As marketers and cultural critics, we are always on the hunt for the most engaging and original of experiences. Whether it’s the first food truck to garner crowds through social media posts, new technology in the gaming industry, a German expressionist circus or Rebecca Black showing up in Katy Perry’s music video after her YouTube video take off, we want to know A) Who thought it up! B) Why do we love it? C) What can we take away?! D) How can we get this person to Salon 360?
If at this point you are imagining men wearing pantyhose and women with white wigs that put the Beehive to shame, then you know the historical origins of the Salon already. We knew it would be fun to gather ‘round our smartest, wittiest and most charming of friends and clients but decided to take it a step further…Why not invite a number of thought leaders that we’ve met in passing or admired from afar?
The purpose of the Salon was to ignite rich conversation through passion and that’s exactly what it did. The overlap of disciplines and backgrounds led to illuminating conversations about the fundamental aspects of creativity and the changing face of media across all fields. The atmosphere lent itself to candidness and fun which leads to the best in both friendships and partnerships.
My favorite anecdote of the night, by far, was given by Nancy Linehan Charles, Director of Salty Shakespeare. She described an incredible moment; a moment where she saw a Labrador sitting in a tree. Readjusting her eyes and expecting to see something else, she was subsequently shocked to realize that her eyes weren’t lying. The dog’s owner explained, “I know. This is utterly bizarre and it shocked me the first time too. She once got so excited chasing a squirrel that she made her way up into the tree before she even knew that she could do that. The first time she was probably surprised too once she looked down!”
I don’t know if this will remain a strange metaphor for creativity in my mind or if perhaps it is actually a straight forward story of persistence? Either way, I can not wait for the next Salon 360.
