Ever wonder what goes into logo design, creative architecture,
bold photography? It takes a lot of skill to design art for consumer goods or
create stage effects for pop singers like Beyonce and Kanye West.
Skill is overrated though. Just ask a creative person. Skill
allows designers to start but practice is the key to their success. I've started to realize this lately. I’ve been watching this show on Netflix called Abstract. If you haven’t seen it I’ll give
the basic blip. It’s a series documentary that examines a creative person (different
every episode) who is at the top of their game. I’ve watched specials on artists,
designers, architects and photographers. Cameras follow the subjects as they
describe their work, their failure, their ideas and a little of their
philosophy. In other words, what makes them special? How do they define the
creative process? When did they see their breakthrough?
They all work extremely hard. Most have to make themselves
stop working at a certain point as a reminder to spend time with family. Tinker
Hatfield, who designed the Air Jordan, quit working for a while. He went back
once the kids were out of the house. Graphic designer Paula Scher works out of
a studio in her apartment when not in the office.
If diligence creates its own success, than these designers
are very successful. These are talented professionals who force themselves to work
even when the inspiration isn’t there. They don’t wait for creative sparks to
begin, they just do. They’ve learned that in order to create it’s essential to
just work and let the magic happen. In the first episode artist Christopher Niemann
begins by sketching on a tablet. He begins to draw familiar lines on the page
and lets the process develop organically. He has a faint idea of what he is
going for but mostly just needs to start thinking. I imagine he learned to do
this very early in his career. He’s developed an effective habit that serves as
a catalyst for creativity. Other artists, or writers, probably have similar
techniques they use to get started.
One myth about creative types is that inspiration is all
around them and they just perform. I always thought this at least. It goes
against everything we know about human nature though. Mostly, that hard work is
critical to success and failure happens to everyone. No matter how many times
we hear that talent is secondary to effort, we assume skill is supreme. If Liz
Phair writes amazing songs it’s because she is just more talented than me. If
Michael Connelly writes interesting characters it’s because he’s a brilliant
story teller. I think its preservation
that prevents us from seeing the truth. We want to preserve our notions about
creativity and skill, that only a few select people have ‘It’. It keeps us from
insisting on better quality in our own work. But listening to each one of the
profiled guests on Abstract, it’s
clear they constantly have doubts about their work.
To me this is wonderful news. It shows that with effort
(a lot for sure) almost anyone can do more with less than they imagined. I try
to keep this in mind when writing. Don’t worry too much. Progress is slow but
rewarding . Spend time doing edits. Explain with fewer words. Learn how to be
succinct and argue a point. Don’t give up on a thought or idea so quickly when
the granules leap to mind and quickly slide away. Those are important little
rocks that need shaping and polishing.
Documentaries are perfect for looking at process. I love to
hear specifics about how disparate parts are brought together to form a whole.
Most people like the finished product, the gleaming skyscraper, the photo shoot
spread, the magazine cover. I enjoy hearing about the difficulty, the pieces
that were rejected, the re-shoots, the re-design, the failed project, internal
fights. I want to find out what was left out of an exhibit, and why it didn’t
work. At what point did they nearly give up and scrap the whole thing? Failure
can be a teaching moment for those strong enough to learn from it. Abstract shows that sticking with a
passion really pays off.
If you like detail and creativity in design this show is for
you. It’s certainly for me.
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