Brett Macfarlane

Critics, the Opinionated and Proofers Wanted

I've written a book titled Everyday Paris.

It is a cultural briefing on how to "do Paris as Parisians do."

I seek a few more people to give it a read and help me understand what is and isn't working before formally sharing with agents & publishers.

Why did I write Everyday Paris?

I've been a Francophile long before transferring in 2010 to one of Europe's top creative ad agencies - DDB Paris.  

Cultural observation has always been an obsession of mine and living in Paris is an “observaholic’s” nirvana.  It was a hobby and compulsion to endlessly share things I noticed or thought interesting as a sort of guerrilla ethnography, which people seem to quite like.

What compelled me to actually follow through with the idea for this book was a discerning friend advising a leading global luxury brand borrowed a passage of mine (without my knowledge) discussing Brie cheeses.  One evening he decided to read it out in Versailles Palace's Hall of Mirrors.  

Frighteningly, the occasion was a grand dinner marking UNESCO naming French gastronomy an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, packing together 650 of the good, great and Michelin starred of French gastronomy in rightful self-congratulation.

Surprisingly, rather than laugh, they applauded.  

So I've since written a cultural briefing that can be read on a plane or train to Paris.  It fits between your typical laundry list guide book/website/magazine and a breezy but individualistic expat novel.

Why does the world need this book?

There is a generation seeking to be informed and mindful travelers who have no shortage of tips and lists but struggle to break through the sterile bubble of passive check-list tourism to become authentic participants in the city and experience how its inhabitants live any given day. 

In other words, they seek to become temporary Parisians, and thus when in Paris wish to "do Paris as Parisians do."

Interested?

If you are interested in reading the manuscript before it is proves to be the next great publishing empire, or a glorious failure, send me an email or Tweet.

Contact me by Sunday March 10 ideally as my ambition is to have input by April 1-ish. 

If not you, please forward to someone you think might be interested.

Reward:

I can't offer much other than being part of the journey.  I did much the same for Alex Bogusky and John Windsor when they published Baked In, which was rather interesting.

If you are in the UK I will hook you up with some wine.  If elsewhere I'll arrange some suitable consideration/inspiration.  Of course once published you will brush with glory and get some special rewards if and when it takes off.

Hemingway: 10 Lost Lessons for Young Writers

One damp, dark and bone chilling winter day in Paris last year I ducked into La Galcante. Possibly my favorite shop in Paris.  Hidden in the middle of the heart of Paris' 1ere arrondissement on Rue de l'Arbre Sec.  Tucked behind the oft visited Spring Boutique where I'd stock up on and learn about wine during my time living there.

La Galcante's reason to exist is historic journals and ancient documents. Newspapers, engravings and magazines from the past couple hundred years.  Equal part museum and treasure hunt.  Most all from "mechanized" eras focusing on culture, war and politics.

In La Galcante are collections of boxes labeled by theme - a person, place or event.  A functional way to collate clippings and publications devoted to an individual.

Buried deep in a box shared by Earnest Hemingway and Orson Welles was edition number 662 of Artes published March 19 to 25 in 1958. A seemingly since deceased publication.

Hemingway, the man and his myth are as closely intertwined with Paris as any other artist.  A vicarious window for many into Paris during its most recent truly golden age.   A vision into the modern construct and lore of the lifestyle of an American writer.

The article lists his 10 punchy pieces of advice for young writers.  Loosely translated as follows: 

1. Be in love.

2. Apply yourself to writing with force.

3. Watch the world and mingle closely with life.

4. Intermix with upcoming writers.

5. Don't waste your time.

6. Listen to music and look at paintings.

7. Read constantly.

8. Don't look to explain.

9. Listen to your pleasures.

10. Shut up.  The sense kills the creator of words.

While Hemingway wrote a lot, he rarely wrote about how he wrote - though writing did feature in a number of his semi-autobiographical fictions.

The accompanying article also chronicles exactly how he writes in his Havana flat.  450 to 1,250 words a day, every day.  Not the most prolific but not so much as to get in the way of living a life that gives one something to write about.

Great tips for a writer, and for life in general.

 

Agile Combat Storytelling

Humans tell stories.  We are really good at it.  Both the telling part and the receiving.  A good story says so much more than the volume of words or visuals used.

While stories fills much of my day the greatest storytellers I respect are those on the front lines of combat.  People enduring real physical risk to tell stories that need to be told.  Rather than the stories somebody wants to tell.

The Imperial War museum currenlty has a powerful exhibit by iconic war photojournalist Don McCullen - Shaped by War.

On Saturday fresh off the plan from six months in Afghanistan British Army photographer Sergeant Steve Blake along with the head of photography at the museum talked about covering 21st Centruy Conflicts.

His story of covering modern conflict is one of the most compelling stories I've heard in recent years.

Firstly, with extreme forensic distance the head of photography chronicled the shift int he past 20 years from film to digital photography and its moral and operational implications.

Followed by Steve pragmatically detailing the team structure and how despite being a photographer he is  a soldier first.  A soldier who must engage a population with a thing most have never seen - his camera.

Most interesting to me is their team structure.  Steve works in a group of three. Himself on stills, another on film and their leader, a superior, who serves as the official media voice and is responsible for all radio content.

These three, with their individual equipment adding 50 points to each's back and a shared satellite uplink operate as a self contained mobile news room that delivers against every single possible medium. 

Some stuff they shoot goes on TV, some on Facebook, some in newleters and some in magazines.  They don't worry about the medium, just getting the story.

I loved the brutal simplicity of three people getting all possible required content for any medium.

When lives are at stake, no time for messing around.

Things the British Say, A Lot

Every country has things they say that are said so often nobody realizes really they are saying them all the time.  They in fact are little codes that evolve a language to a social group.  To outsiders their repetition stands out and sparks curiosity.  Following are a bunch of things I've noticed people say a lot.  All lovely little words or phrases.  Might start using them a bit more:

 

Whilst

Boring

Please

Proper

Populist

Ambition

Golden Ticket

Who's to blame

Great British... (pub, cheese, bunting, ale, hound, etc)

yallrite (Translation: Hello. Are you alright and is everything good today?)

Marcus, Bloggers Drinks and Bubble Bobble

Last Friday an internet worm hole opened up landing me in Shoreditch of East London.  A "Bloggers Drinks" event instigated by the presence of The Kaiser himself - Marcus Brown.  

I have internet known Marcus for about 5 - ish years - amidst all his extensive commenting, conspiring and publishing enable by the power of the internet.

It was about time our paths crossed in the analogue world.  Partially to snuff my curiosity whether he really exists or is an elaborate post-digital trans-media ARG narrative invented and curated by an idiot savant holed up somewhere deep in the axis of evil.

In fact, Marcus exists, and refreshingly was just as one would exist.  There were discussions of Bubble Bobble, meta-media, trans-gender-media,  jukebox functionality and WAM respectfully.  The Truman's Beer at Ten Bells was brillaint.

It is always fun meeting folks you know from the internet, like chatting with someone you grew up with for a period in life.  You have mutual reference points and a shared interest. It only gets weird when someone inevitably mentions how weird it is - which was Marcus' one obvious fault.

See you again Marcus.  

Ideas, Rules Doing and a John Jay

Our industry has a lot of great minds and a lot of opinions.

But opinions aside, its what one does that matters.  The actual ideas.  The ones that get made, and made great.

Whether an idea is in the form of a script, a way to look at the budget to make the impossible possible or what a prospective client sees in the lobby on pitch day - they all matter.

But some people do more and do better.  No matter how old I get, they are a kind of hero.

Few know the name John Jay.  But anything he does, says really, amazes me. 

Sharp, profound and informed.  Above all, makes you think a bit different and better about something.

A knower of art, retail and how a restaurant can reshape a neighbourhood while reinvigorating its past  (Ping.)  A genral doing of things.

These are the types it is great to see enter halls of fame. 

I don't know Jon, but I know I like what he's done.  Even if it was only the skewers at Ping, I would hold that opinion.

These are his rules stolen from a WK blog:

1. Be authentic. The most powerful asset you have is your individuality, what makes you unique. It’s time to stop listening to others on what you should do.
2. Work harder than anyone else and you will always benefit from the effort.
3. Get off the computer and connect with real people and culture. Life is visceral.
4. Constantly improve your craft. Make things with your hands. Innovation in thinking is not enough.
5. Travel as much as you can. It is a humbling and inspiring experience to learn just how much you don’t know.
6. Being original is still king, especially in this tech-driven, group-grope world.
7. Try not to work for stupid people or you’ll soon become one of them.
8. Instinct and intuition are all-powerful. Learn to trust them.
9. The Golden Rule actually works. Do good.
10. If all else fails, No. 2 is the greatest competitive advantage of any career.

 

Sending Thanks

Sending thanks, manually, to Jason, James, Mark and Lauren for making the third and most glorious year of Interesting Vancouver happen.

Provenance of Culture's Youthifications

This clip by Craig Kilborn is fascinating because he's bang on. At least looking in the rear view mirror.  It's also fascinating because recent in the field work with teens and 'youth' appears to be showing a real maturification of youth.  An emerging push the other way against the dumbification.  The next generation has no misconceived notions life will always be grand, easy and jobs will be a plenty in the future (this was apparent before the major Fall layoffs.) 

I'm sure some agency in New York has already come up with a witty label for today's teens but they themselves aren't too worried about that.  They are too worried about the uncertainty of not just finding a career some day, but finding a career with meaning.  Happiness is paramount, but their belief is  happiness will come through work and pragmatic choice, not entitlement or being at the right place at the right time (don't think the latter has actually happened since the 50's really.)  Also, there is a wonderful increasing degree of trial and error accepted in their worlds.  One of my all time favorite quotes out of a work group was:

"I like when I fail because then I know what to work on."

A wonderful recognition one can't be good at everything, but will be great at some things, so find what you're good at, then get better at it.  The social stigma of giving something a shot and failing is slowly eroding.  My sense is action sports culture has driven this sentiment as failure, when as a result of pushing your limits, is celebrated. 

Pretty mature thoughts from teenagers, in fact more so than most adults.