A email conversation with a reader and a bit of catch-up reading coincided this morning.
In the first, a simple question from Becca: "Of all the creative behaviours, which matters most?"
In the second, an article in The New York TImes on Mary Wells Lawrence, one of the icons of advertising and former CEO of Wells Rich Greene. She is often thought to be the inspiration for the Peggy Olson character in Mad Men.
At the end of the article, Wells says this about how to be successful. But, the same is true for inspiring your own creativity. This is the answer to Becca's question.
"You can’t just be you,” Ms. Lawrence said. “You have to double yourself. You have to read books on subjects you know nothing about. You have to travel to places you never thought of traveling. You have to meet every kind of person and endlessly stretch what you know.”
The photo is by Casey Kelbaugh for The New York Times.
