Curiosity, creativity, and avoiding the "blander."
Reflections from "Transform Tuesday" featuring a stellar panel of creative leaders.
Last week, I had the pleasure of attending a creative community gathering in New York City hosted by Andrew Thomas and the team at Transform Magazine. The event — Transform Tuesday — is part of a new monthly series bringing together creative voices across New York and London.
Held at the venerable Brass Monkey (if you know, you know), the evening featured a stellar lineup of speakers spanning design, branding, publishing, and music, including:
Jocelyne Henri Danet, Lonsdale Design — who opened the evening as Lonsdale was supporting this month’s gathering.
Mike Perry, Tavern Agency — introducing his new book, Modern Heritage.
Brett Newman, Hybrid Design — making the case for participation over observation.
Marco Vitali, Sonic Lens — sharing lessons from the masters of music.
Between each speaker, Andrew encouraged everyone to say hello to someone whom they did not know. I had several conversations but three with young creatives who were there to explore what their careers might look like beyond their current roles. That’s the beauty of a place like New York, on any given night, you can find a room that inspires your future.
Beyond the presentations and individual conversations, a few powerful themes for the modern Renaissance emerged that are still sitting with me.
1. Artists Are the Gatekeepers of Truth
Marco Vitali shared insights from his time in the music industry, including working alongside legendary artists such as Nile Rodgers. One line in particular cut through the room:
“Artists are the gatekeepers of truth.”
I hadn’t thought of it that way, but it’s kind of true. Whether a musician, a writer, or a sad clown (like me!), artists capture the sentiment of the time, often reflecting culture as it is before the history books ever pick up on it. He expanded on this through a concept recalled from Rick Rubin — that art is always emanating from the environment around us; as creators, our role is to act as antennas, tuning into signals others may not notice.
It was a reminder that creative work isn’t just self-expression — it’s interpretation. Artists absorb culture, tension, joy, and contradiction — then translate it back to the world in ways that feel honest and resonant.
2. Avoid the “Blander”
A recurring caution throughout the evening was the danger of over-refinement.
In the creative process, layers upon layers of review can dilute the work, sanding down its edges until it becomes safe, agreeable… and forgettable. The “blander,” as it was aptly described.
In today’s AI-accelerated landscape, that risk compounds. When machines optimize toward the mean — the most statistically likely answer — we’re pulled toward the least common denominator of creativity.
The takeaway: protect the sharp edges. Originality often lives in the tension, not the consensus.
3. Curiosity in All Things
Brett Newman shared the story of Hybrid Design’s evolution — now captured in a book (which is beautiful, by the way) — and the community ecosystem that grew around it.
Hybrid’s success, according to Newman, is steeped in curiosity, exploring ideas and projects they were deeply passionate about. Not long after Hybrid launched, Super7 magazine followed: a platform rooted in community building, zines, and print culture. It echoed a sentiment Andrew Thomas shared during the evening: “The magazine is the original social media.”
At the heart of Brett’s talk were two lines that felt instantly actionable:
“Interest is a leading indicator.”
“Participation scales.”
If you genuinely care about something, you’re far more likely to create work that resonates. And when you participate — not just observe — momentum builds. Communities form. Culture moves. Taking the first step even when you’re not sure where you’re going is the important part.
4. Who Are We Solving the Problem For?
Mike Perry closed with a case study from Tavern Agency’s rebrand of the historic steakhouse Sizzler — a project grounded as much in cultural empathy as visual identity.
He posed three deceptively simple questions that apply to any branding effort:
Who are we solving the problem for?
What do they value?
What would we miss if it went away?
That last question may be more pertinent for legacy brands, but I think its a relevant thought experiment for any project. It reframes brands not as businesses, but as emotional fixtures in people’s lives — repositories of memory, ritual, and meaning. It reminded me of the iconic “Carousel” pitch scene from TV’s “Mad Men.”
Transform Tuesday felt less like a speaker series and more like a creative recharge — a room full of people thinking deeply about culture, craft, and community (amidst the looming machine takeover).
A few closing thoughts I left with:
Truth comes from tuning in, not speaking louder.
Originality requires protecting the work from over-polish.
Curiosity is fuel — participation is the multiplier.
The best brands solve human problems, not just business ones.
I’m looking forward to seeing how this series grows across New York and London in the months ahead. Of course, I’ve been a fan and partner of the Transform team for a few years now, so I know they always draw a strong crowd. And we’re partnering on something fun at Cannes later this spring, so stay tuned.