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A couple of weeks back I was watching this video of David Hockney talking about his iconic collage âPearblossom Highwayâ. In it he talks about his approach as being like âdrawing with a cameraâ.
It is really a wonderful idea. As he says, âin drawing you make choices. We donât all see the same things, we donât all hear the same things eitherâ.Â
Having a camera forces you to look at your subject and highlight the most interesting details. The stuff you wouldnât normally notice. The stuff you can only see when you step out into the world.
Itâs why Iâm a big fan of doing ethnographic research. To understand people, you have to stop and look to really see them.
This idea of making choices also got me thinking. Because it's what we do all day. Big and small, consciously and unconsciously and sometimes with great stakes.Â
Often, what you donât do is as important as what you do.Â
Strategy is a discipline fraught with making choices. What is the problem weâre trying to solve? What is the most interesting insight to unpack? How do we make sure this idea is going to land in culture? How do we measure success? And arguably the most important question â what do I leave in, and what do I leave out?
When it comes to approaching projects, this can lead to a fair amount of (self-induced) pressure.Â
But really there is no âright routeâ.Â
With any creative challenge there are multiple ways to solve it. Give the same brief to 10 planners and youâll likely get to 10 different end points.Â
And thatâs okay.Â
What is important is that you tell a compelling, and connected story that solves the problem at the heart of it all.Â
Often the way that you do that is through the framing of the subject (what you choose to highlight) and the choices you make in the cut.
Like the framing of a photograph, certain works draw you in because they focus on a single, captivating idea.
Until next time đ,
Harriet
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