Taking Bigger Risks, The Intention Economy and Work in Progress with Marieke Neleman
Optimistic ideas for making better futures happen
It’s been a minute…
In the end, I took a bunch of time off Substack at the end of last year because I was a) overwhelmed by the ick-inducing tone of faux-expertise dominating my feed and b) hit a mega state of EOY reflection as I enter the final two years of my thirties. But now its a new year, a new quarter of the 21st century and high-time for a new take on this. Thank you for sticking around, I appreciate your support much more than my emotionally repressed Britishness can ever express.
What’s top of mind right now? Take Bigger Risks. According to one panelist at a talk on Change I joined last year, this is among the most common insights people share in their final years. What do they wish they’d done? Take Bigger Risks. True to form, I sharpied these three little words on a bright pink post-it, stuck front and centre in my daily field of view.
May big risk-taking be the energy we bring to the year ahead.
Our weekly look at three curious points of tension, plus positive ideas for what to do moving forward.
Attention economy vs. intention economy: Personally, I’ll never tire of chatting analog revivals but it’s also - surprise - not immune to the pull of the trend cycle. Toto, I think we’ve hit the mainstream. From friction-maxxing to Ibiza’s no-phones club, Tomadachi and now the (right on time) backlash our much-needed opt-out of noisy spaces also gets co-opted by the performance of it. Now, that’s what I call a point of tension worth digging into.
Moving Forward: Intention-driven design is a growth strategy when designing brand universes for connection, not time spent or clicks and eyeballs aka missing the woods for the trees. Reallocate those budgets to build slower, opt-in experiences that reward care and longevity, not content for compulsion.
Continuity over novelty: From resale as resilient infrastructure vs. uncertainty in a time of tariffs, to creators evolving into long-term strategic partners, to the growing realization that Gen Z might not be a monolith after all.
Now add-in Zaria Parvez’ on-point take re: “the over-reliance on one generation and the increasing lack of intergenerational learning…severely hold[ing] Gen-Z back in the workforce.”
Moving Forward: Circular models aren’t just for sustainable brands, but innovative teams too: Shift from age-based targeting to values, mindsets and media behaviour, and please…make intergenerational knowledge transfer a design principle inside your org.
Redesigning Masculinity: January is here and so is Menswear month: on the social-first end of the spectrum it’s Brotox, scrotox, “Boardroom Value” and men are so back. Personally, I’m more fascinated by the Darts Revival and spectator as spectacle as a signal. Sure, some might be rejecting traditionally rigid ideals of power and dominance in favor of self-definition, but the pressure to perform bravado is on the up too.
Moving Forward: Channel Rolf Ekroth’s wisdom: “I think we have taken some good steps toward healthier individualism, although there is always pushback, as you can clearly see in the political climate we live in. You can challenge ideas of masculinity without making clothes impractical. Good menswear design does not tell men how to be masculine.”
Three quick questions on building better futures through work, change and hope. Kicking us off this week, Marieke Neleman of Mari's Mosaïque, Fractional Head of Social, formerly at Zalando, H&M and based in Berlin, shares what’s currently a work in progress.
What are you working on right now?
I’ve been working on distributing my Cultural Signals report which I released at the end of 2025 with 5 key signals I spotted: Curation & Intimate experiences, Artisanship & Craftsmanship, Decolonisation & Cultural Reclamation, A celebration of Heritage and Hyperlocal as Premium and it gave me the opportunity to write about Bad Bunny, Karol G, Farm Rio and some of my favourite artisanal brands and platforms like Sac de Soul, Flabelus and Cult Mia.
Apart from signals I spotted, it’s also a bit of an overview of what excites me in music, fashion and design and a manifestation of the changes I would like to see in the world.
If you could change one thing about the world of work right now, what would it be, and why?
Uff, that’s a tough question!
I have so many things I would love to change. My first thought went out to ending the multiple wars going on in the world and taking Trump out of office. But I gave it a bit of a longer thought and what I would love to see the world changing to is people being able see other perspectives than their own. I really think we would have less problems in the world if we accept that multiple perspectives on one thing can exist and even be true at the same time. And I think if people could love with compassion and empathy, or as a bare minimum respect others the world could be a nicer place.
What’s giving you hope right now?
Overall the creativity of people, and all the ways that it's showing up. From protecting artisanal craftsmanship in fashion to people using music as a form of celebrating their culture and showing resistance (can't wait for Bad Bunny's Super bowl performance).
Creativity is one of the most beautiful things humans have and it gives me hope how people use it to express themselves.
Until Next Time…
Product innovation that actually makes sense and people need? Say less. Hearing tech is finally looking good and worth wearing courtesy of Nick Morgan-Jones’ Overtone
You Got Time and I Got Money serving Big Karaoke energy and the song I’ve been singing to myself ALL YEAR LONG.
Utterly Lazy And Inattentive by Martin Parr and Wendy Jones is for anyone like myself, who’s not ok with the passing of Martin Parr last year. It’s also a beautiful book.
Loved Marieke's image refs!!
welcome back!!