Years ago, I read a Wired article by TED curator Chris Anderson titled “Film School — Why Online Video Is More Powerful Than You Think.” In it, Anderson explored how online video was beginning to reshape the way people learn, connect, and innovate. At the time, platforms like YouTube were still new, and the traditional ways we accessed information were changing almost daily. The internet was fundamentally altering how knowledge was shared and consumed.
Anderson’s central argument was that online video was creating global communities that inspire people to develop new skills and expand their thinking. He wrote that it was “unleashing an unprecedented wave of innovation across thousands of disciplines… helping the world get smarter.”
I was reminded of that idea when I watched one of my first YouTube videos—one that taught me how to knit a pair of socks. Instead of reading a manual or visiting a local knitting shop, I gathered my needles and yarn and learned by watching an elderly woman, clearly experienced and patient, guide viewers through the process. It was simple, effective, and surprisingly personal.
That experience captured how dramatically access to information has changed within my lifetime. What was once driven largely by print has evolved into a video-based revolution. Watching someone demonstrate a skill, rather than relying solely on written instructions, can be more engaging, more effective, and even enjoyable.
In the past twenty years, technological change has accelerated at a pace that can be difficult to keep up with. Today, with the advent of artificial intelligence, I could create my own instructional course on knitting and design a comprehensive marketing strategy to share it widely online. What I have learned is that experimenting with new technologies fuels creativity, encourages innovation, and brings new energy into my work.
That said, innovation does not have to involve technology at all. Sometimes it is as simple as changing how meetings begin, introducing a collaborative exercise, or rethinking how teams work together.
Ultimately, innovation is about being willing to change how we do things—and discovering the sense of possibility and joy that can come with it.
Kathleen