Autumn always feels like a fresh start. The summer is done, we’re back to school & back to business after a break, and nature starts with visual changes for a fully-encompassing experience. There’s this scene in You’ve Got Mail (one of THE quintessential autumn movies) where Meg Ryan trots through the leaves in NYC and Tom Hanks’ voiceover suggests he would send her a bouquet of freshly sharpened pencils to celebrate that feeling. That sums it up exactly. 

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It’s also the kickoff of peak oyster season, if you subscribe to beliefs like that (months ending in R).

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For me & for the team here, it’s the launch of our fresh website, the stuff we’ve dreamt of for nearly 2 years, and this publication, something I’ve dreamt of for much longer. &ideas is broadly titled because there are so many people writing about their work and their thoughts on their own platforms, but if you’re not specifically looking for those things you may miss out. I wanted to elevate some interesting voices and create a space for ideas to 

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When you speak to people outside of your network or your industry, often their perspective and ideas can bring a little spark to the work you’re doing. This concept of cross-pollination isn’t new but it’s still rare to find intentional spaces for this to happen. Meanwhile, the loud voices get louder on platforms like LinkedIN and even Medium. And they’re saying the same things over and over again—things that mean virtually nothing. Words matter. Ideas matter. 
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So many times I would have a conversation with someone and find something so fascinating that I had to learn more—like when I found out that someone had created a board game to gamify end-of-life planning. It has nothing to do with my work, and yet I was extremely inspired by it. Enough to write this article.

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I hope you find ideas here; something to bring back to your work or just a brief distraction from it. The right idea can be incendiary and spark something in your workIf you have something you’d like to write about (or something you think we should write about), just let us know.