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?Ignore Everybody expands on MacLeod's sharpest insights, wittiest cartoons, and most useful advice. For example:-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 forty keys to creativity, you will be ready to unlock your own brilliance and unleash it on the world.
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Book Description
--This text refers to the
Audio CD
edition.
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Amazon.com Review
Book Description
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.
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.
Amazon Exclusive: Author Hugh MacLeod on Having a Life
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Review
"William Dufris reads with humor and liveliness as he shares the author's argument for creativity in a complicated world and steps for personal creativity." ---AudioFile
--This text refers to the
Audio CD
edition.
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More About the Author
Hugh MacLeod worked as an advertising copywriter for more than a decade, while developing his skills as a cartoonist and pundit. His blog is Gaping Void, and more than a million people have downloaded the original post that inspired this book, "How to be Creative." He also lectures and consults on Web 2.0 and its impact on business.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
153 of 163 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
If you read one business book this year, read this...and it's short!
June 12, 2009
By J. Brown
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
This book contains some valuable universal truths presented in an interesting way. I would classify it at as a "Leadership Lite" book worthy of downloading to your Kindle or stashed in your briefcase to be read on an airplane.
I love "fun to read" leadership books versus the "utilitarian", "old fogy" "Harvard Business Review" style and this book is fun to read. I still read the utilitarian books...I just suffer through them. What makes this book good is the stories to illustrate points are the author's own.
Here are my top eight takeaways from Ignore Everybody.
1. The more original your idea is, the less good advice people will be able to give you.
2. Good ideas alter the power balance in relationships that is why good ideas are always initially resisted.
3. Your idea doesn't have to be big. It just has to be alone. The more the idea is yours alone, the more freedom you have to do something really amazing.
4. The price of being a sheep is boredom. The price of being a wolf is loneliness. Choose one or the other with great care.
5. Being good at anything is like figure skating - the definition of being good at it is being able to make it look easy. But it never is easy. Ever. That is what the stupidly wrong people conveniently forget.
6. Your job is probably worth 50 percent of what it was in real terms ten years ago. And who knows? It may very well not exist in five to ten years...Stop worrying about technology. Start worrying about people who trust you.
7. Part of being a master is learning to sing in nobody else's voice but your own...Put your whole self into it, and you will find your true voice. Hold back and you won't. Its that simple.
8. The biggest mistake young people make is underestimating how competitive the world is out there.
I recommend this book with one reservation. The captions in the cartoons are racy to say the least and not suited for the corporate environment or youthful readers. If the racy cartoons were toned down or removed I would have immediately sent a copy of this book to all of my clients. If they were toned down or removed it wouldn't be Hugh MacLeod's style either. So my clients will have to buy this book themselves.
Dr. James T. Brown PMP PE CSP
Author, The Handbook of Program Management
I love "fun to read" leadership books versus the "utilitarian", "old fogy" "Harvard Business Review" style and this book is fun to read. I still read the utilitarian books...I just suffer through them. What makes this book good is the stories to illustrate points are the author's own.
Here are my top eight takeaways from Ignore Everybody.
1. The more original your idea is, the less good advice people will be able to give you.
2. Good ideas alter the power balance in relationships that is why good ideas are always initially resisted.
3. Your idea doesn't have to be big. It just has to be alone. The more the idea is yours alone, the more freedom you have to do something really amazing.
4. The price of being a sheep is boredom. The price of being a wolf is loneliness. Choose one or the other with great care.
5. Being good at anything is like figure skating - the definition of being good at it is being able to make it look easy. But it never is easy. Ever. That is what the stupidly wrong people conveniently forget.
6. Your job is probably worth 50 percent of what it was in real terms ten years ago. And who knows? It may very well not exist in five to ten years...Stop worrying about technology. Start worrying about people who trust you.
7. Part of being a master is learning to sing in nobody else's voice but your own...Put your whole self into it, and you will find your true voice. Hold back and you won't. Its that simple.
8. The biggest mistake young people make is underestimating how competitive the world is out there.
I recommend this book with one reservation. The captions in the cartoons are racy to say the least and not suited for the corporate environment or youthful readers. If the racy cartoons were toned down or removed I would have immediately sent a copy of this book to all of my clients. If they were toned down or removed it wouldn't be Hugh MacLeod's style either. So my clients will have to buy this book themselves.
Dr. James T. Brown PMP PE CSP
Author, The Handbook of Program Management
121 of 132 people found the following review helpful
By A. Krupp
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Ignore Everybody is two things in one. First, it's a series of tips designed to turn creatives into artists. Second, it's a collection of Hugh's best cartoons. While some of the cartoons do support the text, I'm going to review the cartoons and the text separately because they really do stand on their own.
===THE BOOK===
What separates a writer from an author? A rower from an oarsman? A comedian from a humorist?
Greatness in any field comes from taking a novel idea and pushing it to its logical conclusion, redefining the medium in the process.
Hugh doesn't teach you how to come up with your big idea, nor is the book a collection of theories on what makes something innovative. Rather, Hugh's rules teach a mindset conducive to pushing great ideas to their logical conclusions.
This book won't teach you how to paint, but if you're lucky you'll come away with the mental frame you need to avoid having the outside world crush your creativity. And if you really take its lessons to heart then hopefully, in the words of Steve Jobs, you'll ship.
Over the years I've sent the blog post that inspired this book to countless friends, and now that I've read the book itself I can't recommend it enough. I'd consider it a must-read for any creative who aspires to be an artist, not just some guy who lives in a loft and calls himself a writer.
But even if you don't aspire to become an artist, the book still has much to offer. In Hugh's own words, "This book is about becoming more 'creative' in one's work, whoever you may be. Or just useful advice for any one who aspires to undertake some creative or artistic journey."
===THE CARTOONS===
While reading Ignore Everybody, one gets the sense that Hugh MacLeod would be far happier if only he were a little less intelligent. The existentially depressed cynic to Woody Allen's bumbling neurotic, the Hugh MacLeod character is sort of a cross between Dostoevsky and George Carlin.[1] That is, the cartoons are really a collection of observations about people, their motivations, and the shallowness and meaninglessness of the human condition.
So, is Hugh truly an artist, someone who has pushed the medium forward? Yes. Two reasons:
1) Hugh is the only cartoonist that's figured out a way to draw his characters in a way that really lets you see into their souls. Hugh manages to nail the platonic ideals of the ditzy blonde, the pretending-to-be-an-artist-to-pick-up-girls guy, the too-full-of-himself corporate a**hole, etc. Considering that his cartoons are really only simple line drawings, it's amazing how well he's able to convey the characters' posture, dress, facial expression, body language, etc.
You can tell exactly what the character is like as an entire person just by looking at them, even if you cover up the text. Open up the Sunday comics and it quickly becomes clear that no other cartoonist can do this.
2) Hugh's second trademark is being able to write the one sentence that sums up the character's entire existence.
Man: "I can't decide what I want to be: A millionaire or an artist."
Woman: "Can't you just compromise? Become a millionaire artist or something..."
Viewed through the lens of the art, the human existence is nothing more than posturing and superficiality.
Does Hugh actually believe this? He says,
"I don't necessarily find the human condition shallow and meaningless per se. Just our egos and pride sometimes force us to act like it is. I think we're all strive to find meaning in life, we just don't always elect to take the high road when doing so; we're often far too willing to look for shortcuts."
All in all, this is a book that will change the way you think. In a good way. A very good way.
===THE BOOK===
What separates a writer from an author? A rower from an oarsman? A comedian from a humorist?
Greatness in any field comes from taking a novel idea and pushing it to its logical conclusion, redefining the medium in the process.
Hugh doesn't teach you how to come up with your big idea, nor is the book a collection of theories on what makes something innovative. Rather, Hugh's rules teach a mindset conducive to pushing great ideas to their logical conclusions.
This book won't teach you how to paint, but if you're lucky you'll come away with the mental frame you need to avoid having the outside world crush your creativity. And if you really take its lessons to heart then hopefully, in the words of Steve Jobs, you'll ship.
Over the years I've sent the blog post that inspired this book to countless friends, and now that I've read the book itself I can't recommend it enough. I'd consider it a must-read for any creative who aspires to be an artist, not just some guy who lives in a loft and calls himself a writer.
But even if you don't aspire to become an artist, the book still has much to offer. In Hugh's own words, "This book is about becoming more 'creative' in one's work, whoever you may be. Or just useful advice for any one who aspires to undertake some creative or artistic journey."
===THE CARTOONS===
While reading Ignore Everybody, one gets the sense that Hugh MacLeod would be far happier if only he were a little less intelligent. The existentially depressed cynic to Woody Allen's bumbling neurotic, the Hugh MacLeod character is sort of a cross between Dostoevsky and George Carlin.[1] That is, the cartoons are really a collection of observations about people, their motivations, and the shallowness and meaninglessness of the human condition.
So, is Hugh truly an artist, someone who has pushed the medium forward? Yes. Two reasons:
1) Hugh is the only cartoonist that's figured out a way to draw his characters in a way that really lets you see into their souls. Hugh manages to nail the platonic ideals of the ditzy blonde, the pretending-to-be-an-artist-to-pick-up-girls guy, the too-full-of-himself corporate a**hole, etc. Considering that his cartoons are really only simple line drawings, it's amazing how well he's able to convey the characters' posture, dress, facial expression, body language, etc.
You can tell exactly what the character is like as an entire person just by looking at them, even if you cover up the text. Open up the Sunday comics and it quickly becomes clear that no other cartoonist can do this.
2) Hugh's second trademark is being able to write the one sentence that sums up the character's entire existence.
Man: "I can't decide what I want to be: A millionaire or an artist."
Woman: "Can't you just compromise? Become a millionaire artist or something..."
Viewed through the lens of the art, the human existence is nothing more than posturing and superficiality.
Does Hugh actually believe this? He says,
"I don't necessarily find the human condition shallow and meaningless per se. Just our egos and pride sometimes force us to act like it is. I think we're all strive to find meaning in life, we just don't always elect to take the high road when doing so; we're often far too willing to look for shortcuts."
All in all, this is a book that will change the way you think. In a good way. A very good way.
87 of 101 people found the following review helpful
By Seth Godin
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Creativity is not a genetic trait, nor is it reserved for professionals.
Everyone is creative sooner or later, but unfortunately, most people have it drilled out of them when they're kids.
This little book undrills it.
Hugh harangues and encourages and pushes and won't sit still until you, like him, are unwilling to settle.
Go ahead. You deserve it. And we need your contributions. We can't wait!
Everyone is creative sooner or later, but unfortunately, most people have it drilled out of them when they're kids.
This little book undrills it.
Hugh harangues and encourages and pushes and won't sit still until you, like him, are unwilling to settle.
Go ahead. You deserve it. And we need your contributions. We can't wait!
Most Recent Customer Reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars
Some interesting ideas
The author has some interesting ideas for sustaining creativity. One of the reaffirmations I enjoyed hearing as a sometimes writer is the importance of having a professional job... Read more
Published 6 days ago by K. P. Butler
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great and underwhelming
This was a great read and I am already looking around for a young person just starting out whom I can gift this book. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Richard Vaughn
5.0 out of 5 stars
Relatable
Great bite-sized read. Useful & honest accounts & advice from an experienced creative. I found a lot of what the author spoke about to be very close to my own experiences as a... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Ivor_FTLO
3.0 out of 5 stars
An OK book
I think this book is somewhat overrated.
It's not bad, fun to read at times, but nothing particularly profound or enlightening.
It's not bad, fun to read at times, but nothing particularly profound or enlightening.
Published 1 month ago by Elf
3.0 out of 5 stars
Interesting but not much practical use
Hugh MacLeod is a former ad executive who now has a blog on which he posts business cards with cartoons and funny expressions. Read more
Published 2 months ago by John Martin
5.0 out of 5 stars
Hugh MacLeod Rocks!
A must read for all my creative compatriots. If you live in the creative world, this is your new bible!
Published 2 months ago by Keith Thomas
5.0 out of 5 stars
Rebel's Cure for Boredom
Yeah, I've always been a rebel. I like what the author has to say here about using it to your advantage. Basically: who wants to see work that just looks like everyone else's? Read more
Published 3 months ago by Jonathan Ziegler
5.0 out of 5 stars
On business cards used as an artist's "canvas"
First a confession ... I too doodle on the front and back of my business cards and/or on the cards I receive from others. Read more
Published 3 months ago by John Lesko
4.0 out of 5 stars
Something to think about
Hugh MacLeod gives people something to think about through his fabulous cartoons and his limited use of words. He gets to the point without a lot of filler and blah, blah, blah. Read more
Published 3 months ago by kitty kat
2.0 out of 5 stars
Almost useful...but weirdly creepy
I have mixed opinions about the actual advice in this book- some of it seems sound ("ignore everyone and do your thing"), some of it more... Read more
Published 3 months ago by A. Tinsley
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