Care

A film still from <n>Atonement</n> (2007), directed by <n>Joe Wright</n>.

A scene from <n>Jonathan Demme</n>'s film <n>The Silence of the Lambs</n> (1991).

A scene from the animated film <n>The Garden of Words</n>.

"The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be." -- Ralph Waldo Emerson

# Shot list & ideas
*	Cinematic feel
*	low shutter in front of train 1/40
*	Subtle poses
*	poses sitting
*	Wide, medium, and close shots
*	Video portrait
*	Escalator shots
*	Hand on face
*	LED light on close ups

<n>Untitled</n>, an AI-generated image by <n>Hannes Caspar</n>.

Apply your narrative broadly A brand narrative should bleed into every facet of operation. Applying it in your messaging is an obvious choice, but you can do more.   McKinsey, for instance, often apply their brand narrative in content marketing efforts. Their McKinsey Emotion Archive is a clear example of a sophisticated approach to blending content and narrative.    McKinsey & Company’s Emotion Tracker exemplifies their brand narrative in action Created during the COVID-19 pandemic, it charts the dominant emotions felt by people around the world. It’s data-driven, hugely insightful, and empathetic. In other words, it embodies the traits that McKinsey wants to represent themselves as having in their brand narrative.  The social media strategy used by SurveyMonkey, an online survey SaaS platform, is another great example of brand narrative in marketing. They playfully highlight their positioning as a tool that can get you answers to even the most niche questions with posts that reveal strange insights from self-run surveys.   SurveyMonkey’s playful social media strategy showcases their brand narrative Another logical application of brand narrative is in the environmental, social and governance (ESG) efforts that your business participates in. Patagonia embody this approach most effectively.   They demonstrate their authenticity by committing to their narrative, with a self-imposed “1% for the Planet” tax. The funds they raise from this tax support environmental nonprofits, while also corroborating their brand story.    Patagonia’s ESG efforts align with their overall brand narrative This initiative effectively separates them from outdoor-wear competitors, highlighting them as a truly ethical business and appealing to their target market’s values.  Stand out by telling your story A narrative should be the cornerstone of your brand strategy, especially if you’re trying to make an impact or build resilience in a saturated market. Without one, there’s nothing to tie together your values, product, and messaging. More importantly, there’s nothing separating you from the competition other than easily replicable “unique selling points.”   The power of storytelling is put to work in all sorts of settings, from the cinema to the classroom. There’s no reason it shouldn’t be central to business, too. Work on constructing a brand narrative with the help of the frameworks above and you can take the first step towards effective differentiation.

A still from the 1959 film <n>The World of Apu</n>, directed by <n>Satyajit Ray</n>.

The AI-generated digital artwork <n>Singularity</n>.

Show versus tell.  Demonstrate what is possible in any enterprise, organisation, or government by building a working model, and duplicating various forms of it one thousand, one million times.  Use the technology we have and are developing to serve the better angels of our nature. To find ways to co-ordinate people to live within their rights and responsibilities for a world with a future.  I see the future where the basics of existence are taken care of as a part of our Common Wealth. Not one set for the haves and one set for the have-nots. One set for humanity.  Child care. Aged care. Education. Health care. Housing.  Not socialism, but advanced civilisation.  Where we are taught to be active participants in the governance of our community. Where technology is used to put all public money and value into the incorruptible transplant ledger. No more bloated contracts. Not more corrupt politicians and business leaders. An educated public able to participate on digital platforms in issues-based voting. All of us are responsible citizens of our one home planet. The uncoupling of the incentives to addiction, corruption, and power asymmetries. The coupling of incentives to long-term healthy futures for all people. I am idealistic, but not a lunatic. If this is not the world I am spending my days moving towards, then I have no desire to be here. Indeed, to stay on our current course is lunacy.  I believe in my bones that all of this is possible. Those in power will fight with every weapon they know, including the ones that destroy lives now, like narrative warfare, the presentation of data and statistics in ways that seduce and spell cast.  We need to be prepared for that. For the slaughterhouse of words, threats, public shaming, and data manipulation.  The foundations of your enterprise need to be able to endure all of this and yet so many people step over this fundamental part. Build instead an enterprise as you would a cathedral, able to endure everything for at least one thousand years. Create a field for possibility unseen in this moment. Shapeshift as the world moves. Serve our purpose and never be addicted or attached to a particular form or expression of our idea.  It has been a tough road for me to arrive at this moment in time. Like a child blindfolded in a very dark labyrinth, for years, every step often seemed without any sense of destination, often without respite from difficulty. Only now, in hindsight, can I see that I needed every one of those enduring moments, the lived crucible that burned away anything of no use while refining everything precious.  Mistakes will be inevitable. In the last 24 hours, I have made two significant ones. Mistakes are fertile soil for learning.  We can lead the change our world needs. Of this, I am certain.  We need to rethink everything. To challenge every sacred cow. To know our biases, our weakness, and the lesser angels of our nature and create an ecology that keeps these elements under supervision.  To ask, unashamedly, how we might do these things. To consider the whole, the effects of our actions into the next century.  Never alone. Together. Synergistically.  All of these questions circulate, waking me, nudging me, persistent. Of course, I do not have all the answers, and I certainly do not have perfect solutions, yet I know the power of the questions we ask.  Until answered and lived, they remain animating forces of my existence.

<n>Untitled</n> (c. 1970s), a photograph by <n>Saul Leiter</n>.

A scene from the TV series <n>The OA</n>, directed by <n>Zal Batmanglij</n>.

<n>The Invisible Hand</n>, 1997, a Kirlian photograph by <n>Veli Granö</n>.

A film still from the mirror scene in <n>Jean Cocteau</n>'s 1950 film, <n>Orpheus</n>.

Artist <n>Lucio Fontana</n> creating a work from his <n>Concetto Spaziale</n> series, 1963. Photo by <n>Ugo Mulas</n>.

<n>Tell me your story</n>, a poem by <n>Barbara Gianquitto</n>.

**13 (Creative) Commandments**


1\. Talent is an important differentiator, but talent needs to put in the hours to excel.

2\. Question everything. Question what is good, what is bad, why you like or don't like something. It's more important than ever in an algorithmic industry to play by your own rules.

3\. Stand by the work that you make. Do not place disproportionate value on how the work is received.

4\. Always credit appropriately and honestly

5\. Stop trying to be "original" and work with what you've got, finding an "interesting" angle or a new way to make something familiar felt.

6\. Follow what genuinely interests you. Do not succumb to the pressure to monetise everything that you love... keep a little bit of it for yourself.

7\. Always be willing to listen and learn from others. When people start coming to you, also listen, learn and impart. Don't forget what it's like to start, and stay humble. Be the person that someone will thank later in their career.

8\. Try to embed things with truth and beauty. The world needs more of that.

9\. Study and study hard. Chase references, research your influences. Ensure your influences are diverse and then try to connect the weird dots between them. Always be on the lookout for new ones.

10\. Don't take anything too seriously. What you're doing probably isn't changing the world. That doesn't mean it doesn't matter, but keep perspective.

11\. Establish what your professional boundaries are and then try to uphold them. Know your value, the value of your work and perhaps most importantly the value of your time. Don't be afraid to communicate.

12\. Perfection doesn't exist but attention to detail is the next best thing. With with hard work, you can produce things that you are proud of that will also withstand the test of time and trends.

13\. Never stop being in conversation with other artists.