Glenn Griffin and I talked today to SXSWedu about nimble thinkers. Realizing it is a complex discussion for a little over 45 minutes of dedicated time, I thought I'd offer some other resources and directions in order to keep the ideas moving.
Much of our discussion today landed on the intersection of creative economy needs and how we and our students have opportunities to grow this now. Great reading in the New Media Consortium's NMC Horizon Report 2013: Higher Education Edition that they produced in collaboration with Educause and support from HP.
To give credence to our thoughts on the creative economy and idea industries, note The US Bureau of Labor Statistics projections here and here for up to 2018, and the need for digital and creative entrepreneurs going into corporations, education, and entrepreneurial enterprise.
Good readings abound. Fast Company's CoCreate is a daily dose of interesting direction for professionals looking to stay in tune with technology, art, commerce, design. Their digital newsletter each morning is a must read. Professor and urban planning consultant Richard Florida's work on the rise of the creative class and his ongoing look at how place and geography form clusters of nimble creative thinkers is robust, at times controversial, but always food for thought.
Our major themes were inspired by many different creative entrepreneurs in the advertising world. Ideas over Ego is a mantra of 72andSunny, an amazing cultural creation agency established by John Boiler and Glenn Cole. Their agency's iterative and nimble creative process is part of the reason they were named Agency of the Year and win awards annually for strong and meaningful work. Wieden + Kennedy's Fail Harder mantra can be in their crisp view of the world and amazing dedication to culture and content.
Finally, teaching ideas for developing nimble abound. I've seen Ignite sessions take off in college classrooms, as well as versions of the presentation method of Pecha Kucha. Problem-solving and curiosity bootcamps prototype big ideas quickly to get critical feedback.
We'll continue the discussion as we hear from more participants. Thanks.
