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Every society honors its live conformists and its dead trouble makers.
—M. McLaughlin
Idealism and youth perpetuate risk and adventure. As time passes, wisdom may view risk with trepidation, shelving adventure in favor of security. Choosing the predictable over the unknown buys us comfort and sadly, mediocrity. The side effect is complacency, compromise and a willingness to play nice with others to gain love and acceptance; or stay in favor with the boss and keep our jobs in spite of true feelings. The human physiology is unforgiving to the conscious disservice of self expression—heartburn, acid reflux and even heart disease is the punishment meted out to those who would forsake what they know is right for the path of least resistance. We call it swallowing your pride, but it’s more like erasing a bit of your soul if you are an artist.
Consensus is a necessary evil for politicians; that’s their job, but how much compromise is acceptable in performance as a designer before you’re not doing your job? How much can you compromise your work before you compromise your quality of service? All politics necessitates questionable compliance and it’s a trade off some are unwilling to make; whether it’s for love, money or their loss of integrity. Frankly, I make trouble as often as possible.
The new marketing manager for the company's most promising product had just graduated from an impressive university. He had a good education; a sign of encouragement for the team. His first meeting with in-house advertising put him off so much, he opted to hire outside services. At least with an outside vendor, he would get things done the way he wanted them done! Every bit of his margin went to cover the massive invoice that produced a mediocre print piece--all unnecessary charges, because his in-house advertising department was willing and able to create something better for a fraction of the cost. “Creative people are so difficult” was his complaint--and it is a common complaint from marketing. But it's not the creative department that's at fault. Sometimes marketing oversteps its bounds and exerts control over a project in areas where they have no expertise but still seek to control. One of twelve famous steps is “Admit the part you played” and in this case, the marketing manager arrived on the scene with unreasonable expectations; absolute and total control.
Artistic Content vs. Technique
I was standing near a fellow sophomore’s painting, admiring the near glasslike perfection of her oil application. She had reproduced her student ID on a 4 foot by 6 foot canvas and it was spot on. It didn’t matter to any of us that she had used an overhead projector; it was almost as good as a photograph. No, it was a photograph. I was feeling less than hopeful that day; wondering if my work would ever be that good. It was a sore point with me, especially since Mr. Aschenbrand had just walked past our assignments in creative typography mumbling in front of the class, “I see Kirkland used a mop to render her type again.”
We Need YOU! (but not TOO much): In the mishmash of the business world, the one thing every creative needs to be is a team player, which I find mildly amusing since they are so certain of so little else. Think of it—the rendition of Scheherazade in The Man With One Red Shoe; the suspected secret agent on the first violin violently losing focus, bowing his own creation instead of playing with the orchestra. The orchestra’s conductor must keep everybody true to form; controlling tempo and guiding the players to fruition--in this instance, staying true to the music composer’s intent and not interjecting personal feelings into the performance. How else will we know it is Scheherazade if it isn’t performed recognizably?
The weirder you're going to behave, the more normal you should look. It works in reverse, too. When I see a kid with three or four rings in his nose, I know there is absolutely nothing extraordinary about that person.
P. J. O'Rourke
Cookie cutter conformity--that's what Wall Street old timers call it. Advisors suggest entrepreneurs stick with the suit formula or wardrobe eccentricities may be read as nonconformist tendencies. Thinking outside the box may prejudice potential investors. It's okay to be creative, but not with other people's money. French cuffs, a full Windsor knot in that red silk tie, bracers, a big name designer suit and wingtips are de rigueur on bullion avenue in New York City. It's the uniform of fiscal responsibility and helps birds of a feather recognize each other.
