21 in 2017: my favourite books, podcasts, art, and more
I don't like to reflect and look back too much. I then lose the focus on what's now. But as it's still the first week of 2018, I thought I'd make a round-up of my favourite things from last year that helped make it so remarkable.
Books
#1 How to get a job in PR
I technically read this book in 2016 for the first time, but I kept coming back to it throughout the last year. How to get a job in PR by the brilliant Sarah Stimson is the most practical guide on securing job in public relations you'll find.
Buy the book: amzn.to/2Cy7MJxFollow Sarah: @GoooRooo
#2 Never eat alone
Networking can be a touchy subject and there's a lot of really bad advice flying around, which suggests meeting people should be transactional. Never eat alone from 2005 is different. It gives a fresh look and shares sensible advice. Again -- I read it in 2016, but it helped me meet new people in 2017.
Buy the book: amzn.to/2CChTxa
#3 The attention merchants
A really strong position by the Canadian professor Tim Wu. A real must-read for anyone working in the communications industry. It's a really insightful piece on the importance of our attention and how it changed over the years. From newspapers, through radio and television, to smartphones and social media.
Buy the book: amzn.to/2CBjy69Follow Tim: @superwuster
#4 Ten words
Ten words, as Jeremy Waite told me, was the "labour of love". The 100-day passion project, in which IBM's Global Leader of CMO gets together the ten-word quotes from his favourite thinkers, inspires and shows that big ideas can be expressed in short sentences.
Buy the book: jeremy.live/TenWordsRead my review: Why should every PR pro read Jeremy Waite's "Ten Words"Follow Jeremy: @jeremywaite
#5 How to win friends and influence people
Judging by the title, you might think this is a terrible book that details techniques of manipulation or other sinister actions. Dale Carnegie's book is, however, one of the best and most practical books I've ever read. Its simplicity is its biggest asset. It gets into human psychology and helps understand other people. A bit more on this position soon on MK.
Buy this book: amzn.to/2CEPHJX
Podcasts
#6 FuturePRoof
My favourite PR duo, Sarah Hall and Stephen Waddington, run my favourite PR podcast. Apart from the layer of banter (that is genuinely great to listen to), they also tackle really important topics that influence the industry and have a real impact on our jobs.
Listen to the podcast: spoti.fi/2CCPLtzFollow Sarah and Stephen: @Hallmeister | @wadds
#7 The Tim Ferriss Show
Whenever I wanted to get inspired or struggled with productivity, podcast from Timothy Ferris was always there for me. The high-profile entrepreneur and author also has a knack to ask right questions. Some of my favourite episodes were with Arianna Huffington, Peter Thiel, and Tim Urban.
Listen to the podcast: tim.blog/podcastFollow Tim: @tferriss
#8 Masters of scale
This hosted by LinkedIn co-founder, Reid Hoffman, podcast gets into strategies of succesful entrepreneurs and details the growth of the big corporations. Reid makes the best of his connections, featuring the likes of Peter Thiel, Reed Hastings, and even Mark Zuckerberg. It's also a real joy to listen due to its high-quality production.
Listen to the podcast: mastersofscale.comFollow Reid: @reidhoffman
Music
#9 Weeknd
This has been one of my biggest music discoveries last year and featured in many of my playlists. The incredibly talented Abel Tesfaye has also made it to the top of many charts that year.
Listen: spoti.fi/2Cz4XI7
#10 M83
The French group M83 has made the soundtrack of my life really epic in 2017. Although their latest album wasn't my favourite, I loved listening to their older Echoes of Mine, Un nouveau soleil, and Midnight City. M83 is also one of my favourite band to listen to while writing.
Listen: spoti.fi/2CC06WT
#11 My writing playlist
This particular playlist got me through my dissertation and many blog posts here. It combines classical music, soundtrack from films, and a lot of M83.
Listen: spoti.fi/2Cz5ytl
Magazines
#12 Digital SLR Photography
As I got back to my old hobby that is photography, I also got into reading a bit about the subject. I really liked Digital SLR Photography, with its diverse content ranging from gear, tips on editing and taking Instagrammable shots.
Read: digitalslrphoto.com
#13 FT Weekend Magazine
I wanted to start reading something that I wouldn't normally read, so I picked up the FT Weekend Magazine, a supplement to the FT Weekend. The magazine tackles variety of subjects, ranging from politics to technology, and opens mind.
Read: ft.com/magazine
#14 Tate Etc.
The magazine that I started receiving soon after getting the Tate membership. It gets into, well, everything art-oriented -- the upcoming exhibitions, features on different artists, and other artsy stuff that I might understand after reading a couple more issues.Read: tate.org.uk/tate-etc
Art
#15 Not everyone will be taken to the future
One of my favourite exhibitions I've seen last year. The though-provoking art installations from Ilya and Emilia Kabakov are simple, yet powerful and profound. The most striking piece for me, was Not everyone will be taken to the future, which symbolises the fact that not everyone will make an impact and will be remembered.
See: tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-modern/exhibition/ilya-and-emilia-kabakov
#16 London Impressionists
London Impressonists was my second favourite exhibition I've seen last year. I love London. I'm really into capturing the city with camera, so this has been a great dose of inspiration. I especially enjoyed seeing Westminster by Giuseppe de Nittis and Leicester Square by Claude Monet.
See: tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-britain/exhibition/ey-exhibition-impressionists-london
#17 Fahrelnissa Zeid
The displays of the Turkish artist, Fahrelnissa Zeid, have also been a real joy to my eyes in 2017. They had a lot of colour and was... abstract. A few more exhibitions and I will surely be able to write more sophisticated art reviews!
See: tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-modern/exhibition/fahrelnissa-zeid
#18 @6Stops
Because I got so much into photography and posting on an almost daily basis, I needed to start following some extraordinary people. And Luke, aka 6stops, is one of them. You'll never see a cliché shot of Big Ben or Tower Bridge from him. His style is unique, inspiring and captivating.
Follow Luke: instagram.com/6stops
#19 @pli.panda
Peter, aka Pli.Panda, is another person I take a lot of inspiration from. His wide-lens shots of architecture and landscapes are top-notch and really appreciated by the community of London instagrammers.
Follow Peter: instagram.com/pli.panda
#20 @itsstep
I'm a massive fan of street photography and would love to get better at it. Stephen, aka Itsstep, is one of my favourite street photographers, who captures the moments from London streets like no-one else.
Follow Stephen: instagram.com/itsstep
#21 @London4All & @London_Only
Throughout my photography journey, I put my focus on London. The city is unique and diverse. It's impossible to run out of subjects to capture. It has beautiful buildings, famous black cabs and buses, and unique atmosphere. London4All and London Only are two of my favourite community pages that feature the best pictures from the British capital. I even managed to be featured with some of my snaps, too!
Follow LDN4All and LO: instagram.com/London4All | instagram.com/London_Only
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If you have any suggestions, would like to guest post or give me a feedback, feel free to email me at kl.marcel [at] gmail.com, tweet me @marcelkl or connect with me on LinkedIn. Thanks for stopping by, have a splendid day!