A more thoughtful way of doing things

A PLATFORM SET UP TO HELP PEOPLE LIVE BETTER BY CONNECTING THEM TO THINGS THAT ARE BETTER MADE.

Daianna Karaian is the founder and editor thisisthoughtful.com, a platform set up to help people live better by connecting them to things that are better made. Together with a team of fixers, makers, designers, builders and storytellers their mission is to simply inspire others to find better ways of doing things. We caught up to find out more.

Daianna Karaian from Thoughtful

Tell us a little bit about yourself.

I’m a firm believer that when thoughtful, creative people come together they can change the world. But I’m no hippy. I’m more of a quiet rebel, a passionate pragmatist. I don't think money is the root of all evil, or that consumption causes all the world’s ills. Rather, I think all of us, as creators and consumers, are the biggest force for change. 

Tell us more about Thoughtful.

We’re a social enterprise helping thoughtful, creative people learn from and collaborate with each other. Our quarterly digital magazine (thisisthoughtful.com) inspires creators and consumers to make a difference by thinking more about the things they make, do and buy. Our upcoming FIX issue, for example, will look at all the ways we can mend, repair and improve things that are broken, forgotten or neglected… like using Sugru to fix broken stuff!

Our creative studio, Thoughtful Works (thoughtfulworks.com), helps companies align social mission and commercial ambition to make this way of doing business the norm... Companies like Mulberry Mongoose, which helps protect Zambian wildlife by turning poachers’ snare wire into beautiful jewellery, who we helped grow into an international brand.

When are you at your most creative?

Ideas seem to come most freely when I’m sitting comfortably (usually anywhere but at my desk) holding a pen and paper. But really anywhere away from the computer screen—on a walk, in the bathroom, making tea—works.

Can you share a time when you turned a failure into a positive opportunity for personal/professional growth?

I once had a 'dream job' which, after spending a huge amount of time and effort, I didn’t get. I was crushed. But I got another job. And that job is the reason I went to an event one day. And that event is the reason I met a man. And that man is the reason I applied for a scholarship. And that scholarship is the reason I started Thoughtful. And now I am well and truly doing my dream job.

What are you most looking forward to in the year ahead?

In the next few weeks, we’re launching a big initiative to bring social enterprises together with top ad industry talent, helping everyone involved develop, grow and succeed in a world where thoughtful creativity is needed more than ever. I couldn’t be more excited to see the incredible products, services, ideas and innovations that will come out of these new partnerships.

Top tip for living more thoughtfully and creatively?

If there’s one lesson I learned in 2016, it’s that you are what you do. Yes, our thinking plays an important role in shaping our worldview, and our words can heal or harm. But it’s actions that really define us. Actions change the world. So figure out what and who you care about most, and DO everything you can to serve the people and values you hold most dear.