Gain: AIGA Business and Design Conference
October 23–25, 2008
Malcolm Gladwell (introduced by Josh Liberson)
Outliers: The Story of Success
Filmed on: October 25, 2008 Length: 38:53
About this video
Only Malcolm Gladwell could bring Fleetwood Mac into the design discussion and make wonderful sense. In his enlightening talk about innovation and misconceptions about what it takes to become a success, Gladwell uses this unlikely metaphor for creative synthesis in an entertaining entrée into the concepts of his forthcoming book, Outliers. Genius and creativity don’t necessarily spring forth unbidden, he says; they require time and support to experiment, to try and even fail. During this time of economic crisis and eventual renewal, he hopes that the design community will be able to “rediscover the true roots of creativity and innovation.”
Speaker bio
Malcolm Gladwell has been a staff writer with The New Yorker magazine since 1996. His 1999 profile of Ron Popeil won a National Magazine Award, and in 2005 he was named one of Time magazine’s “100 Most Influential People.” He is the author of two books, The Tipping Point: How Little Things Make a Big Difference, (2000) and Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking (2005), both of which were number one New York Times bestsellers. From 1987 to 1996, Gladwell was a reporter with the Washington Post, where he covered business and science, and then served as the newspaper’s New York City bureau chief. He graduated from the University of Toronto, Trinity College, with a degree in history. He was born in England, grew up in rural Ontario, and now lives in New York City.
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I've heard of Malcom Gladwell through friends and even in interviews on talk radio, but this time he's really pulled me in, so I'll be purchasing not only his latest book, but his previous two.
Also, Malcom's comment regarding looking at the glass half full was pretty insightful. I thought he shot down the interviewer quite well. Funny, too. -
Great talk but boy, when he finishes how Loooonnnnggg is Josh's question take to get out?!?
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Whoops! Apologies, didn't mean Josh but the chap with the moustache
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Very inspirational video, I've watched it 5 times already.
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I wish I could embed this video on my blog :((
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Note to Gladwell: Aesthetics doth not design equal. You know more about design than most members of AIGA!
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This is very interesting and to a great degree it rings true to me.
However, I'm not convinced that Fleetwood Mac is the most appropriate example to use, for the simple reason that the Fleetwood Mac that created Rumours is NOT THE SAME GROUP that created their first albums.
The only members that remained with the band throughout their career are Fleetwood and McVie.
Also, while they may not have monumental commercial success until Rumours, and many of their early ALBUMS were patchy, few critics would dispute that many of the SONGS from their earliest days when Peter Green was with them are actually more influential and artistically successful than their later work.
It might have been more convincing to use an individual artist as an example. Frank Sinatra or Aretha Franklin spring to mind although I'm sure there are many others.
Never mind, I enjoyed the entire presentation and don't see much reason to dispute Gladwell's thesis. -
"It will take years of practice before you give yourself permission to do it right, before your self-conscious mind tells you that you have suffered enough to have earned the right to play well."
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Terrific - insightful, engaging and inspirational. Will definitely get the new book.
Robin
http://www.firedupcareers.com -
THis is all very valid, and cool, but Malcolm's history of Fleetwood Mac is full of holes. I"m just saying, as a fan, that he needs to consult "the internet" before talking about this like he is actually right.
Outliers was very good
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