Susan Kirkland (bio)

When Louis Kahn was found dead in Penn Station, it took them 3 days to identify his body. He was one of the most influential architects of the 20th century, though he built relatively few buildings during his career. In fact, he was deeply in debt when he died. He is compared to Le Corbusier and Mies Van Der Rohe; his work, like theirs, reflects the singular vision of an original genius. He devoted himself to uncompromising perfection and the pure expression of unfettered emotion. Truthfully, I’m not much of a building buff; I heard about him in a B movie. Hey, I’m just average as a person. I had to look him up.

“When Louis Kahn was found dead in the subway, the money men didn’t weep because the great ones are impossible to deal with. They’re a pain in the ass. Because they know if they do their jobs properly, if they, just this once, get it right, they can actually lift the human spirit and take it to a higher place.”
Actor Woody Harrelson
Indecent Proposal

Yep, that’s our job, too.

There is a single notable monolithic building in Bartlesville, Oklahoma called the Price Tower Arts Center. It is unique among the buildings with a concrete and copper facade; it's also unique because it's the only skyscraper in the world built by Frank Lloyd Wright, the renowned architect. Though built in the mid 1950’s, it still commands attention and invites all onlookers to caress the varied textures and intricate depths created when space is so utterly confined in the Wright way. No matter the medium; whether it’s buildings, brochures or boats, good design is timeless. It is timeless and enduring.

Shirley Corkill is the Chief Technology Officer for the Motley Fool. Shirley got my goat when she said, “As the head of technology for a financial news site, I spend my days working on the design and layout of webpages with large groups of people.” Shirley did an interview with Business 2.0 last July, and I have to say I ripped it out of the magazine with gusto and nailed it to my bulletin board. Why? Well, who’s doing Shirley’s job while she plays at being a designer? It appears she’s relegated her designers to puppet hell (a.k.a. hands on a keyboard : make it so). I’m sure they can concentrate on their own work, the important work, the stuff that doesn’t pay, the stuff that works but doesn’t sell, their off-hour stuff, the part-time stuff. Maybe some day . . . pipe dream city. Time to reread George Bernard Shaw's Major Barbara.

Most people lead lives of quiet desperation; they just fall into some field or profession they have no passion for, and their work, whatever that work, shows it. In the arts, it’s the insistent ones, the demanding ones, the difficult to deal with; they are the great ones because it is their vision that is unique. Surrounded by milquetoast, troublemakers choose to fight for their vision. They struggle to maintain a vision without interference or dilution lest they give up the very contents of their soul. Yeah, that’s right. They don’t play well with others. Know someone who’s gifted but hard to get along with? Count your blessings and learn everything you can.

Oh, NO! You're not hard to get along with? Better get busy honoring that gift and expressing your unadulterated vision.You know what they say; carpe diem, baby.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Thinking of freelancing for a living? Tired of doing the boss' castoffs? Better get some good advice on how to protect yourself from those who would rape and plunder your creative talents. Look for more stories and adventures in advertising design in my book Start and Run a Creative Services Business. It's filled with great links and a full spectrum of experiences. Not an artist? You'll be in stitches as you follow the pitfalls and adventures of self-employment. And if you've been freelancing for a while, you'll find new information and a trustworthy mentor to stand by your side through thick and thin in Start and Run a Creative Services Business. Excerpts are available online at my website.