This is how I see it. And it isn’t rocket science: 1. If you want to change your business, you also have to change your culture. If you want to change your culture, you also have to change your behaviors. 2. To do that, you embrace “Culture Shifting”. I had a big moment of clarity […]
Capitalism won’t be replaced with Socialism, but with something far more trippy
Everybody and their mother has been predicting the death of capitalism for the last couple of years, ever since the bankers screwed eveything up etc. That might be true, it probably isn’t. But even if it capitalism were to bite the dust, it doesn’t mean socialism will take its place. I imagine something else would […]
How to affect corporate culture in a meaningful way
[Untitled drawing from 2003 etc.] [N.B. Harold has a new book out, "Seeking Perpetual Beta".] So I wrote a wee note to one of my favorite “Culture” thinkers these days, Harold Jarche: Speaking of the ever-changing nature of work… 1. Culture is a HUGE issue for business now. 2. Most CEOs don’t have a frickin’ […]
Why “Culture” is not just another business fad
This was a rather flippant cartoon I drew yesterday in my notebook, that actually makes a serious point about our business model, namely: 1. Now that the ideas of “job for life” and “work-life balance” are well and truly consigned to the dustbin of history… 2. Now that we’re expected to answer work emails at […]
The Genesis Of The gapingvoid Business Model
1. THE VALUE CURVE For those of you new to gapingvoid, I thought I’d tell you what the gapingvoid business model is all about, from my own unique perspective. My background is advertising. I often noticed while working on Madison Avenue that the problems clients were asking us to solve weren’t really going to do […]
The Antidote Economy: “Authentic” living needs lots of “fake” people in order to pay for it.
[Orignally posted at The Marfa Project etc.] This cartoon represents the great #firstworldproblem of our age. We’re all just trying to do too much, and it’s wearing us out. In a this *brave* new world of stimulus oversupply, we’re starting to see potential antidotes popping up everywhere, that besides providing gainful employment to our friends […]
An e-mail to cartoonist, Austin Kleon
Dear Austin, I’m graduating from college next year, so after seeing your book mentioned online (I haven’t bought it yet, but I really am thinking about it), I thought I’d ask you some questions: 1. What kind of pen do you use? What kind of ink? What kind of pencil? What kind of paper? What kind […]
“Secular Prayers”: What ancient Japanese scrolls and motivational posters have in common
[© National Gallery of Victoria] Using old Japanese “Zen” scrolls as an example, The Philosopher’s Mail inadvertently does a fabulous job of explaining the philosophy behind motivational posters: By making words physically beautiful – through the elegance of the script and the soothing texture and proportions of the paper – a Zen scroll becomes a […]
The Internet has made geography irrelevant? Since when?
Back in the 1990’s, “The Internet has made geography irrelevant” meme became huge amongst the cool kids. Fast forward a decade or two, and here we’re finding a different meme altogether i.e. that geography is more relavant than ever, *actually*. Especially in places like San Francisco, where a lot of the aforementioned Internet stuff is […]
Who Are The Happiest Artists?
Who Are The Happiest Artists? When I was ten years old, I was having a nice chat with my mother about what I should be when I grow up. I suggested that being a rock star or famous artist would be kinda cool. Mom suggested I should be a businessman instead. What’s so great about […]
Seth Godin
The New Republic
Len Schlesinger
Tony Hsieh
Brian Clark
