Key takeaways from Original Thinker, Chris Owens

Key takeaways from Original Thinker, Chris Owens

What happens to original thinking when technology can make almost anything look polished?

That’s what we explored in the latest episode of Original Thinking, where we sat down with [tag] Chris Owens, a photographer whose work has featured in The Guardian, The Times and the National Portrait Gallery and founder of online editorial platform, [tag] Pattern.

Chris’ work is rooted in people. In portraits, conversations, quick reads of character, awkward ten-minute shoots, tiny changes in expression and the unplanned moments.

In this episode, we talk about creativity, AI and why the future might belong to the people who can still spot what feels real.

Here are three takeaways from Chris’ episode that every creative, marketer and brand can learn from…

1. Original ideas don’t come from nowhere

Chris says it’s hard to have a truly original thought nowadays, which is probably something most creative people have felt at some point. But his view on originality feels much more useful than chasing the mythical “never been done before” idea.

Original thinking is shaped by the conversations you’ve had, the people who’ve mentored you, the places you’ve been and the odd little things you’ve absorbed without realising. Sometimes one thought from over here meets another from somewhere completely different, and suddenly the combination feels new.

The interesting work often starts here – in the way one person sees the world and chooses to frame it.

It’s a really good reminder for brands that originality can come from joining dots other people haven’t joined yet and trusting your own point of view enough to do something with it.

2. Creativity is a muscle memory thing

There’s a bit in the episode where Chris talks about “creativity on demand” and anyone who works in a creative job will know exactly what he means.

Some days you feel inspired and some days you don’t, but the shoot still happens and the work still has to be good.

Chris doesn’t really subscribe to the big lightning bolt moment of inspiration. For him, creativity is something you learn how to access by doing the work again and again. Taking pictures, trying things and building up enough instincts and tools to get yourself moving when you’re not feeling it.

That feels very true of marketing too. Great ideas do need space, curiosity and things to react to, but they also need graft. You can’t always wait for the perfect conditions, you’ve got to show up and build from there.

3. Too perfect is starting to feel suspicious

One of the strongest parts of the conversation is Chris’ take on AI and image-making. We all know that AI can create a likeness and make something polished. It can generate a face, a scene, a mood, a visual world, but Chris is clear that the human bit still matters. The rapport with a person is hard to fake.

Audiences are getting better at spotting when something feels off and too perfect. For brands, that really matters as we’re moving through a time where people are questioning what they see, and trust is becoming harder to earn. The rough edges, the behind-the-scenes moments, the people who made the work and the process behind it all could become more valuable.

There’s also a bigger point here about taste. When moodboards are shaped by the same algorithms and references are pulled from the same places, creative work can start to flatten out. Brands and creatives need to keep looking wider, reading more, getting offline and protecting the craft.

There’s plenty more in the full episode, from Chris’ journey into photography and why portraiture is really about people, to the future of creative industries and why young photographers should get out, take pictures and find their own voice.