Is that too aggressive a statement? Too passionate?
Maybe but isn't that how we should feel about what we do with our lives?
You spend a large percentage of your life at your job, shouldn't you be doing something that you love so much that you would "let it kill you"?
When Bukowski said "Do what you love and let it kill you," he had just accepted his first book deal and it was a meager one. He said “I have one of two choices – stay in the post office and go crazy … or stay out here and play at writer and starve. I have decided to starve.” He understood that you can't get the good without the bad. That both have to exist to have one or the other. It's a dependant, symbiotic relationship and it's hard. Doing what you love isn't easy....it's an uphill hike through mud so you have to really love it to get through it; for it to be worth the struggle.
We are living in a era of remixes. There is no such thing as originality because everything has been done before. Is that a comforting thought or a nightmare for a creative? Just because everything has been said and done before does not mean there is nothing left to say. It just means that we need to find a new way of saying it. It is up to us to strive to see patterns and connections in what exists and giving it a fresh perspective.
As creatives, criticism is part of our every day. It comes at us from all sides: clients, co-workers, bosses, etc....it can be disheartening. However, the key to using criticism in a productive way is all in the mindset. It is important to remember that critiques are meant to improve that outcome, not hinder it. “Often times the thing that turns a hunch into a real breakthrough is another hunch that’s lurking in somebody else’s mind.” (Steve Johnson, author)
It's easy to take it personally and want to dismiss it in some way ("that person just doesn't get it") but stop and think. This person is just trying to help you. If they didn't care about you improving (or at the very least, what they think is an improvement) then they wouldn't care. They'd just say "Yea, that's great, whatever." Criticism can make you stop and consider alternate solutions and at the very least, if you stick to your guns, you feel more confident in your choice.
Advice on giving constructive criticism:
1) Clarity: Don't say "I really love it!" or "I don't like it." Explain why you think the solution works or does not.
2) Positive vs. Negative: Too much negative criticism is discouraging. Give them something that is positive that they can direct the changes to.
3) Don't make it personal: Art is subjective. Sometimes you won't like something personally but that does not mean that the person's solution is wrong. It just means you wouldn't have done it that way.
Sound familiar? It is the remixed version of the famous Gandhi quote "Be the change you wish to see in the world" re-appropriated as inspiration for creatives around the world!
We got into what we're in because we love it. Turn that desire into something productive and lead by example and create what you crave to see more of. If, for example, you see an ad and you think "That could've been so much better if they had done this or that..." do it! Use that as fuel for your next project.
Due to the subjective nature of the creative industry, we are exposing our vulnerabilities to criticism all day.
That concept just doesn't "work" for that client or that art doesn't "pop" enough. FAIL!
That doesn't jive with the shrill, perfectionist designer that lives within that composed everything just so.
It's understandable that you would try to circumvent that feeling of failure by avoiding risk and sticking to the tried and true.
However in order to truly be creative and innovative, you have to understand that failure and success are inextricable.
"There is no effort without error or shortcoming" so you might as well fail in style and take chances, in design & in life.
Does that concept seem crazy? Is that art too flashy? Will I sound like a wack job?
Who cares, try it, b/c if you don't try, you've already failed.
I've always found this quote to be very inspiring, especially when I'm having a tough day, creatively.
It's comforting just to know that we are not alone in this feeling and that it is a universal issue to creatives when they first start out. Not only is it incentivizing, but it gives you an action that you can take to push past it!
In for a penny, in for a pound! As well hanged for a sheep as a lamb.
Enough idioms?
Pretty much, if you're going to take a risk, you better make it worth your while because the consequence is the same.
Why come up with a lacklustre, uninspiring idea? You might as well not bother coming up with an idea at all!
As creatives, it's our job to problem solve and ideate all day. If you are staying with the safe, tried and true ideas, you're not doing your job.
People come to us to come up with outrageous propositions that they don't have the imagination for.
So go big or go home!
Wouldn't it be so convenient if there existed a book for each of us that told us exactly how we (specifically) can maximize the potential of our talent; how to be the most creative/time effective/innovative, etc...? I imagine it would be titled "How <insert your name here> Can Maximize His/Her Creativity" (worse title ever, but you get it). Life would be so easy if there were a step-by-step manual that was tailored to each of us, and evolved and grew in synch, but alas, no one said life was easy and no such magical object exists.
There is no one-size-fits-all method to be creative so the only solution is to take control and find out what works for you.
Maybe you get all your best ideas from taking a walk around the block or seeing a live show or maybe ideas become more developed by talking it out or just sitting there for 8 straight hours (with scheduled bathroom breaks obviously) and working it out. Be vigilant and pay attention to what works for you. Experiment w/ different habits and routines. Try new activities. Learn a new skill.Mastering creativity takes active and constant effort.
Another aspect of this is to accept that we are not like anyone else and we should stop using other people as a yardstick for success. It is our differences that makes what we create distinct.
Happy Monday!
We have enough limits imposed on us on a regular basis, why would you want to put more on yourself? When there is something you don't think you can do out of fear or vulnerability, that is reason enough to do it. By pushing beyond your self-imposed limits, you break down barrier in other areas of your life, and you are opening yourself to possibilities and experiences that can only aid in the creative process. To be as innovative as we can, we have to consider ideas and solutions that have never been considered before.
One of the most important factors that make a creative environment pleasant is the people and the atmosphere that is cultivated within the company. Is it a safe space to debate and discuss ideas without bad blood? Can you talk to more senior employees and feel like you are being heard? Can you trust your co-workers to give credit where credit is due?
When a studio encourages an 'every man for himself' mindset, you keep all your ideas to yourself. That is not ideal for innovation solutions. On the other end of the spectrum, if you are lucky enough to have a positive working environment, you embrace this week's motivational idea that is, by sharing your ideas with people, it can only get more complex and rich with meaning. When you open a dialogue on it, other minds can add layers that you never thought of. Sharing your ideas can only make them bigger and better and that is the philosophy creatives working in a team should have to be successful (and happy!).
Seth Godin on collaboration :
