Quiet Brainwork

The Benefits of Being Different

Written by Nate Riggs | May 29, 2009

I like people who innovate. My friend Michael Houghton is one of those people. He's a thinker and artist, and has a genuine curiosity to find new applications from familiar techniques.

First a side note: Michael is not paying me to write about him. I feel like I have to say this in light of all the debate over paid blog content. There, it's said.

Back to art, innovation and application. Michael, along with his former CCAD student Andy Spessard, has been working to take the concept of time-based photography and find ways to apply it to marketing and social media.

Here's what I mean:

For me, this work is a purple cow. Yes, it's skillfully produced, artistic, attractive, and it tells a story, but what's more important is that it's different. There are benefits to producing content that is different. We pay attention to content that is different. And if we find content that is different enough, our natural tendency is to want to it show to all of our friends.

When was the last time you shared some different content with your friends?