Can an introvert working in solitude survive in today’s connected-24/7, share-everything social world?

Author Susan Cain contends in her recent New York Times opinion piece, “The Rise of the New Groupthink,” that can be the way to go even as today’s culture overlooks “the quiet part of the creative process.” According to Cain, the New Groupthink – continually collaborating in teams to think, learn, work and socialize without time to be alone – is transforming business, education, religious institutions and other areas to the detriment of creativity and innovation.

I’m a newbie at Canyon Communications but have more than 20 years’ experience in PR and journalism.

Even in my short time, I’m already impressed by the work environment that my fellow Canyonites have created here. It’s an ideal mix of having the room to work autonomously and develop top-flight B2B marketing communications resources coupled with the ability to have fun, exchange ideas and collaborate effectively within a team environment.

What that means for our clients is that they’re receiving the best of both worlds: talented individuals thinking and working on their own piece of the puzzle and then putting their collective expertise and creativity together to devise marcom solutions that deliver results.

Interestingly, Cain claims that brainstorming sessions are one of the worst possible ways to stimulate creativity. What’s your experience?

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Using materials unique to your project is a great way to stand out. I was reminded of this when I came across this poster created by Anthony Burrill for his Happiness Brussels project. He used actual oil found on the beach in the Gulf of Mexico to create his poster “Oil and water do not mix.” Hopefully this poster will gain some much needed support for this great cause.

His poster got me thinking about other examples I’ve seen of using materials unique to your project: squid inks used on books about the ocean, match heads used to spell out the word love, even Canyon has made advertisements using our client’s actual fertilizer granules (this came complete with a lot of glue and many stuck together fingers—I’m sure the design department remembers fondly).

Best of luck to the project by Happiness Brussels and Anthony Burrill, great work! I want one of the posters.

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