Shall we talk about the horror of overconsumption, oversaturation, overwhelming wastefulness and unsustainability of today’s industries? I cringe and would rather not. I’ve got something else in store for you, hopefully constructive, hopefully a bit warmer, woolier and fuzzier. For anyone who puts anything out there, FREEDOM FROM CONVENTION is key to creating a brighter, more breathable and sustainable future.

According to Paypal founder, Peter Thiel, Happy companies are the ones that are different. “They’re the ones that have found a way to radically differentiate themselves and escape from competition. All unhappy companies are alike because they’ve failed to escape the essential sameness that is competition.” 

In every creative field, there are boundless opportunities. But what makes something good is not the “what” but the “why.” Usually, it’s about the psychological ramifications of whatever is being sold and put out into the real or cyber spaces. Creatives out there, don’t you see, you hold the power to shift not only perceptions, but emotions. Don’t you realize, it’s a free-for-all in free fall, and freedom from convention is what makes people stop, think, and feel differently.

Aristotle Onassis once wisely pointed out, “The rules are, there are no rules.”

Well the great movers and shakers of Time—all those who’ve made a significant impact within their field—have always challenged what might have been old “rules,” or the conventional boundaries of their time. They weren’t out to destroy traditions but they knew one thing: 

Following the herd doesn’t break grounds. 

It only creates more mounds. 

To borrow from satirical phenomenon, Gstaad Guy,  “Don’t go where they go, but go where they don’t.” Yes, my dear Spectators, the true visionaries are those who intuit that something truly different and necessary is the only way to bolt us the heck out of excessive, complacent, pretentious and redundant convention. As we see in today’s professional landscape, THERE IS TOO MUCH OF THE SAME THING. 

A quest for relentless novelty is not what I mean though. What true visionaries demonstrate is an idea, an aesthetic, an approach that is all their own, and one that makes a positive difference. Coincidentally, they also ooze confidence that their audience will be won over by their vision. They refuse to obey the rules because, well, they make their own rules, and their rules are the ones others wind up copying. 

What unites all creative rule-breakers is their ability to deliver not just fresh new beauty and value, but a deeper message. 

Let’s just say that if the message doesn’t come bursting from within, then it’s not worth it. If the “thing” offered isn’t crying out from the heart, then it shouldn’t join the heaps and mountains of the same ‘ole. If the motive is to win money, fame, and outshine the competition, well Lambies, it’s likely not a good message. And if it mimics everyone else’s style, then clearly it is not needed. 

A genuinely strong message behind a product or idea comes when it is damn well ready. Let’s wait for it. Patiently. And make it count, make it worth it. We’re all yawning over the next brand, next product, next influencer that’s just another version of the one before. Unless it’s bursting like a rocket from our soul, let’s not dump more into the craze. 

Whether it’s a loathing of the superficial, a disdain for conformity, or a prizing of independence, groundbreakers break grounds with a message, leading through their example—whether in bold moves and upheavals or quiet but confident independence.