A Whole New Mind: Introduction

I’m reading A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers will Rule the Future by Daniel Pink. The book examines the ‘Conceptual Age,’ due to the rise of three A’s:

1. Abundance: Material abundance in the U.S. has freed people to search for lives of meaning instead of mere physical survival.

2. Asia: The outsourcing of many traditional analytical jobs overseas.

3. Automation: Technology is replacing workers at alarming rates.
The ‘Conceptual Age’ still needs traditional left-brained thinking (logical, analytical), but the increasingly important qualities of right-brained thinking (creative, abstract) are in high demand, creating “a whole new mind.”

My once bright, neon yellow highlighter is quickly running out of goo spent on provocative quotes. My brain is filling with inspiration, while my head continually bobs with subtle nods of agreement. The formula to thriving in this new era, Pink writes, is the ability to grasp and apply six elements:

“Design. Story. Symphony. Empathy. Play. Meaning.”

I’ve decided to follow my highlighter trail and pull Pink’s insights together to dissect how this impacts video production and its subsequent industries (advertising, film, new media, etc.). I’ll post relevant quotes and thoughts from each chapter.

I highly recommend you join me and give this book a read.