to come up with a good idea, i find it largely unhelpful to look at what comparable brands or competitors have done.

all that does is make me rly good at recycling someone else’s marketing, someone else’s good idea.

to get real inspiration, i need ingredients from further afield. i want to understand:

✧ how the bakery near my house makes me feel so at home

✧ how hermès, louis vuitton, burberry, and cartier have remained coveted and sought after status symbols for nearly 200 years

✧ how religious and cult leaders earn the trust and loyalty of their followers

✧ how artists build movements without ever buying a billboard

✧ the subtle physiology of colours and sounds and how subliminal messaging influences me

✧ why receiving a hand written letter in the mail feels so good

crypto / tech twitter can be a detriment for this since it’s incredibly insular.

we are made to feel that we need to replicate the same things other brands in our industry do when, in fact, the thing that gives you an edge is zigging when everyone else zags.

same thing applies on a personal level. i’ve always hit personal milestones when i’ve countertraded the mainstream. when i’ve had many seemingly unrelated interests that somehow supported each other.

be contrarian. it might just save u.