Tim Kobe’s inspiring tips for young Filipinos

Rappler.com

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Tim Kobe’s inspiring tips for young Filipinos
The man behind the iconic Apple stores has 4 tips for young Filipinos who dream big

MANILA, Philippines – The brain behind Apple’s iconic retail stores spent a week in Manila to talk about his latest project. 

CEO and Founder of Eight Inc., Tim Kobe sat down with Rappler to talk about how he’s transforming Globe Telecom’s two flagship stores in SM North EDSA in Quezon City and Limketkai Mall in Cagayan de Oro City.

Perhaps thinking that he might have had too many of the usual questions the night before the interview, we asked if he has got any tips for young Filipino designers. 

Why not? After all, the unassuming architect who has less than 600 followers on Twitter, leads the industry with his 90-plus strategic designers and business creative that has transformed global brands like Citibank and Citi Private Bank, Coca-Cola, Coach, Nike, and Virgin Atlantic.

And don’t forget, he’s also behind the minimalistic glass cube Apple store in New York City’s 5th Avenue.

Here are his tips for young Filipinos who dream big:

Do what you love 

To do what you love, he said, often leaves advice-seekers stuck wondering what exactly do they love. But this is what he would always say to his 3 daughters (who are all designers, by the way): “try things until you love them.”

“One of my daughters wants to be a fashion designer, filmmaker, or whatever. So I encouraged her at 17 to try things. Go try. Make a film. She’s done fashion but basically try things until you love and then don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t do anything,” he said. 

Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t do anything

Tim recalls he would have not entered the California’s prestigious Art Center College, where his fellow alumni include the late Chevrolet and Ford designer Larry Shinoda and BMW chief of design Chris Bangle, had he listened to people saying “you can’t do anything.”

“Nobody was born a creative genius to being with. They all have to learn and evolve and develop,” he said.

In 1982, Tim finished a degree in Environmental Design with honors.

Stay curious

They say that curiosity killed the cat, but in Tim’s case the risks that come with it are necessary. When we asked whether Globe’s experiment with its stores would be successful or not, he simple said a familiar Steve Jobs ethos: “nothing that’s worth doing does not contain some risk. 

“I think that for us in our office, we’re always trying to work with people who are curious to learn more,” he said.

Be a lateral thinker

A lateral thinker is one that solves problems that go beyond the usual ways. The term was coined by Edward de Bono, who wrote the book Lateral Thinking which Tim recommends.

“I think creative people get bound by the verticality of our cultures. Artistic people tend to break across those verticalities. It is important to question everything. It developes your point of view. Right or wrong, creative people have a point of view,” he said. – Rappler.com

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