industry thoughts from Clarteza

For most of my life I’ve been told to choose between the two things that I love: My passion for business or my creative musical expression. I studied music and business.

In fact, as a child and through my early twenties I felt as if I was always a part of two different worlds: “the real” business world and the creative “unreal” music, art world. Deep down I knew, that I embody both but it’s hard to be honest and talk about both, for fear of being perceived as not fully committed to … Continue Reading

My team works with incredible clients and on some amazing projects. We are privileged to be able to look for interesting insights and connect them through different cultures. We get to learn about people’s needs and behaviors, so we can help our clients come up with great solutions or products. It’s exhilarating!

Over the years, however, I have observed the curse of three consistent issues: “marginal thinking”, “sunk cost” and “conformity” which, as trifecta, can stifle innovation and overwhelm any good decision-making process.

Let me demonstrate what I mean. Coming up with a new … Continue Reading

When we get inspired, we create. When we are relaxed, we are more creative. Here are some of my time-tested activities that have worked for me:

• Expand your interests. Go to a library or a store and pick up a book or publication from an industry or genre that you would not normally explore. Even though random reading material may not seem relevant at first, I promise you if you give it a chance you’ll learn something you’ll be able to apply to your … Continue Reading
  

Perhaps one of the more damaging myths we live by is the one that claims that creativity is a gift. You either have it or you don’t, many believe. Some are born with some kind of special talent bestowed on them, they say, or, poor souls, they must lumber in the regular, plain world with the rest of us.

This myth must be busted.

At Clarteza, we know that creativity is not some magic manna from above – it is a skill, and a collaborative one at that. We have to do away with the … Continue Reading

The big idea:  It’s out there, and you want to be the one who discovers it, markets it, and profits from it.  Right or wrong, there is no shortage of approaches to uncovering the big idea, from trend analyses, to focus groups, to epiphanies in the middle of the night.  But how do you know when you’ve found it?  How do you uncover the diamond in the rough from the laundry list of ideas that come out of any well-meaning brainstorming effort?

Your gut is certainly a good start, and there are situations (and corporations) that call for avoiding conventional consumer … Continue Reading