Get a Thick Skin

While I was delivering a keynote speech for gun marketing and brand company The Marketing Zoo one of the heads of the organisation made closing remarks to his team. During the remarks he used the word resilience . On the drive back from the gig I couldn't get that word out of my mind and it is such an important word for anybody who is going to create or innovate. We have to be resilient. I think anyone who is going to create, buck the system, beat mediocrity or do anything that is different to what society says is the norm has to develop a thick skin. Because when you come up with a new or innovative way of doing something, you have to try and convince the people who are comfortable with the same old, same old, that there is in fact a better or different way to do something - and that can be hard.

However, you have to have a strong belief in yourself and you have to develop a thick skin because 97% of the population are comfortable doing the same old, same old. Whether it be a new way of presenting to a client, of shipping stock, a new design for the product itself, a new delivery system or a unique way to process payroll or present your sales figures.....if it's different you are always going to come up against some nay sayers. If you paint, write a blog, develop a new system or process, innovate a product or write a new song then you know it is impossible to please everyone. Resilience, growing a thick skin or having a strong inner belief is essential if you are to foster your own creative spirit and innovate. 

The more successful you are, the more widespread the opinion i.e. media, online networks or word of mouth and this is where that resilience or the developing a very thick skin, is of primary importance. When it is just you sharing it with a friend it's not so much a big deal. Maybe we can take a cue from some of the world's great actors and performers. If John Travolta went to an audition and was not given the part, he would simply look them in the eye and say, "What?" He had such a self belief in what he was going to achieve he could not believe they would not give him the part. Barbara Streisand apparently would look them in the eyes and say, "You will be sorry!" Dennis Leary would simply go "f@#k you, f@#k you F@#k you".

Old School

We have long believed that 2011 will be the year of simplicity, minimalisation and cutbacks. Peoples lives are over-communicated, over-stimulated, over-worked and hence we believe there will be cutbacks in what we choose to do and how we choose to do it. So when we saw John's Phone we thought that we should write about it. Designed by Dutch creative agency John Doe Amsterdam, John's Phone comes unlocked and it has nothing but phoning capabilities. There is no camera, no texting, no ringtones. Instead, large keys, volume and an ear piece are pretty much all you get. However on the back of the device is a flap containing an address book and a pen. This is totally old school and the lack of functionality is so cool. 

Laying Down the Welcome Mat

In recent months The Espresso has reported on the growing trend of urban gardens, and this is certainly one of the more fertile ideas that we have come across. Based in California, Amber Garden has taken the urban garden concept a step forward by taking all the fuss, headache and chaos out of gardening by developing a pre-seeded mat that needs only to be planted to enjoy your own home grown garden. The mat is constructed of Burlap, and a paper light material made of plant fibre. You simply go out into the garden or back deck and plant the mat in the soil. The mat is complete with seeds that are placed at the right spacing and depth, taking the guess work out of putting in the seeds yourself. The bit that we love the most is that the Burlap and paper-light material that is contained in the mat also act as a biodegradable layer that provides a weed barrier for the first 8 to12 weeks. Could growing a garden be any more effortless? We don't think so. Even people with no green thumbs like The Espresso team reckon we could make this work. Harvesting can typically take place after only a month. Of course there are different varieties of mats ranging from asian greens, summer crops, salads, gardens, salsas, pumpkins and so on. This is a very cool idea and we cant wait to get our hands...or being a mat, our feet on one.  

Fruit and Veggies to Go

We need to have fruit and veggies in our diet for a whole range of reasons not least for basic good health, or of course the other end of the spectrum in helping the fight against cancer. But for most time poor mums and dads or business executives it is easier than it sounds. It's not always appropriate to make a dash to the corner store, fruit shop or supermarket to stock up on fruit and veggies. So German Tombaghni has found a solution. Tombaghni's Lebepur is a powdered milkshake that is made of nothing but finely ground fruit and vegetables. When The Espresso first came across this we cringed, but the more you look into what this product is, the more you can see that it actually has a place in our diet. You can buy it in vegetable or fruit & vegetable formulations. Apparently it is nothing but finely ground strawberries, cabbage, parsnips, broccoli, bananas, tomatoes, mangoes, plums, cauliflower, spinach and so on. It's all powdered and ready for mixing into a healthy shake. It's cost effective and one bag is enough for 30 shakes. If the taste is palatable then this certainly does provide an alternative for busy executives, people on the road or mums trying to get a sufficient amount of fruit and veggies into their kids. It should not become a substitute for the roughage that comes from the real thing, but there certainly is a place for this product if it tastes good!