Ignore Everybody: And 39 Other Keys to Creativity

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Penguin, 2009 - Business & Economics - 159 pages

When Hugh MacLeod was a struggling young copywriter, living in a YMCA, he started to doodle on the backs of business cards while sitting at a bar. Those cartoons eventually led to a popular blog - gapingvoid.com - and a reputation for pithy insight and humor, in both words and pictures.


MacLeod has opinions on everything from marketing to the meaning of life, but one of his main subjects is creativity. How do new ideas emerge in a cynical, risk-averse world? Where does inspiration come from? What does it take to make a living as a creative person?

Now his first book, Ignore Everyone, expands on his sharpest insights, wittiest cartoons, and most useful advice. A sample:

*Selling out is harder than it looks. Diluting your product to make it more commercial will just make people like it less.

*If your plan depends on you suddenly being discovered by some big shot, your plan will probably fail. Nobody suddenly discovers anything. Things are made slowly and in pain.

*Don't try to stand out from the crowd; avoid crowds altogether. There's no point trying to do the same thing as 250,000 other young hopefuls, waiting for a miracle. All existing business models are wrong. Find a new one.

*The idea doesn't have to be big. It just has to be yours. The sovereignty you have over your work will inspire far more people than the actual content ever will.

After learning MacLeod's 40 keys to creativity, you will be ready to unlock your own brilliance and unleash it on the world.

 

Contents

Ignore everybody
1
The idea doesnt have to be big It just has to be yours
5
Put the hours in
9
Good ideas have lonely childhoods
14
If your business plan depends on suddenly being discovered by some big shot your plan will probably fail
19
You are responsible for your own experience
23
Everyone is born creative everyone is given a box of crayons in kindergarten
26
Keep your day job
30
Selling out is harder than it looks
90
Nobody cares Do it for yourself
93
Worrying about Commercial vs Artistic is a complete waste of time
96
Dont worry about finding inspiration It comes eventually
99
You have to find your own shtick
103
Write from the heart
107
The best way to get approval is not to need it
110
Power is never given Power is taken
113

Companies that squelch creativity can no longer compete with companies that champion creativity
35
Everybody has their own private Mount Everest they were put on this earth to climb
39
The more talented somebody is the less they need the props
43
Dont try to stand out from the crowd avoid crowds altogether
48
If you accept the pain it cannot hurt you
52
Never compare your inside with somebody elses outside
55
Dying young is overrated
60
The most important thing a creative person can learn professionally is where to draw the red line that separates what you are willing to do from what ...
64
The world is changing
69
Merit can be bought Passion cant
73
Avoid the Watercooler Gang
77
Sing in your own voice
82
The choice of media is irrelevant
85
Whatever choice you make the Devil gets his due eventually
116
The hardest part of being creative is getting used to it
120
Remain frugal
123
Allow your work to age with you
126
Being Poor Sucks
129
Beware of turning hobbies into jobs
132
Savor obscurity while it lasts
136
Start blogging
140
Meaning scales people dont
145
When your dreams become reality they are no longer your dreams
149
None of this is rocket science
156
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About the author (2009)

Hugh MacLeod is the cartoonist and acclaimed blogger behind gapingvoid.com and the bestselling author of Ignore Every-body and Evil Plans. After a decade working as an advertising copywriter, he started to publish online his "cartoons drawn on the back of business cards," which eventually he turned into a full-time job. He is known for both his art and for his thoughts on marketing, and has become a popular speaker.