Serendipity!

The word serendipity has a fancy and mystical ring to it. And to be frank, we don't know why. But we know it was introduced into English by the 18th-century writer Horace Walpole. The same writer who gave the world the words; beefy, souvenir, malaria, and a hundred others. He was inspired to form the word from reading one of the world's first detective stories,"The Three Princes of Serendip. Here's a fun fact: Sri Lanka used to be called Serendip.

When conversations on creativity and innovation are being had, the word always finds its way in (sneaky much?). It also turns out to be the favorite word of Apple's late co-founder, Steve Jobs. He thought it was the origin of the most groundbreaking ideas. He once said;

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"Creativity comes from spontaneous meetings, from random discussions. You run into someone, you ask what they're doing, you say 'Wow,' and soon you're cooking up all sorts of ideas."

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Serendipity is defined as the 'faculty of making happy and unexpected discoveries by accident,' which is an actual occurrence in the lives of creatives. Most of the discoveries we celebrate today occurred through happy accidents. Velcro, the fabric magnet, exists because of an accident, and the fashion industry couldn't be more grateful for that. Penicillin, post-it notes, and even popsicles are all fantastic things that emerged from unexpected actions.

For creatives to live a life of constant serendipity, new experiences are critical- new people, places, and conversations filling the mind with happy coincidences.

The more curious one is, the more serendipitous they will ultimately be.

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Today's times have swapped commutes for zooms, so it is often tagged as destined for less serendipity. This isn't necessarily true, but most organizations have started implementing hybrid work situations, requiring more people to come into offices to interact more. In contrast, creatives adore the remote-life, escaping the need to spend precious time in transit when they could have been productive from safe spaces.

‍a small studio as a remote-first identity-driven design studio has found a unique way to build serendipity into its culture. The Jam sessions foster collaboration and improvisation consistently. Open, honest feedback and random conversations are hardwired into what we call Office Hours, and Vibe Checks nurture the rhythm and flow of all creativity weekly. We would love to tell you more, so stay with us. 😉

If you are looking for a home of serendipity for yourself, your creative team, or your brand, a small studio is the place for you.

PS. My journey to a small studio was a serendipitous one. I found SQURL, an idea generator built by the studio, and I was fascinated by it. I dug deeper and then discovered they were recruiting. So, I sent in an application... and as they say; the rest is history.