English First Impressions

This is not the first encounter I have had with English culture (obviously) or the English mentality, but it’s the first time I’ve had the chance to live “normal” everyday life and whatever comes with that. This experience is what also inspired me to write a blog about what I’ve so far felt is the English outlook on social life. 

I want to start by mentioning a couple of things that almost have become cliche’s in how myself as a Swede perceive you, the English. We always talk about - the politeness, the hospitality, and the sarcastic humour. Characteristics like these are probably also the most important “brand values” for the English, and personally it’s also what makes it so easy to get along with everyone while I’m here.

Anyway, from my personal point of view one of the most interesting parts of the English mentality that I’ve seen so far, is the way strangers or new acquaintances are being approached. I think that the English approach in general is very positive and straight forward, which is nice, but what I also like is that it usually shows vulnerability.

And I’m going to explain, since it might seem strange that being vulnerable would be a good thing. To dare give some of yourself, smile and be friendly is in many situations also basically leaving yourself out and open for “attacks” from the surroundings.  

And since we all care, in one way or another, about what people think about us, I think that it’s brave to make yourself fragile to the world. It’s also a sign of good will to approach someone with positivity towards a new potential relation. 

So in essence, I think it’s a sign of character and strength to engage in a conversation with a stranger “arms down”. 

Another perk with this English polite, open and vulnerable approach, is that it’s a great way to get instant feedback, or get a good “read” on what the person you approach feel about you. Will that person answer me back with the same manner? Yes, then good, we’ll get along just fine. If no, they don’t, it’s an instant feedback that I can use to decide where the baseline with that person will be and if we will get along well or not. 

Obviously it’s not a great idea to try to judge someone on this first impression, but that is something we all often do. And since we do that - approach by thinking positive about people, and instead let them prove you wrong - rather then assume they are nasty boring losers before even speaking to them, - is just so much more rewarding and fun in the long run. 

Another thing that I think characterise the English, is their way of showing affection. It’s totally ok to give a compliment about a strangers shoes, or jacket or whatever. This is also completely in line with what I’ve said about showing vulnerability, you never really know what the reaction will be when you basically tell them you admire something about them.  

The last characteristic that I wanted to highlight is something that happens when you reach the friendship status with someone. There is nothing that proves your friend relation more than a couple of mean jokes on your behalf. That someone would crack a really mean joke about your new haircut, with a really nasty tone - thats basically confirmation that they consider you a good friend. In fact, the harsher the comments the closer the friendship. 

If you’re bald, a bit overweight or have a funny looking nose, as soon as you starting hearing jokes about that, then you know that you are amongst good friends. 

What I personally find really nice about the English way of communicating is that it’s really obviously really unpretentious. But as well, transparency is the real winner in the long run, that facade that people like to put on when they go out always comes down in the end, so why not just keep it down from the start? 

Marcus Carlsson

Marcus arrives at the Hebe Office

Marcus Carlsson is the newest member of the Hebe team and I, for one, am very happy he has joined us. I met him through Lee in Barcelona a few years ago and I have, along with the rest of the Hebe team, spent some fun and creative times with Marcus AKA ‘The Pap’. We have shared strawberry mojitos, sang Billie Jean at the Karaoke bars in Barcelona and Marcus along with Lee lived in the Palace and co-built the DJ Booth of Love(In fact in The Palace blog you can see him in the background on his Mac).

So you can all learn a little bit more about the man behind the beard I asked him a few questions:

Marcus! Can I ask you a few questions?

Yes, you can! 

Who are you?

Well, I see myself as a bit of an explorer, meaning that I believe in the concept of life long learning (I really do!) and i also have a constant lust for trying new things. I also think I'm a positive guy that sometimes feels that naivety is the best way to approach life. Why? Basically because I think that what you can learn from failures is miles more valuable than what you can learn from success. Leaving my own personal "safety zone" is something that I've pursued the last couple of years, both personally and definitely as a student and a professional...  I think this started with a move to Barcelona in 2005, where I also got to know fellow Hebe teammates Lee and Shang Ting through our studies at Instituto Europeo de Design. 

Anyway, since 2005, I've worked quite a lot as a freelancer with projects in fashion, music and design, while also completing a bachelor in marketing and communication and my master's degree in Design Management. My experience and studies have given me a quite sober way of looking at business or result driven projects. 

However, it's only just now though, after going through a life changing year studying creative techniques, innovation, and strategy during the Design Management master, I have realized that my passion is the always the path... not the end result. Basically, as soon as I complete something I need to take a new turn, try something new, or just start over again... 

I'm going on a bit here I think, but to sum up, I came to Leeds to work on exciting projects with a fun, creative and daring team that's not afraid to fail... 

Why are you here?

I might have mentioned some if that already, but basically to keep pushing myself to develop as a person and a professional. In addition to that I want to be able to inspire and also push my surroundings towards new unexplored land. 

What are the top 3 things you want to do while in Leeds?

''Hmmm... Good question, for sure, since I'm quite the football fan, I want to go to a Leeds United game, drink some beer from the local brewery, and maybe see some of the music and try the nightlife scene around here. I've heard that it's supposed to be quite good...''

And anything else you want to add!

''I like people!''

And what do the Hebe team think about our newest member?

Lee: ''It is great to have Marcus working with us. We studied together in Barcelona at IED and worked together on the Leeds in Barcelona project last year and he always gives a new dimension to the things we do. We have some amazing projects coming up this year and Marcus will be helping Hebe make those even better by adding his creativity and a bit of Swedish-ness to everything we do!''

Shang Ting: ''I always remembered Marcus was one of the most friendly, genuine person in my class, so I'm very happy he can join us for a while. When we were in school, Marcus' was brilliant of bringing his passion into his projects, like music, technology, Swedish heritage, and youtube videos. We are all confident Marcus will bring lots of creativity and energy to the Hebe team.''

Simon: ''I am very happy that Marcus is here and i am excited about all the projects we have lined up, and having Marcus here as part of it all will be beneficial for our team. Plus we will show him Leeds and have lots of fun like we did in Barca!''

Well I hope you have learned a little bit more about Hebe’s newest member because, for sure, you are going to see his face out and about town, so don’t be afraid to say hello!

Creative spaces are key to creative culture...

The view from the reception at Amaze. The first stop on our tour of creative offices in Manchester and London.

Lee and I hit the road last week, visiting Manchester and London to interview some of the folk involved in a new project with Hyper Island (more on this soon). In the course of three days we visited the offices of Amaze, Channel 4, Code Computerlove, Dare, McCann-Erickson, MTV and Wieden + Kennedy. For us it was an opportunity to have loads of fascinating conversations, some fun with our new video camera (again, more on this soon), and time to reflect on why offices in the world of digital are so very cool.

In the final days of 2010 (it seems a million years away to us now) the team here at Hebe Media spent a few hours dreaming about the kind of 'work space' we want be in. Don't get us wrong, it's not that we don't like our existing office (it's been a good friend since we opened for business last year), but the fact that it is "an office" is precisely the challenge we need to overcome.

The view as you leave the lift in the DARE officesWalking into somewhere like Dare, with all its unfinished ply and exposed concrete, and employees sharing lunch over a ping pong tournament; or the Eastend offices of Wieden + Kennedy, with their cycle filled reception and air of independence; or Code's canal side dwelling that hosts a sizzling BBQ whenever the Manchester weather allows, you definitely don't get the sense that this is just another office. Furthermore, you get a distinct impression that the space isn't just a part of a clever branding exercise: these spaces seem to embody, and simultaneously make possible, the particular culture of each organisation.

A little out of focus, sorry, but this image gives you a view on the entrance to Wieden + Kennedy's office.Lee has written about our work with Hyper Island on a number of occasions. One of the many reasons we enjoy our work with the Swedish-born school of all things digital is that we 'get' their methods. Post-it packed walls, working through 1,000's of ideas (even when they are terrible... mostly mine, I think) to find the few that fit, and using noise and energy as a lubricant for getting to great solutions. Adopting these methods requires a culture of openness, where mess and discontinuity are a part of the furniture. In turn we need a space that matches up to that culture. A space that is a fundamental part of our culture.

Hebe team member, Shang Ting showing putting some thoughts about our office down on paper before XmasWe think the Hebe office needs to be bigger and brighter, one space that is made of many kinds of different spaces. Make it happen space, relax space, reflect space, test space, mess space, retail space, gallery space, meeting space, drinking coffee space, play space, social space, party space, and so on. We also think that this is a space that we would want to share with others, so that our culture can cross fertilise. We want to start when we start, finish when we finish, and hang out when our brains can't take any more. In short, we want a creative space.

This is our dream. We hope to realise it in 2011, and we want anyone who shares this dream to join us. You know where to find us!

A Trip To The Thackray Medical Museum

 

Hebe's Shang Ting and Stacey set off for another one of their trips in and about Leeds and headed off to the Thackray Medical Museum to see what it was all about.

Officially

A museum that acknowledges the Leeds of long ago when disease and death was rife. It’s a journey through medical history.

Unofficially

You begin by selecting a character with a certain illness and lifestyle and throughout the museum you discover everything from your character's dwelling to the cure for their illness, which is so interesting. The first part of the museum is a reacreation of the streets of Leeds which are eerie and smelly but this only adds to the atmosphere. The whole museum has a interesting and educational atmosphere but it was a bit scary as we were the only two visiting the museum at the time. The journey through the whole musuem takes time and requires concentration at times. You can either browse through the museum or take time to read into each poster and exhibit. We did a bit of both :-).

The surgical section towards the end has a real life video of an amputation which made us a bit squeamish. We cringed a little bit while watching a video of the doctor saw through a patient’s leg in one of the first painless surgical procedures. There is also a theatre in the museum which shows a staged video of an amputation before anaesthetic, the Hannah Dyson story. The story is based on Hannah Poynton who trapped her leg in some machinery in 1823. It is definitely not for the fainthearted.

The sections on disease are still a bit creepy, especially with the strange crazy-eyed mannequins. The section on how the body works or the ‘life section’ was great for kids unfortunately we ran out of time as we didn’t expect the museum to take more than two hours but it did and we didn’t even read half the boards, books and items that were on offer. We would definitely go back again as we missed a lot of it towards the end(and we could as we were given free return passes after we paid, which was a nice touch).

Stacey says 'I honestly felt like I was a child again learning so many things about history that I learned when I was young. The interactive parts of the museum were so much fun although some parts were quite gory! It's amazing to see the medical advancements of the last century. We have come so far and we should feel lucky at how easy we have it now. Ouch!. My favourite part was seeing Shang Ting try on the pregnancy belly; she nearly toppled over :-).'

STP says 'I actually like how creepy it was, what other feeling can you expect when you going to a medical museum, right? Afterwards I read from the book Haunted Leeds by Kenneth Goor which says that the recreated Victorian street sections are the most haunted within the whole museum because the ghosts supposedly recognized the street scene and think they are still alive. Glad I didn't know this before I went!'

The Guardian Leeds

With 2010 coming to a close, the team here at Hebe have been discussing some of our favourite projects and conversations from the past year. Without doubt one of the best projects we have seen this year is the Guardian Leeds. We wanted to use this post primarily to highlight the amazing work being done by John Baron but also to give a big "thank you" on behalf of all the people and projects he and the Guardian have helped this year.

Before the Guardian Leeds project had officially launched I had spoken with them about possible link ups and collaborations. We had the first opportunity to do this during the 'Leeds in Barcelona' project when I wrote a series of guest blog posts during my time over in Barcelona and then again when our Barcelona guests visited Leeds. I can tell you from first-hand experience that the trend researchers and bloggers were very impressed that Guardian Leeds supported the project and it gave a lot of energy and excitement to the interviews and photo-shoots we carried out. I am sure there are a lot of projects in Leeds that have benefited from the support and exposure that the Guardian Leeds has given. I know recently during the Leeds in Vancouver project, the help and exposure on the Guardian Leeds blog really helped showcase what was happening to the people back in Leeds. 

Another massive way the Guardian Leeds helped out was with the recent explosion in popularity for the UK Observing Diary project. The project has been featured all over newspapers and television in Asia and the girls are about to sign their first book deal. All this coverage started with the Guardian Leeds post focusing on the project, it sowed the seed that grew into something amazing and I am sure there will be more examples of which this can be said.

The projects and examples we have mentioned here are obviously close to Hebe hearts because they are fashion-based but the amount of different community groups, charities, independents the Guardian Leeds has helped is amazing. The project has also stimulated heated debates on things like the Leeds Arena, Trinity, Kirkgate Market and much more.

I recently sat down with John and we spoke about the impact the project has had on the Leeds community and some of his personal highlights and challenges so far. I asked him a few questions:

What were the original aims of the 'Guardian Leeds' project?

The original aims, which are still valid today, were to provide Leeds with a collaborative blog which reflects the issues people in Leeds are talking about. We've followed a number of local community campaigns, such as the campaign to transform the abandoned Royal Park School in Hyde Park into a community hub, the traders' calls to halt the decline at Leeds Kirkgate Market, the successful campaign to stop City of Leeds School in Woodhouse from closing and the community's bid to take over South Leeds Sports Centre to name a few.

My aim is to look at community activism, but also to have an eye on council accountability, so we look very closely at the decisions that are made at the Civic Hall and cover the debates between councillors in-depth.

What we've also aimed to do is raise the profile of bloggers in Leeds. There's a massive online community in Leeds which is just starting to find its voice. These are exciting times, and I've tried to provide a platform for as many voices as I can through the daily morning 'Leeds today' posts and through our 'blogosphere' section which we're currently adding more bloggers to. We also encourage guest bloggers to submit posts and cover different subjects and events - ultimately it's a blog written by the people of Leeds for the people of Leeds.

Why did you personally become involved?

Saw the job advertised and thought 'that sounds right up my street'. I'd previously had 16 years in local weekly papers and was increasingly aware that the industry was changing rapidly. I saw the Guardian Local project - which is an innovative pilot scheme - as being a bold experiment and at the forefront of what journalism could be in the future.

What have been the most challenging parts of the job 

Balancing 20,000 different jobs at once. Managing your time effectively is an important part of this job and you have to learn that as much as the journalist in you wants to cover everything, you really can't!

What has been the most rewarding aspect?

Undoubtedly supporting some of the community campaigns we've been following. That's what really motivates me personally and professionally - making a difference to people's lives by giving them a voice and then shining a light onto the council's response.

What are the plans for the future? 

I'm keen to get more people writing guest posts and coming on the site and posting their comments, adding their pictures to the Flickr group and generally getting the poeple of Leeds to take ownership of what is their blog!

Lets hope that this is just the beginning for this project and it continues to grow in reach and importance to the Leeds community. There is still some massive untapped potential for the Guardian Leeds and we hope to help John and the project as much as we can in 2011. In the new year we will be collaborating in a new way with the Guardian Leeds and our own Leeds Online community working together which is exciting; we will have much more information on this in early 2011.

For now though we would just like to give a huge thank you to the Guardian for creating Guardian Leeds and to the tireless work done by John Baron. Well done :)