SVA hosts Dot Dot Dot Lectures at Galapagos in DUMBO.  Rescheduling a talk from February, last night brought us THE ENTREPRENEURS.  Sounds like the latest Hollywood contribution celebrating the underdog (some look great and some will be lucky to get buried in the bottom of my Netflix). But, with numbers better than Hollywood’s, 3 of the 5 talks left an impression on me because they had clear takeaways.

Robert Fabricant of Frog Design had a superbly executed presentation style. His talk followed one slide, which was built phrase by phrase highlighting each current talking point in white text, while the previous point faded to gray.  The end effect was a cluster of textual imprints of Fabricant’s challenging insights.  I hunted around for a better image since the shot from the balcony with my Android doesn’t really do it justice, but no luck.

This slide’s take away? “The Web Won’t Save You”.

Here is a selection of points made by Fabricant that most creatives won’t want to hear, but should take (with a grain of salt):

• Undervalue your own ideas (because an idea is just a starting point).
• You are not the only creative in the room.
• Your perspective is not automatically unique.
• It’s going to take a lot longer than you think.
• Don’t celebrate too early.

Jay Parkinson, MD,  gave a scathing talk on the lack of efficiency and exorbitant costs within our health care system.  He created Hello Health and founded the design firm The Future Well, both restructuring how we approach health care and share medical information.  He inspired me with a ‘from the ground up’ approach to health care reform.  I am still researching his approach and lessons learned.  I’m starting here.

Yancey Strickler, one of the founders of Kickstarter, spoke to the always encouraging point that people want to see other people succeed.  Angel investment and hefty loans have their place, but most projects folks want to take on aren’t going to make money. Rather, they offer an experiential value that people will chip in $10, $20 or even $2,000 to be a part of.  Kickstarter’s glorious success encourages this financial model.  More importantly, it encourages seeking support in new ways and building a revolution with community financial systems.