Cameron Woodward

Army of construction

We’re an army of consumers constantly being convinced to buy more, eat more, spend more and then watch television. Once we’ve consumed the latest trend, we find ourselves in front of the television; we brainwash ourselves with commercial media to become new recycled customers for the corporation.

Their advertisers convince us that we’re broken, ugly, unhappy, fat, and insecure. It creates a void in us that we obsessively pursue to fill. Then we repeat the cycle.

We built this suicide machine.

Luckily, we’re not doomed. It’s a choice to impart something better to customers; we have a chance to do something more than business as usual. We have a choice to do work that matters – to build businesses that experiment with new ideas, connect, and create wealth for everyone.

Business is not a zero sum game. Giving has always been better than receiving.

Be not dumb, obedient slaves in an army of destruction! Be heroes in an army of construction! - Helen Keller

There is no wrong answer.

School is incredible, but it’s also a big cultural joke.

School is not going to allow you to be remarkable – you allow yourself to be remarkable with every choice you make. If you choose school because an academic environment is a place where you can grow and become a better human – go to school.

If you think you need a break, or need to learn in a new place – go get an internship, go farm on an organic ranch in France, dance, sing, run, skip, fly – do things that build you.

School is only one answer to a test question without an answer. 

A million different ways to live it.

Maybe it seems like a crazy step to quit your job; especially when you like what you do.

Although, it’s probably crazier not to do what you love.

Since the beginning of time, humans have been working to live. Today, we live in an unprecedented age – we’re lucky that we have opportunities to live to work. It’s never been easer to find shelter, food and the bare necessities – this access to resource has nearly been impossible for the rest of our ancestors.

If you’re working to buy more clothes you don’t need and food you don’t need to afford, maybe its time to remind yourself of the dreams you’re not chasing.

You only have one life to live. 

Space matters.

I have a beautiful oil painting of a monkey wearing huge sparkling ear rings and a wonderful spinning hat. Its hanging just above a flamboyant bookshelf painted 4 different colors with a ton of books out of wack. 

Anchoring icons and spaces are a useful tool to induce creativity.

Strange toys, weird sculptures, unorthodox boardrooms can change the balance and mood of an office. Are you exposed to different ways of thinking about function, utility, and cultural norms - it may sound strange, but having more flamboyant space induces playfulness which is a creative device to connect and more importantly – experiment.

Whats your office look like?

Sorry Bebo.

You’ve got the brilliant idea to develop an application for a social network and you’re positive that the team you’ve got together are going to build an amazing product that the world will be forced to talk about one they get their hands on it…

You have the perfect team, the best engeneers.

They build the prefect product, its flawless, beautifully designed and functions great.

But then… no one actually uses Bebo anymore.

The old adage, “If they build it, they will come” should be changed.

If you build it, they most likely wont come… unless they want it.

A great team can always make a great product, but a great product doesn’t always fit a great market.

Small note, big idea.

The best marketing is creating an awesome product.

When attempting to build an awesome product, remember: 

The majority of human living is in pursuit of curing boredom.  

Cure boring. 

Build a foundation of failures.

Entrepreneurship exists in the tiny space between madness and genius; and, its journey requires a few cross border violations across both madness and genius to get to the final destination -  JLM

This is brilliant. If you’re doing work that matters, you’re risking a lot and putting yourself on the line. It’s scary as hell and close to insane… or genius.

Producing real work sometimes feels like it’s going to leave you homeless on the streets… in the cold. It’s the fear of failure.

Success has always been built on the strong foundation of failures; success is made from tackling fear head-on and shipping. shipping. shipping. 

The best way to learn how to fail is to pick a hobby, and sell it to someone else who loves your hobby too -

If you love drinking coffee - try selling coffee in your office to coffee fans.

If you love socks - try selling custom designed socks to sock fanatics.

Like anime? Maybe you should try and sell prints to anime obsessed freakazoids.

If you fail, it was just a hobby, no big deal.

But what if you don’t fail?…

No, I don’t ‘like’ you.

Facebook, Youtube, Twitter, Tumblr…

I’m bored already.

When Southwest Airlines sold cheap tickets on Twitter, it was worth talking about; when Michelle’s Cosmetics sold discounted nail polish - bored to death.

When Blendtec posted “Will it Blend” on Youtube, it was worth sharing with friends; when the National Motor Club of America starts posting video advertisements… I’d rather take a nap.

Social networks are great tools, no doubt about it; but they’re also normal. Normal sucks. If you’re going to get attention - you need to break through the clutter.

Start a parade. Call your customers. Create a mock newspaper. Buy a blimp. 

Just don’t be boring.

Why?

Mom, mommy, mom… why is the sky blue? Why, why, why?

On average, preschool children ask their parents 100 questions a day; according to my brother, who has two of his own, it can almost be madding, you sometimes almost wish it would end. And sadly, it does. By the time kids reach Junior High it’s pretty much over, the number of questions drop - and statistically, it’s this same time in a students life that engagement and motivation take a noise dive.

It turns out, us kids stopped asking questions not because we lost interest; that’s all backwards: We lost interest because we stopped asking questions.

Creativity is a network of random bits and bytes of information scraped together, the more data we gather the more connections we make and more problems we solve.

At work, at home, in relationships - never stop asking questions. The kids were right all along.

Why? What? Mom, mommy, mom…

Who wants to be a wizard? Just give me an iPhone.

I used a QR code to get through TSA and to board an aircraft. Then, I took a screenshot of the code, wrote this small essay on the matter, posted it onto a massive online network of millions of people - all while barreling through the sky traveling hundreds of miles an hour! It’s cool what you can do from 30,000 feet via satellite connection.  

The future is coming, utility is converging onto mobile. Who needs a debit card? I’ve got my phone. Who needs car or house keys? I’ve got my phone. Who needs books, CDs, DVDs? It’s all on my phone…

They should be renamed something other than ‘phone’, it should really be called an “iWand.”

What kind of application will you build?