Next Friday, CreativeMornings/London is welcoming back their very first speaker Michael Johnson, alongside his long-time collaborator and friend, Tom Foulkes. Above is some printed work done by Johnson Banks.

Each month, the London team does an excellent job interviewing their speaker. Below are a few questions for Tom from this month’s interview.

Is it about what you know or who you know?
By nature i’m a trusting, optimistic, idealist so I’ve always believed it’s ‘what you know’…however experience is turning me into a cynical, pessimistic, realist – unfortunately I think that all too often ‘who you know’ gets you, if not in the door, at least to the front of the queue.

What’s been the most pivotal point in your life thus far?
Having my first child 5 years ago really made me think and look at what was important, I’ve changed a lot since Ava was born.

Do you think there’s enough discourse between disciplines?
I’m not sure, there’s probably enough ‘discourse’ at the polar ends of the spectrum – between design under-grads and at senior/trade org level but it’s in between where there seems to be a lack of communication and a seeming lack of appetite to even engage, unfortunately this is the vast majority of the industry and there is no easy solution to encourage more…

Can you teach innovation?
You can certainly teach the various processes and approaches to business that foster a culture that is more likely to identify, nurture, support and develop new ideas and innovations but can you teach someone, an individual, to innovate? No.

The best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
‘it’s not enough to be right’

What advice would you give to someone who wants to be where you are?
aim higher!

You can view the full interview here, or check out Michael’s here.