Hey everyone, here we go. . . . . .

 

IN OUR WORLD

 

Thank You – Thank You – Thank You to my two clients who let me shuffle schedules so I could get work done on some MEGA projects.  This gave me my last week in town for the next 6 weeks.  I needed the time.  Big projects take big thinking and that process is not served well in hotels and airports.  I feel good about where each project is headed.

 

Next week I am off to Lake Tahoe to work with the telecommunication industry on a “new thinking model”.  Laura is coming with me since we will be celebrating our 30^th Wedding Anniversary on August 5^th.  Hard to believe she has hung around with an ex-surf bum like me!

 

I love seeing movement.  Things going from point A to point B excite me.  When organizations take BIG steps and deal with critical impact strategies such as leadership, busting out of existing thinking models, readdressing their creative process and adding strong curriculum items to grow their people and I get chosen to be involved, well, that’s as good as it gets.

 

 

 

 

 

HEY, YOU CAN FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER –CREATIVEVENTURE

 

AND ON FACEBOOK – STEPHEN HARVILL!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW

 

CONTEST TIME! 

One of my MEGA projects is working on a completely new look at the creative process for one of my clients.  This is a BOLD move by this company because they recognize the importance of people generating ideas and have had great success with their existing model, but sensed some staleness in their thinking.

I have been working on the project for a November launch.  One of the aspects of this work has been the gathering of a HUGE amount of creative data.  Everything from the design of pizza boxes to cappuccino artists who use toothpicks to create art in the coffee/milk foam!  I have enlisted many in the data gathering and now I would like to enlist YOU!

In conjunction with Glen Agritelley and  The Mercy Wine Bar (www.mercywinebar.com ) we are holding a Creativity Contest with the arena being WINE LABLES.  The rules are simple:

• Take a digital photo of your favorite wine label and send it to me at steve@creativeventures.com or Glen Agritelley at glen@mercywinebar.com
• This is about the LABEL not the wine.  So the wine could be swill but have a kick ass label that really makes you take notice.  That’s what we are looking for.
• This is about what you think is creative.
• One label submission per person (but your significant other can submit).
• Winner gets a dinner for two at the Mercy Wine Bar and fame!  We hope to get the winery to send some of the winning wine.
• Contest goes until 8/31.
• Get going as a few people who know about the idea are already submitting pictures!

 

 

 

 

 

 

ENTERTAINMENT

 

 

MOVIES:    Funny People.  A little disagreement with Laura on the potential of this one.  I think it will be good and she’s on the “not so much side.”

 

NetFlix Fans:  The Middle Man:   I seldom recommend a boxed TV series, but this little gem was lost on the ABC Family Channel.  Fun and full of surprises you will really dig this show!

 

TV:    I watched a ton of the G-4 Network coverage of ComicCon 09 from San Diego.  I swear one year I am going to go! 

 

BOOKS:  Predictable Irrational   – By Ariely:  I have been doing a ton of research into thinking patterns for a program on how to change your traditional way of looking at things to discover new opportunity.  This is a great book on thinking patterns.

 

MUSIC:   One of my good friends turned me on to Colin Hay’s solo career a couple of years ago and I have become a huge fan.  Here is a new video of his simple but great song – Beautiful World.

 

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yvu_iYOiIuo   

 

WEB SITES:   Here are some tips for life.

 

 

http://www.dumblittleman.com/      

 

SOUTH OF NORMAL

 

Just when you thought it can’t get any weirder – well . . . . . .

·        New York City is offering free airfare to get the homeless out of Manhattan.  It cost less to fly them away then keep them at a homeless shelter.  More than 550 homeless individuals and families have taken advantage of it.  You just need a relative to agree to take you in.  The New York homeless have taken flights to 24 states and 5 continents.

 

·        In the movie Star Trek IV, Scotty teaches a guy how to make clear aluminum.  Well, the really smart guys at The Flash Free – Electron High Intensity Laser Facility in Hamburg Germany have created a complex new state of matter – aluminum transparent to UV light!  Move over Capt Kirk.

 

·        The demise of Starbucks was over exposed in the media.  By reducing the number of non-profitable stores (that happens when you put one on EVERY FREAKIN STREET CORNER) and a surge in coffee awareness caused revenue to surge 18% and they hit a 52 week high.

 

 

I watch the sun as it comes up and I watch it as it sets.

Man this is as good as it gets!

Colin Hay

 

 

 

Drop me a note with your comments at steve@creativeventures.com

 

 

 

Thanks for stopping by and until next time, Adios and Aloha.

 

 

 

 

Hey everyone, here we go. . . . . .

 

IN OUR WORLD

 

I was blessed with only a quick trip to Houston this week, which provided precious time to finish three proposals and take a bite out of the big projects that are in progress.

 

I had a wonderful chance to teach the second half of presentation skills to one of my favorite clients.  I was amazed at how well they performed their “passion programs.”  They were well rehearsed showed strength in comfort, connection points and their ability to influence the audience.

 

We celebrated the great anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon mission.  We were reminded of the human need for exploration, to push the boundaries of the unknown.  It is the same spirit that pushes organizations to find new markets, to try new ideas and create a sense of exploring their business world.

 

 

 

 

 

HEY, YOU CAN FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER –CREATIVEVENTURE

 

AND ON FACEBOOK – STEPHEN HARVILL!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW

 

I’m preparing a new major stage presentation on the positive impact that can be achieved through – Upside Down Thinking, or the ability to leave the comfort of your thinking behaviors to pursue a new way to question and develop both understanding and new solutions.

This will come as no surprise, but we develop very stubborn attachments to our existing ways of thinking, which in turn lead to our beliefs.  We develop familiar perspectives in our day to day work experience.

By turning your thinking upside down you can fight against the urge to remain attached to yesterday’s conditions.  When you attack every problem or try to seize every opportunity by relying only on the way you have always done things, you fall into a thinking pattern that misses the chance to see something in a new light.  You see, our thinking patterns are not set in stone.  In fact we can shift our thinking.  We have in us a unique intellectual curiosity that just needs a sense of awareness to open new doors.

Here are a couple of ways to start moving your thinking:

• Ask New Questions:  By asking fresh questions you can start fresh thinking.  “How reliable is the source of your information?”  Have the claims of an idea been verified by someone else?  Where does most of the evidence point?  These critical thinking questions will provide you a new basis for independent thinking.
• Slow Down:  Our thinking patterns often tell us the speed of solution is essential.  Instead slow down the solution process to discover the impact of causation on the model.  All problems don’t need immediate solutions.  Many will benefit from thinking about the cause instead of only dealing with the effect.

It’s tough to change your thinking, but the benefit will be worth all the effort!

 

 

 

 

 

 

ENTERTAINMENT

 

 

MOVIES:    500 Days of summer.  This is a little indie romantic, semi comedy that everyone is raving about.  Hate to go to the art theater to have to see it (always crappy previews) but might be worth it.

 

NetFlix Fans:  Henry Poole is Here:   This is a tiny little indie film that is kind of slow, but deals with redemption and hope.  Plus it has a GREAT soundtrack!

 

TV:    As a TV fan, I feel kind of in the summer doldrums.  Nothing excites me but re-runs of my favorite shows – House MD, The Mentalist and NCIS. 

 

BOOKS:  Duck and Cover by Little   – A crisis situation doesn’t happen overnight.  This book deals with the idea of doing too much too soon.  It provides a road map based on realistic, sensitive and transparent actions.

 

MUSIC:   STOP WHAT EVER YOU ARE DOING AND WATCH THIS INCREDIBLE MUSIC VIDEO!!!!!!!!!!

 

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yjbpwlqp5Qw   

 

WEB SITES:   If you are into the impact of graphics, check out this web site.

 

 

http://www.artofthetitle.com/      

 

SOUTH OF NORMAL

 

In honor of the anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing, take a second to take a tour.

The moon tour – http://mashable.com/2009/07/20/moon-google-earth/

 

 

Hurry boy she’s waiting there for you.

Toto

 

 

 

Drop me a note with your comments at steve@creativeventures.com

 

 

 

Thanks for stopping by and until next time, Adios and Aloha.

 

 

Hey everyone, here we go. . . . . .

 

IN OUR WORLD

 

What a week.  I had to reschedule a couple of trips as the project load that requires design and production time finally caught up with me.  I have three HUGE projects in play, all of which are matters of THINKING.  Here’s a fact, thoughtful activity is time consuming and needs an intense amount of focus and you simply can not do that in your hotel room.

 

In addition to my client projects I have a number of internal ventures that are “in play”.

 

• WEB SITE REDESIGN:  This project is a great team effort and it still looks like a 4^th quarter launch.
• NEW PROGRAMS:  I have two new programs that I have already introduced to audiences which are both picking up serious momentum:

 

• • • Decision Making in Times of Fear:  This program deals with how climates of change and apparent chaos are actually the best time to make decisions.
    • Upside Down Thinking:  This deals with the incorrect mental models we build and how they impact our thinking.  It is a way cool visual journey with great new participation exercises.

 

• RICH MEDIA:  I am scripting four new short videos on programs and ideas in addition to launch a very simple podcast.

 

I have the great joy and blessing to be involved with all of you and I never take it for granted!

 

 

 

 

 

 

HEY, YOU CAN FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER –CREATIVEVENTURE

 

AND ON FACEBOOK – STEPHEN HARVILL!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW

 

OK, times are damn tough to understand, especially economic times.  Here are a couple of examples:

• The Fed says we may hit 10.4% unemployment.  Unemployment goes in the “freak out” category.  No matter what other news is out there, unemployment hits the emotional grand slam on the fear factor.  A closer examination shows that huge hunks of this are related to two sectors, housing and automotive.
• JP Morgan Chase showed a second quarter profit of $2.7 billion!  The exceeded analysts pointing to a bright spot that banking companies are seeing in the midst of tough economic times.
• Remember those bad guys at Goldman Sachs?  Well they are mounting a big comeback.  Their second quarter net income was 33% higher than a year ago.  They beat analysts by $3.49 per share.
• Business inventories fell faster than sales, possibly pointing to a much needed increase in production in the near future.
• Intel and Johnson & Johnson are both up beyond any analyst’s expectations.

OK, there seems to be a preponderance of evidence that glimmers of hope are out there, but evidence isn’t the real impact factor, its emotion.

Emotion drives EVERYTHING.  By recognizing this key factor you can begin to plan for it.  Give emotion its place in strategic planning.

 

 

 

 

 

 

ENTERTAINMENT

 

 

MOVIES:    Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince.  I am a HUGE Harry Potter movie fan.  They are the definition of a “franchise” storyline.

 

NetFlix Fans:  For All Mankind:   In honor of celebrating the anniversary of Apollo 11, this fantastic documentary is now in Blu-Ray!

 

TV:    I’ll be up early to watch the British Open, but again, we are in the windless doldrums of TV.  Nothing new, but the last season of Monk is almost ready to launch.

 

BOOKS:  Getting Real   – This is a book from the gang at 37 Signals (collaborative project management and just plain cool guys).  A FANTASTIC read!   Check them out at www.37signals.com

 

MUSIC:   Here is the ABSOLUTE greatness of the late Stevie Ray Vaughan on MTV’s Unplugged.  This is a MUST WATCH.  It’s 3:39 of musical heaven!

 

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sw6QSns6OA   

 

WEB SITES:   Looking to learn about how writers think?  Try this crime writer’s blog.  Very interesting stuff.

 

 

http://www.theoutfitcollective.blogspot.com/     

 

SOUTH OF NORMAL

 

My Springwise newsletter gave me the follow way cool new business idea!

Although street art is experiencing a renaissance, the old issue of vandalism remains. YrWall is an interactive virtual graffiti wall that avoids the drips and damage because, quite simply, there’s no paint involved. Users paint on a projection screen using a can that’s actually an infra-red beam controlled by a button and tracked using a computer vision system. By pressing the faux spray can’s button, users draw on the wall much like using their computer’s draw function, but without the mouse and on a much larger scale. A pop-up interface provides an array of digital paint colors and also allows users to select themes like nature or urban; grabbing images from these themes to add to their piece.

YrWall, which can be hired short- or long-term or installed bespoke, has already been quite a hit at events like the UK’s Secret Garden Party. Adding to the concept’s appeal and branding opportunities, people can receive a free digital copy of their art to share with friends, or can have their design printed on t-shirts and stickers right after they’ve finalized their piece.

While YrWall isn’t going to eclipse the interest in genuine street art and good old spray-can graffiti, it’s an appealing mix of physical and digital, and of performance and play. Which could make for an irresistible offering for event organizers and their novelty-seeking clients.

 

 

She’s my pride and joy.

Stevie Ray Vaughan

 

 

 

Drop me a note with your comments at steve@creativeventures.com

 

 

 

Thanks for stopping by and until next time, Adios and Aloha.

 

Hey everyone, here we go. . . . . .

 

IN OUR WORLD

 

This week included a trip to Atlanta where I continue to work on a two part strategic process that leverages existing relationships and creates a culture of constant communication.  By using an existing client base you can create a leverage that expands your relationships opening new avenues of opportunity.  Working towards a culture of constant communication requires a very specific plan that creates an unusual combination of both casual and focused delivery points.  Once in play this communication strategy can create a huge amount of information and knowledge exchanging hands.

 

Next week I will be working on curriculum content for two new educational programs that I am customizing to meet very specific client needs.  There is a big push towards creating value through education going on in corporate America.

 

 

 

 

 

 

HEY, YOU CAN FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER –CREATIVEVENTURE

 

AND ON FACEBOOK – STEPHEN HARVILL!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW

 

Successful companies love the “status quo”.  They hope things continue to go the way they are.  They would love to sit on their laurels.  The fact is, everything is moving, constantly moving.  Sitting still is not an option.  At no time in recent business history has the ancient saying of; “you can not step in the same river twice”, been more true.

So the challenge becomes in where and how to move.  Here are a couple of interesting examples:

 

• GOOGLE:  If ever there was an organization in total motion it’s Google.  This week the news of a Google, web based operating system hit the market.  Chromo (now their search engine) will take a different path than the Microsoft op system (currently 90% of the market) by building its system from the ground up, not anchored to a legacy system built in the 1980’s.  Even for Google this will be an uphill battle against a system, though flawed, has become everyone’s comfort zone.  The idea being, that Google does not stand still.
• TENNIS:  Yes, I’m a tennis guy, but this still is interesting.  What do Andre Agassi, the Williams sisters, Maria Sharapova, Andy Roddick have in common besides being tennis players?  They all play World Team Tennis, a kind of combination of rock concert and short tennis match.  In its 34^th year it is gaining momentum.  Matches feature men’s and women’s singles, doubles and a mixed doubles, all just short sets.  Music rocks between sets. The multi color court is kind of cool also. So successful is this “team” approach to an individual sport that the US Tennis Association bought a minor interest in WTT.  This year the mixed doubles league champions get a wild card into the US Open. 

I am blessed with having the opportunity to both launch and be involved in a lot of new ideas that are creating motion within organizations.

Dylan said it best; “He not busy being born, is busy dying”

 

 

 

 

 

 

ENTERTAINMENT

 

 

MOVIES:    Nothing out there that will make me head to the theater.

 

NetFlix Fans:  Ghost Town:   I recommended this movie when it came out, then again when it was released on DVD, well now it’s on cable (Cinemax).  It’s a wonderful comedy.

 

TV:    The Sci- Fi Network has a new show called Warehouse 13 that looks really interesting and I will be giving it a watch.  Check your listings for the first show.

 

BOOKS:  The Silver Lining   – By Anthony.  This book looks at the innovative structures companies are launching to change the face of business as a new era is dawning. 

 

MUSIC:   I admit a little more than admiration for Natalie Merchant.  This is a SPECTACULAR version of Wonder!

 

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Z180Qt2PpQ

 

 

WEB SITES:   Dig the Simpson’s?  Try this blog.

 

 

http://springfieldpunx.blogspot.com/    

 

SOUTH OF NORMAL

 

As a huge fan of Hawaii, I found these facts interesting:

 

• The average life expectancy in Hawaii is 81.7, the nations best.
• Surfing, the sport of Hawaiian kings is now an $8 billion industry.
• 75% of all Hawaiian jobs are related to tourism.
• Hawaii is the most expensive state to take a vacation in.  About $793 per day for a couple on lodging and food.  Worth every penny!

 

Save your dollars and take a trip to paradise!

 

 

They say I must be one of the wonders

Gods own creation.

Natalie Merchant

 

 

 

Drop me a note with your comments at steve@creativeventures.com

 

 

 

Thanks for stopping by and until next time, Adios and Aloha.

Hey everyone, here we go. . . . . .

 

IN OUR WORLD

 

Coming to you from beautiful Austin TX , where I have a couple of short client meetings, then Laura and I get to spend some time with our son’s.  Also a little relaxation before I hit the ground running with a very busy July.

 

The July newsletter is available:   http://tinyurl.com/ljeg53

 

I am working on a couple of curriculum projects for clients where they are really looking hard an education as a strategy to build a better company.  Every organization is filled with human assets, the better those assets are, the better the company – PERIOD.  Look hard at what you are doing to position your team to bring their best to your customers.

 

Talent will become your most valuable asset as the pool of really good people gets thinner.  Why would a people want to be involved with your company?  I ask this question all the time.  There is a ton of data out there that supports these two key categories:

 

• Value:  They want to feel they are of value in what they do.  TELL THEM!
• Growth:  They want to grow in their skill and knowledge.

 

Education initiatives satisfy both of areas.  Think about educating your people to build a strong future.

 

 

 

 

HEY, YOU CAN FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER –CREATIVEVENTURE

 

AND ON FACEBOOK – STEPHEN HARVILL!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW

 

I read with great interest the reports that were coming out of the big CEO Conference hosted by MIT in Cambridge MA and thought I would share something. 

One session dealt with defining a successful business and much to my delight one model had only THREE points:

• Willingness to Experiment:  Successful companies try things.  They look for ideas and then are willing to IMPLEMENT them!  Add real thinking to the formula and the risk is mitigated.
• Method for Measuring Success That is Not Just Numbers:  Find your meaningful metrics, but don’t think the numbers will tell you everything.  Find out what people are thinking by asking them.
• Method for Scaling Success to the Organization and Market at Large:  The success in an idea is found in its traction.  How does the impact of the idea move through both the organization and the market?

An interesting model!

 

 

 

 

 

 

ENTERTAINMENT

 

 

MOVIES:    Public Enemies  I’m a pretty big Johnny Depp fan.  I think we will take the boys to the Alamo Draft House in Austin!

 

NetFlix Fans:  The Zero Effect:   This is a GREAT Sherlock Holmes like mystery feature an eccentric detective who performs with a high level of mental acuity.

 

TV:    Hey Wimbledon is a two week tournament so I’m still watching.  Got to hand it to good old NBC.  They are on the cutting edge of 1960 technology, giving us a taped delayed version of Wimbledon.  In an instant society what the hell are they thinking?  They should give the tournament to ESPN.

 

BOOKS:  The Silver Lining   – By Anthony.  This book looks at the innovative structures companies are launching to change the face of business as a new era is dawning. 

 

MUSIC:   When ever I start to learn a new song I can’t get it out of my mind.  So here are two versions of the great Counting Crows song – A Long December (the second version is a cover by my new favorite Youtube cover girl!)

 

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EkHX4BS4zeo

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=13ihc5nCKLU

 

WEB SITES:   Great site to understand social media.

 

 

http://mashable.com/  

 

SOUTH OF NORMAL

 

A few new vocabulary words you need to know:

 

·        Bricker Mortis – A housing market that has completely dried up.

·        Slip of the Thumb – Unintentionally sending a text message to the wrong person. 

·        Econoisseur -   Finding high quality items at bargain prices.

·        Goldman Sacked -  Fired investment bankers after the economic downturn in 08.

·        Black Buried:  Feeling of being overwhelmed by flood of email on your mobile device.

 

Now you know what everyone is talking about.

 

 

There’s reason to believe that this year may be

Better than the last.

Counting Crows

 

 

 

Drop me a note with your comments at steve@creativeventures.com

 

 

 

Thanks for stopping by and until next time, Adios and Aloha.