Innovate or Die: The 2 Paths of Content Creation
I was recently reading Bob Iger’s (former Disney CEO) autobiography, Ride of a Lifetime.
It was a great book with a lot of lessons and insightful stories.
One of the stories talked about how Bob got advice from an early mentor who said:
‘You either innovate or die.’
At first, Bob didn’t understand the magnitude of the advice.
He just listened and nodded his head.
Later in his career, Bob would go on to understand how important the advice was.
During his tenure as the CEO of Disney, he became well known for a lot of blockbuster acquisitions. A few acquisitions were:
- Marvel, Pixar, and Lucas Films.
These were bold moves that showed Bob was willing to innovate, not die.
You may be at the stage where you’re struggling with content creation.
Thinking….
‘I’ve said everything that I could have said. Let me rest on my laurels.’
My friend, that’s an error in thinking like none other.
Why Innovation is a MUST
At a fundamental level, all things are ideas.
Businesses are ideas.
Movies are ideas.
Essays are ideas.
When we go away from the fundamentals, it becomes difficult to spot the origins of the idea.
We see a bunch of letters.
Fancy book covers.
People moving things.
Where is this ‘idea’ that you speak of Armani?
Go back to the fundamentals.
If you have ever:
- Created a speech.
- Created a YouTube video.
- Written a blog.
Etc.
Then you know exactly what I’m talking about.
Before the audience, it was just you & your thoughts.
In the domain of ideas, there is one goal:
- To make interconnections.
That’s how innovation is born.
When Innovation Becomes a Struggle
Innovation is stunted when an idea is viewed as fixed.
An idea is viewed as fixed when:
- Learning has stopped.
- Incorrect paradigm.
When I was first starting the ArmaniTalks Blog, I thought each soft skill I discussed was in a box of its own.
If you’re new to my brand, I normally cover the soft skills of:
Public speaking, storytelling, emotional intelligence, social skills, creativity & level up mentality.
Initially, these were all separate ideas that were ‘fixed.’
After creating more blogs, I noticed the worlds were naturally merging with one another leading to a new idea.
Allow me to give you an example:
- Emotional intelligence and storytelling.
One of the features of emotional intelligence is empathy.
‘I need empathy when dealing with others, but what the hell does that have to do with storytelling?’
A lot.
When I was writing my first ever novel, Cobra, I realized storytelling was a class on empathy.
To create relatable characters out of the ether, I had to empathize with their:
- Struggles.
- Worries.
- Desires.
All components of emotional intelligence.
When I learned that storytelling and emotional intelligence could merge, I suddenly realized how wrong I was in thinking that ideas existed as islands, rather than a web.
How to Innovate in Your Industry
‘So, what would you say is the secret potion to innovation?’
I believe it’s all about curiosity.
Curiosity is the mother of creativity.
The more curious a person becomes, the more they equip themselves with a variety of knowledge relevant to their field.
Not any kind of knowledge like memorizing random shit.
I’m talking about knowledge that resonates with practical life experiences and genuine desire.
This sort of curiosity is a force to be reckoned with.
Curiosity eats concentration’s breakfast, lunch, dinner, supper, snacks & whatever else you can think of.
Because with curiosity, you have no option but to understand.
From curiosity, a person begins to know a TON about the field.
‘What does knowing a ton have to do with creativity?
A lot, homie.
Because knowing a lot about the field gives a bird’s eye view.
With a bird’s eye view of the forest, it’s easier to connect the dots.
And it’s easier to lead the person who is lost in the forest towards their exit.
Prioritizing Innovation
Normally, creativity is seen as the blossoming of something.
That’s what I picture at least.
But before any blossoming can happen, think binary.
I like to think of a light switch.
It’s either on or off.
Likewise, for the mind to blossom with creativity and innovation, view it as a light switch. It’s either:
- Commit or don’t commit.
Commitment is when the creator realizes:
‘Yo, I really do have 2 options after the fluff is stripped away. Innovate or die. What am I going to do?’
It’s much easier to innovate when dying is the only other option…
The people who teeter in between become an aimless bag floating in the wind.
They follow the herd, chase trends & aimlessly nod their heads.
Eventually, they all realize the same thing:
In the land of ideas, a creator can only steal and replicate for so long before the sandcastle starts crumbling.
Nature and the internet point the mind towards innovation.
Embrace Differences
Being different is a bad thing or a good thing.
- There is being different with the ego (bad).
- There is being different with the personality (good).
The ego method of being different is TRYING to be edgy to shock others.
From a surface level, it looks like this individual is innovating.
In reality, they are working for the approval of others.
This may work for some time…
However, this person eventually becomes a puppet, and they give their strings to the masses to be controlled.
The personality method of being different is about pursuing genuine curiosity.
Through genuine curiosity, this creator is taken down many paths.
From these different paths, connections are formed.
When paths connect, the creator gains profound insights which plant the seeds for innovation.
Being different is good when the intent is not for approval.
Innovating and Creating New Lanes
Every story has a theme.
- With the theme, each word, sentence, and paragraph serve a divine purpose.
- Without a semblance of a theme, it becomes difficult to even add a word.
To innovate, ask yourself:
‘What’s my theme?’
‘What’s the narrative that I create each content piece for?’
The creator with the theme can zoom out at will.
That’s when they really do see 2 options:
- Innovate or die.
No in between in sight.
To build your idea muscle and boost innovation, check out:
You’ll be given 333 writing prompts that will get you thinking in innovative ways & becoming a trailblazer in your industry.
