183: Robert McCrum | My Personal Narrative

David Hieatt chats to one of the world's most awarded creative minds, Graham Fink, about his new course - Fink Different.Today, everything fights for our attention. If you don’t outshine the competition, you sink. Graham's online course will teach you how to stand out in this busy world. You will learn to use the extraordinary power of creativity to grow your business, and grow your 'Self'.

David and long-time DO Lectures friend, Duke Stump, caught up on why they think business needs to be done differently. They talk teams, soul and trust - and how the importance of these inspired Duke's unique philosophy on creating more human brands; Bonfire With Soul.

Mark explains how he came to run a small design studio and book publishing company. He provides us with a set of practical design principles (from his handbook 5 simple steps) that he constantly comes back to, changes and refines when he's working on his own projects.Web Designer and Founder of Mark Boulton Design & Five Simple Steps Publishing Mark is a designer, author, speaker and teacher from Wales.Founder of the small design studio, Mark Boulton Design, he pushes pixels for the likes of Al Jazeera, CERN and ESPN, alongside that, he and his team publish books under the guise of Five Simple Steps – a small, scratchy independent publisher for web people.Mark regularly speaks at web design and development conferences such as SXSW, An Event Apart and Web Directions South.Despite living in Wales, Mark doesn’t own a smallholding, keep bees, or walk to work. But, he’s working on it.—Recorded live at the global event in Cardigan, west Wales in 2013.Watch Mark's full talk here: www.thedolectures.com/talks/mark-boulton-embrace-change

Winky has been making photographs for as long as she can remember. She has made it her life’s work to capture the moments and moods of growing up.Living in Portland Maine with her husband and three children, Winky mostly shoots her kids, their games and the lives they lead in the West End of Portland and on Isle Au Haut, where the family spends its summers.—Recorded live at the global event in California, USA in 2016.Watch Winky's full talk here: www.thedolectures.com/talks/winky-lewis-take-some-ideas-off-the-back-burner

James Victore runs an independent design studio hell-bent on world domination. He is an author, designer, filmmaker and firestarter.His paintings of expressionist designs can be seen on ceramics, surfboards, billboards and supermodels. Recently described as “part Darth Vader, part Yoda,” Victore is widely known for his timely wisdom and impassioned views about design and it's placed in the world.He expresses these views and teachings through his numerous lectures, workshops, and writings.James’ work has been exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art in New York and is represented in the permanent collections of the museums around the globe. His work was recently published in a monograph titled, “Victore or, Who Died and Made You Boss?” Victore teaches at the School of Visual Arts in NYC.—Recorded live at the global event in Cardigan, west Wales in 2012.Watch James' full talk here: www.thedolectures.com/talks/james-victore-in-the-particular-lies-the-universal-how-to-do-work-that-matters

Robert is the Associate Editor of the Observer, and (among other things) the author of an acclaimed biography of PG Wodehouse, several novels, and a stroke memoir, 'My Year Off'. Currently, he is writing a short book about ageing, death and dying for baby-boomers entitled 'Every Third Thought'. It's work-in-progress, with the subtitle "Observations on the inevitable endgame", but he hopes it's more uplifting and informative than that suggests. It follows on from 'My Year Off'.—Recorded live at the global event in Cardigan, west Wales in 2016.Watch Robert's full talk here: www.thedolectures.com/talks/robert-mccrum-my-personal-narrative

Mara is a social innovator and entrepreneur. Her latest venture, The Flow Collective, is a multifaceted platform redefining the culture of entrepreneurship. It includes a design and tech academy that gives people the tools to solve real-world challenges, and a global incubator promoting mindfulness, diversity, and human-centred design. She has led historic incubators and innovation workshops as far away as Cuba and Myanmar, as well as at home in Portland, OR.Previously, Mara served as Global Partnerships Manager for Nike Foundation’s Innovation team, working on breakthrough approaches to serving adolescent girls living in poverty. Mara was first introduced to the Nike Foundation during the inaugural Do Lectures USA, where she was a Bloomberg Businessweek Innovation Fellow. At the time she was working to train and support citizen journalists and young filmmakers in conflict, post-conflict, and underreported regions. The DO Lectures inspired her to make her next bold moves, and she is thrilled to share her story in this full-circle moment in the company of brilliant do-ers.—Recorded live at the global event in California, USA in 2016.Watch Mara's full talk here: www.thedolectures.com/talks/mara-abrams-go-with-the-flow

Tim lives and works in Johannesburg, South Africa, as a Creative Director of The Jupiter Drawing Room. I am a strategic creative problem solver with over 14 years of experience at some of South Africa's top creative agencies. I believe that creativity pointed in the right direction can change not only a business but the world.—Recorded live at the global event in Cardigan, west Wales in 2017.Watch Tim's full talk here: www.thedolectures.com/talks/tim-beckerling-creativity-isnt-a-solo-mission

Ella shares with us how she conquers fear and embraces bravery in a society that constantly fools us into thinking that we do not have the ability to create our own lives. The essence of a human being is to create.Ella uploaded her first YouTube video in 2011; five years later, she has become a compassionate Vegan with a mission to inspire us all to live more. Co-founder of @StoriesBehindThing and founder of We Need To Live More.—Recorded live at the global event in Cardigan, west Wales in 2017.Watch Ella's full talk here: www.thedolectures.com/talks/ella-grace-denton-the-life-changing-magic-of-being-brave

Ian tells us how he got through those tough moment by just being himself. We can think and look for jobs, but there is more to life than that. The world is your oyster, go grab it!Starting his career as a young club and jazz drummer, Ian then went on to joining Al Murray, Keith Keough, Stuart Warmington, and Al Kitching to found the British Drum Company. When not touring or recording with Kasabian, Ian still often plays small jazz and funk gigs in and around his hometown of Bristol.—Recorded live at the global event in Cardigan, west Wales in 2016.Watch Ian's full talk here: www.thedolectures.com/talks/ian-matthews-just-be-you