, cos you can't go back.

Today I took my camera everywhere with me. I shot over 170 pictures, some great, some crap but not one can be re-created. I've just uploaded them here on FaceBook.

Album 1 Album 2 Album 3

The idea was to catch the day from the dull to the mildly interesting. It was my day no one elses.

Things to buy a bloke

I'm your typical bloke. And when ever people buy me things as a gift they never get anything I'd like (of course there have been exceptions!)

So to help all those people who don't know what to buy for me or any bloke come to that I decided to make a list. So in no particular order:

• A big iPod, obvious I know but a definite winner
• Some really great books. George Orwell, Irving Welsh, something classic I've never read before, stretch my mind. I love that.
• A really great meal. Not a Bernie Inn. Somewhere special, tapenyaki, sushi, Bulgarian food. It doesn't need to be expensive, just different.
• A really nice tie. I know that sounds too easy, but a really nice tie goes a long way.
• Take me to see a comedian I've never heard of.
• Or a film I would normally turn my nose up at.
• A day at a Gallery.
• Drive a long way to see or do something that only takes an hour to do. As long as it's great enough, the drive's well worth it.
• Take me to a city I've never visited. Edinburgh was great, Sofia is fantastic.
• Get me to do an activity I've never done before, Archery, flower arranging, bungee jumping
• Get me some cool furniture. A clock, a really cool cup even.

I think the gist here is surprise and really getting to know someone. This is my list, you have a different one. Make sure your friends and loved ones know yours and importantly that you know theirs. Surprise is the key, but you really need to know someone to pull it off. Take the time it's worth it.