Posts Tagged ‘Seth Godin’

The Most Important Question

10 May 12

“Why?” I hear it from my 7-year-old. A lot. It’s his favorite thing to ask with the possible exception of “What’s for dinner?” But maybe he has the right idea and I’m the idiot (that would surprise no one), at least according to Seth Godin:

Why ask why?

“Why?” is the most important question, not asked nearly enough.

Hint: “Because I said so,” is not a valid answer.

• Why does it work this way?
• Why is that our goal?
• Why did you say no?
• Why are we treating people differently?
• Why is this our policy?
• Why don’t we enter this market?
• Why did you change your mind?
• Why are we having this meeting?
• Why not?

One Word Can Last A Whole Week

6 Apr 11

You know I love words. I’m in awe of the beauty, the power, the wonder of words. I am amazed how one word can say so much and others so very little. I’m fascinated how a combination of letters can make you feel something or do something. And so it follows that I am in love with Upword: A Weekly Word Designed To Inspire.

Each week I get an email from author and creator Lori Koop announcing the word of the week. Recently, the word was “Adventure,” one of my all-time favorite words. I love how she connected adventure to truth, one of Sawtooth’s favorite words and the essence of our philosophy.

I discovered Upword in a blog post from Seth Godin. Thanks Seth.

What are your favorites words? How do they inspire you?

What We Mean By Immersion

23 Mar 11

Sometimes explaining what we mean by immersion and why it matters can be tricky. But not for the ever-prolific Seth Godin. This blog post that he titles “Idea tourism” brilliantly makes a case for the philosophy we so deeply believe in and call “whole brand immersion.”

Thanks Seth.

Sawtooth Gets A New Look

11 Feb 11

Amidst all the hustle and bustle around the office in the past two months, we were inspired to spruce up our space with an exciting new look. One of our art directors took on the additional role of interior designer, while each and every ‘tooth pitched in with their personal touch to help make the remodeling magic happen. From new chalk board walls that capture creativity in action, to chill mood lighting and and other awesome accents, we now have an even more inspired space.
 
Shortly after the completion of our project, Seth Godin happened to post a very appropriate entry about the importance of where you choose to do your work.

For us the experience was another great reminder that while the space matters, it’s really who you share it with.

Huge thanks to Gerald, our painter, for helping us out.

Seth Godin, where do ideas come from?

30 Nov 10

A recent post from blogger/thinker Seth Godin helps us remember that, no matter how stressful idea generation can be, they can literally come from anywhere:

1. Ideas don’t come from watching television
2. Ideas sometimes come from listening to a lecture
3. Ideas often come while reading a book
4. Good ideas come from bad ideas, but only if there are enough of them
5. Ideas hate conference rooms, particularly conference rooms where there is a history of criticism, personal attacks or boredom
6. Ideas occur when dissimilar universes collide
7. Ideas often strive to meet expectations. If people expect them to appear, they do
8. Ideas fear experts, but they adore beginner’s mind. A little awareness is a good thing
9. Ideas come in spurts, until you get frightened. Willie Nelson wrote three of his biggest hits in one week
10. Ideas come from trouble
11. Ideas come from our ego, and they do their best when they’re generous and selfless
12. Ideas come from nature
13. Sometimes ideas come from fear (usually in movies) but often they come from confidence
14. Useful ideas come from being awake, alert enough to actually notice
15. Though sometimes ideas sneak in when we’re asleep and too numb to be afraid
16. Ideas come out of the corner of the eye, or in the shower, when we’re not trying
17. Mediocre ideas enjoy copying what happens to be working right this minute
18. Bigger ideas leapfrog the mediocre ones
19. Ideas don’t need a passport, and often cross borders (of all kinds) with impunity
20. An idea must come from somewhere, because if it merely stays where it is and doesn’t join us here, it’s hidden. And hidden ideas don’t ship, have no influence, no intersection with the market. They die, alone.

The Power To Choose

11 Aug 10
This is another insightful article by the brilliant Seth Godin. I quickly thought “what a great reminder about the power of brands.” But when I read it again, I was reminded about our own power to choose. Every day we are lucky enough to make our own choices. Choices about the brands we use and whether we are aware of it or not, we choose to be happy. Or not.

Blog Love

13 May 10

There are three blogs that live in my heart of blog hearts. I don’t just read these blogs, I fully subscribe to them. In fact, I literally “subscribe” by getting them sent to my inbox. I’m a full-on “subscriber.”

When the latest posts of these brilliant bloggers show up on my email’s door, they shed sunshine not just on my inbox, but on my day. They’re the visual and intellectual stimulation I crave to stay inspired and informed. I want you, too, to love these blogs. Here’s a glimpse of just exactly why I adore them.

Seth Godin: Author, Agent of Change

Seth Godin is a marketing guru whose poignant blog posts always get me thinking. His name is a staple around Sawtooth. We are fans. What’s not to love about someone who asks questions like “Where do you find good ideas?” And challenges the usual responses with ideas like:

“The best ideas come out of the corner of our eye, the edge of our consciousness, in a flash. They are the result of misdirection and random collisions, not a grinding corporate onslaught. And yet we waste billions of dollars in time looking for them where they’re not.”

Oh Seth Godin. Please keep it coming.

Martha Beck: Life Coach, Columnist, Author

I have not read every single book a writer has written since Carolyn Keene wrote her last Nancy Drew book. But now, in my adult life, I read anything by Martha Beck I can get my hands on. Here’s a taste:

“If you’re reading this at a time when the odds against you feel large and your chance of success tiny, pay attention. Go for a lot of walks. Notice what you feel compelled to learn. Follow your hunches. Hold in your mind’s hands, see with your mind’s eyes, hear with your mind’s ears, the unbelievable good fortune you hope will happen to you. Then work your hind end off, travel to wherever the odds are good, and never stop searching. Oh, and always travel with a child, or at least a child’s-eye view. You never know where a 9-year-old is going to find a friend.”

Martha’s take on life is like music to my ears. I take her advice as it relates to not just my life but everything that encompasses, including advertising. As I write, I’m channeling my inner 9-year old to work on my next assignment. Anyone wanna go for a walk? Or go play in the park?

Design Sponge: Home and Product Design

Design Sponge is a feast for the eyes and fuel for the imagination. It celebrates design in homes, in stores, in cute little towns and big cities around the world. Creator Grace Bonney is sort of my hero. She’s a regular person like me who decided to start a blog by sharing her passion for all things design. Now, with her staff of like-minded bloggers, they have  60,000 subscribers and 50,000 RSS Feed-readers later.

Design Sponge introduced me to one of my favorite designers, Tanya Aguiniga.

I got to meet Tanya Aguiniga and Grace Bonney at a Design Sponge event. Then, I even got to get a peek into Aguiniga’s studio:

Now before I sign-off, let me ask this. Have you subscribed to my latest love? This very blog: Sawtooth’s Stranger than Fiction.

Show the love by subscribing in the box to the right.

Back To High School With Seth Godin

29 Apr 10

An inspiring blog post from Sawtooth favorite Seth Godin:

Who judges your work?

Here’s the mistake we make in high school:

We let anyone, just anyone, judge our work (and by extension, judge us.)

Sue, the airheaded but long-legged girl in Spanish class gets the right to judge our appearance.

Bill, the bitter former-poet English teacher gets the power to tell us if we’re good at writing.

And on and on.

The cheerleaders are deputized as the Supreme Court of social popularity, and the gym teacher forever has dibs on whether or not we’re macho enough to make it in the world. These are patterns we sign up for, and they last forever (or until we tell them to go away).

In high school, some people learn to ship, they learn to do work that matters and most of all, they learn to ignore the critics they can never possibly please. The ability to choose who judges your work–the people who will make it better, use it and reward you–is the key building block in becoming an artist in whatever you do.

Listening To Your Customers

21 Apr 10

Not surprisingly, Seth Godin provides us all a simple reminder of how important it is to listen to our customers as much as we possibly can.

Seth Godin – Borders NYC

19 Mar 10

I had the pleasure of attending a book signing and discussion with Seth Godin and Steven Pressfield.  Seth Godin is a best-selling author on marketing and the spreading of ideas.  He also speaks, blogs and much more.  If you’re not familiar with his work you should definitely check out his blog.  The discussion centered around Seth’s latest book Linchpin where he writes about the need for people to become indispensable and the emotional labor it takes to do so.  And a big part of that emotional labor is conquering what Steven Pressfield calls “the resistance” in his book The War of Art.  Some of us here are currently reading Linchpin and loving it.  I also enjoy Seth’s daily posts where he shares some great ideas.  It’s been a big inspiration.  I’ve had the pleasure of emailing with Seth a few times and with the launch of our new blog, I was curious about his thoughts on why a blog is so important.

“I think the reason you need to blog is that it’s an easy way to put yourself on the spot regularly, to speak up and invite response.”

We hope Stranger than Fiction will be a place to share ideas.  Where you can get to know us and we can get to know you!