Hugh on Hugh, polymaths and living the dream

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I’m on a long US road trip right now. It’s punishing but made bearable by my having the opportunity to visit Hugh MacLeod, aka @gapingvoid in Alpine Texas. Call it a 48 hour vacation.

Those who have read this blog for any period of time will know that Hugh and I go back 4-5 years. Initially we hated each other. He’s an advertising cum marketing guy, I’m from old skool accounting. Over the years we’ve become friends in that he takes my calls and we don’t fight so often about ROI. I buy his art.

Once I understood Hugh’s shtick, his cartoons and art made a lot of sense to me as someone who has lived a life of disruption and disruptive ‘stuff’ around technology and the Internet. Those who ‘get’ being an edgy type of business person would understand where Hugh is coming from. Those that don’t will be offended.

Anyhoo – traipsing 215 miles from El Paso to Hugh’s abode was well worth the trip. Like myself, he lives in a small town in the back of beyond where nobody cares about him or what he does in the same way nobody cares about me or what I do…at least where I live. Apart from the differences in scale (Texas is HUGE), there are a lot of similarities between Alpine and Alcaudete. In the wider world, Hugh’s work has enormous impact. Anyone remember the Microsoft Blue Monster?

Part of why I wanted to visit Hugh was to understand something of what it is like to manage and run what amounts to multiple variations of the same business idea at the same time. It’s a bit like trying to parse an example from Vinnie’s The New Polymath.

I get the sense that as many of the things that professionals do become commoditized, we have to be more inventive about our relevance in the world. Managing your way through that is tough. Figuring it out so you can make a reasonable living is tougher.

I encourage you to watch the 4 minute video and be inspired by what Hugh has to say. And next time you’re looking at your tired print on the office wall that masquerades as a vain attempt at making the place welcoming,  think about the impact of having one of Hugh’s prints on your clients? I have a number of Hugh’s prints and folk that visit always smile. If you can put a smile on someone’s face then you’re half way to getting them to see beyond the sincere blue suit and technical ability that goes with the job of being a professional.

Tagged as: Advertising, Blue Monster, Hugh MacLeod, Marketing and Advertising