Eugene Kan

Crafting resilient global brands through Adam Studios. Telling stories for the curious through MAEKAN.

[Eugene Kan @eugenekan]

@julian_nieva Appreciate it... It took a whole lot of bumps and bruises to get here 🙃🙃🙃

[Eugene Kan @eugenekan]

We don't need to be right, we need the company to be right, and that took years to come to those terms as you grew, shed ego, and realized how to overcome bumps.

Shitty co-founder math is 1+1=2 (or worse!) but when it works out, the sum is multitudes larger.

[Eugene Kan @eugenekan]

Most of my career I was the guy with the answers, and then a few weeks ago I hit a stretch where I had none, with cashflow issues and growth pains all coming to a head at once.

That's when you look over and realize it's allllll gonna be ok.

https://t.co/NACgrC5Azs

[Eugene Kan @eugenekan]

https://t.co/DMsCjc9MlE

[Eugene Kan @eugenekan]

Neither of us knew the way through every obstacle, but we were both committed to the same outcome, and somehow that shared uncertainty turned into momentum instead of panic.

[Eugene Kan @eugenekan]

https://t.co/DMsCjc9MlE

[Eugene Kan @eugenekan]

Big respect to Emmet and @littleplainsxo for helping put a framework like this together for anybody doing studio/creative work.

It'll hopefully help a studio understand how they can leverage years of work and ephemera otherwise considered forgettable.

The result = better work, less time spent coordinating, and better alignment in your process.

[Emmett @emmettshine]

https://t.co/wWY9TICI8D

[Eugene Kan @eugenekan]

@emmettshine Thanks for sharing this!!!

I don't think studios are really aware of how investment in this can really pay dividends down the line, whether it's through growing their business, onboarding new people, or simply doing better work.

[Eugene Kan @eugenekan]

Physical events like the plumber, and that amazing stir-fried dish are among the last things that can't be generated. We're going to slowly see that shift to showing up more.

[Eugene Kan @eugenekan]

My default assumption online has flipped: content isn't real until proven otherwise, not the other way around. And the escape valve isn't more digital, but clearly more touching grass/going offline.

https://t.co/5rUNPKqgOD

[Eugene Kan @eugenekan]

https://t.co/hk0ZdXO6mz

[Eugene Kan @eugenekan]

Brands spent years removing friction. One-click checkout. Autoplay. But friction that creates meaning is where durable bonds live now. Find your category's honest friction and make it the centerpiece especially since fake friction is algorithmic and durable friction translates into real connection.

[Eugene Kan @eugenekan]

This one was a fun one working with @mancity, @puma and offgod:tate to put together this year's customized kits for the HK leg of Man City's summer tour (and launch their away kit).

Gotta give credit, the whole Adam Studios crew and @yalocaloffgod & Tate, who made this a breeze.

Away kits don't often move units, but by day 2 all the kits had sold out and were popping up on Taobao.

[Eugene Kan @eugenekan]

https://t.co/hk0ZdXO6mz

[Eugene Kan @eugenekan]

I'm not saying burn yourself out. I'm saying maybe we've overcorrected.

Maybe telling every creative to "rest" and "protect your energy" skips over the people who find energy IN the work. Not despite it.

Everybody will find their own path, but don't let anybody say you can't treat your creative discipline with the same approach as an athlete.

[Eugene Kan @eugenekan]

I've had this essay sitting in my drafts for weeks because it seems increasingly difficult to discuss the friction of "puttin' in werk" and the need to protect ourselves in the creative space.

Every so often a meme shows up about how creatives need to "do nothing" to find their next best idea.

But what about alternatives?

[Eugene Kan @eugenekan]

https://t.co/Qyk8sCKZLp

[Eugene Kan @eugenekan]

The piece is about the gap between what you want to make and what you actually make.

And how the only thing I've ever seen close that gap is getting reps in. It's volume of all sorts. And of course showing up when you don't feel like it.

Same as any athlete. Same as any musician. But we treat creative work like it's different.