Today we return to what we started in our Media Mingle blog: a kind of breakdown of our creativity kit. What stimulates and inspires us? What's informing our marketing lately? Without further ado…
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I regularly listen to We Can Do Hard Things. A snippet of the podcast overview, written by Glennon Doyle, best describes why I find it uplifting. "On We Can Do Hard Things, my wife Abby Wambach, my sister Amanda Doyle, and I do the only thing that has ever made life easier: We talk honestly about the hard. We laugh and cry and help each other carry the hard so we can all live a little bit lighter and braver, free-er, less alone."
I have been reading the Anne of Green Gables series since we took our trip to PEI. There are so many beautiful quotes. This one comes to mind.... "Isn’t it splendid to think of all the things there are to find out about? It just makes me feel glad to be alive–it’s such an interesting world. It wouldn’t be half so interesting if we know all about everything would it?”
Lately, I have been reading programming books. Programming excites me. Programming motivates me. That thrill of not only learning but crafting code never gets old for me. And if that wasn't enough, there is the excitement of the ideas that can make a positive impact on a project, from the user experience, to the quality of code and to my team.
On a completely different note, a while ago, I found the app called PepTalk: Daily Motivation App. I listen to a couple of talks a week for a few minutes. So far, since I have been just listening to random stuff, it has been a good reminder that to accomplish your goals, you have to show up every day. In one of the montage talks, someone said that each day you do not get started on your goal or you don't work on your goal, it can set you back weeks. That resonated with me, and frustrates me a bit that I haven't got on that treadmill yet. But it is only a matter of time now because of that quote. It is amazing how certain things, like a one-sentence quote, can inspire us to be better tomorrow than we were today while inspiring others to do the same.
I embarked on a 4000-mile road trip to explore unseen wonders across the country. Rest areas, lakes, mountains, beaches—each place made me feel small, humbled by nature's grandeur. Amidst the vast scenery, I felt the importance of being true to ourselves, not living to impress others. This journey inspired me to embrace authenticity and create a life that reflects my true self.
I recently rewatched the movie “Focus” with Will Smith and Margot Robbie. While watching, I saw one specific scene I felt really embodies the effects of quality digital marketing. During the betting scene, Nicky (Will Smith) explains to Jess (Margot) how he knew he would win the bet because they were priming the individual (Liyuan) and programming his subconscious to bet on the #55. They were leaving subtle clues all day long, so that when Liyuan went to choose a "random" player on the field, he felt his intuition speak.
This is exactly what effective digital marketing does. By continually placing your name in the eyes of consumers, by the time they come to a purchasing decision, you've already gained their trust!
I’ve wanted to read Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring for a long time because I’ve heard a lot about the waves it made for environmentalism. I finally started it (I’m about halfway at this point), and I’m struck by how relevant it still is, over 60 years later. Despite wonderful progress, the core warning about how humans negatively impact nature still has weight. This sounds a little depressing as I type it up, but the book has left me with an energized focus on our connection to the world. There’s a balance to everything, and the challenge of finding that balance is inspiring to me.
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So there you have it. Greyphin’s creativity kit expands across different media and purposes, but there’s an interesting link between them all. We're all striving to be okay, to be better, to learn more, to understand more, and that’s something truly special.
Until next time, stay sharp.