I scheduled some time in my diary this morning to start the week a little differently – simply read. There’s so much great stuff out there to inspire and educate that sometimes one just needs to break the pattern! The workload and the deadlines will always be there, so why not create your day in a way which will bring out your best.

I’ve been meaning to check out Steven Johnson’s work for a while and I came across his video synopsis of his most recent book “Where Good Ideas Come From. The Natural History of Innovation.”

I wanted to share this video for a couple of reasons.

1. This is a great example of using the right marketing channel for the subject matter. Talking about innovation clearly requires a creative, thought through approach and this video, with illustration style commentary is spot on – really engaging. The power of video is proven yet again. It’s not too short and not too long and it’s done it’s job of whetting my appetite and leaving me curious about the book – one to add to the reading list for sure. In theory I should be a conversion at some point but unfortunately there’s no real hurry or strong enough call to action to purchase now (especially as I have about 10 books to get through first!)

2. I’m not here to debate the content of the video to be honest. The concept of inspiring spaces, connectivity and the power of the internet doesn’t seem particularly revolutionary – although I do feel we’re not all maximising its full potential. I have been left feeling very fortunate though – that as an organisation, we are very blessed to be based in an inspiring space (The Hub) that nurtures ideas, creativity and connectivity all in one. That for us was a key objective when starting out and it was one of the best things we did. Now The Hub connects us with far and distant places and so many exciting opportunities. So if there was one piece of advise I would give to someone starting up on their own – get yourself in a shared workspace like this. There are lots of them popping up all over and it is really is the way of the future.

If you’re in the midst of a new project or business venture, need to break away and surround yourself with some inspiration and like-minded people, we’ll happily welcome you to our little world and give you a taste of where ‘tomorrow’s great ideas’ are born!