Linus Yam meets Chris Do

I’m in Singapore right now.

I flew because I saw an opportunity to meet a creative business leader in the design industry. His name is Chris Do, he’s the founder of TheFutur/Blind and he’s been an inspiration to my creative journey for the last 5 years. As much as I appreciate the man, I remember staring at the tickets, doubt creeping in, and mentally going: “That’s a lot of money. Is this really for me?”. On top of that, we’re in the age of fake gurus and digital scams – what if he’s a phony? What if, what if, what if.

I pondered on it for longer than I’d like to admit because it was also a personal matter. Eventually, I came to the realisation that: if I don’t invest in myself, why should anyone else? With that in mind, it became more about breaking a mental barrier instead of attending a conference. The only thing in my control is my decision, whether he’s a real one is not. If he’s a good teacher, I’ll learn a lot; if he’s a phony, I’ll learn a lesson. Either way, the upsides were huge and turning this zero into a one felt like a significant step towards my career development. New experiences + new people = new me.

The next thing I know, I’m standing in front of the concierge of the Four Seasons Hotel. This wasn’t my first rodeo in a luxury hotel, but you could fart and smell roses in this one. I was greeted with smiles and registration was smooth, before I pushed past two grand ceremonial doors. There was prestige in the air, I felt uneasy because everyone seemed more mature, more established and more importantly, they were networking all over the croissant aisle. It was too early for formalities, especially after rolling out of bed at 5am. So, I decided to stand in a corner and eat the backup bread from BreadTalk. Yes, I carry backup bread.

It turns out that was for the best, because I found myself standing opposite a man who looked like Jeremy Allen-White, but Australian. One look at his tattoo sleeve (looked like a Cthulhu) and I knew I had to know more. His name is Reece and introduced himself as a craftsman for jewellery. I thought this was interesting because he had an unexpected background in the army and told me a remarkable story about forging an engagement ring for his fiancee at the time. He was one of the coolest person I met during the conference – which was much better than I had anticipated.

I believe the main reason for that is because Chris is an amazing teacher. He labels himself a “Loud Introvert” and I'm aware of this, but it was still surprising to watch him speak confidently in person while dishing out unapologetically spicy roasts. Apart from bullet points on a secondary screen, the way he steered the workshop felt smooth, natural and unscripted, just like his YouTube videos. I couldn’t have asked for a better experience. I’m glad to say he’s the real deal. Here are 3 quotes from the conference which were most profound to me:

1. “When you make enemies, you also make fans.”

In context to branding, the worst thing to do in the market is to be vanilla ice-cream – safe, predictable and well-accepted by the public. Dare to be the greenest and mintiest peppermint chocolate chip flavoured ice cream instead, because as Mike Tyson once said: “if you’re a friend of everybody, you’re an enemy to yourself.” I’m gonna follow that up with 知己知彼,百战不殆 (If you know yourself and the enemy, you will never lose the battle.” That’s Sun Tzu btw, absolute bars of wisdom.

2. “Words shape worlds.”

You become what you say you are. Every word you use on a daily basis is a reflection of yourself (or your brand), and unfortunately, we sometimes adopt hurtful words which may have been used against us in the past. In most instances, this happens subconsciously when we’re growing up. It could’ve been your parents, teachers or friends. Either way, it’s important to unlearn it so that you can reconnect with your identity to stop self-sabotaging yourself.

3. Smart writers = “dumb” writers

This one is a great reminder to myself because I tend to add extra words to sound smarter. But really, simple beats smart. There’s a reason why Nike says “Just do it” instead of “Enhance your athleticism”. There’s memorability in using alliteration and balancing statements: “the main thing is to keep the main thing, the main thing” or “If you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always got.”

While it’s no surprise that Chris dropped the most knowledge bombs, I also learned a lot in the workshop just by surrounding myself with smart individuals. It was a humbling moment to learn from overhearing conversations and asking personal questions. One of the things I learned from doing so is something called ‘red-teaming’. It’s where a team formulates their best strategy for a particular goal, then thinking inversely as if they’re the enemy. The aim in this is to uncover blindspots and improve vulnerabilities within the plan.

That being said, I’ll be more active on LinkedIn now cause I like writing, and I upload a blog every Tuesday anyway. It’ll be my way of feeding two birds with one scone. Until then, speak soon!