Friday, June 5, 2009

I am not a Creative.

I spend day after day writing about "Creative Futures" and "tapping into creative potential," all the cheesy crap that comes with promoting The Art Institutes (our biggest client at my current place of employment). Most of what we do really isn't all that creative. We try our darndest to make it so, but the Corporate powers-that-be seem to take pride in vetoing most of those pursuits. Nonetheless, I get to witness firsthand the creative process that our oh-so-talented designers go through from project to project. 

I've been introduced to this whole wide world of creativity/design that I never even realized existed. Ideas that seem so far-fetched, yet so innovative and intriguing that I stop and wonder, "what the fuck sort of drugs am I missing out on?" Well, not exactly. But it makes me realize that I'm on a completely different wavelength with my "creative mindset." For instance, I was passed along this website, FFFFOUND!, and now make it a point to check it regularly just for a daily dose of mindblowingness. The stuff is insane! And another sad reality is this, it's probably just scraping the surface. I don't even know if the stuff is cream of the crop or just the folks who are desperate for their stuff to be seen. (I'm sure a designer who reads this could clarify.)

If I'm able to take anything from this job (other than the overwhelming level of multi-tasking and time management), it's a degree of that creative passion. I had the discussion with my sister that there's creativity in writing, but it's not as easily apparent as with something that is visual. It's a completely different art form. And Hunter S. Thompson, I am not. But it's something to strive for. 

With that in mind, does anyone know someone that could hook me up with "two bags of grass, seventy-five pellets of mescaline, five sheets of high-powered blotter acid, a salt shaker full of cocaine, and a whole galaxy of multi-colored uppers, downers, screamers laughers [...] and also a quart of tequila, a quart of rum, a case of Budweiser, a pint of raw ether, and two dozen amyls." That'd help me along my path to writing superdom. 

5 comments:

Mig Reyes said...

Being a designer, here's my take on it.

Everyone is creative. And everyone is a designer, most people just fuck it up because of the lack of proper guidance. With the wide availability of computers and design software, everyone today has taken on a do-it-yourself mentality. (Admit it, you've tried to self-diagnose yourself on WebMD before you finally went to a doctor.)

On FFFound, it's legit. It's just one of many little gems of resources that we should check out to sharpen our visual literacy. And oh, how good it feels to find your work being "fffound."

Never the less, you are a creative. But if and when you find some magic grass, let me know. It won't make you a better graphic designer, but I guarantee we'll have a good 'ol time.

Mig Reyes said...

On the other side of the coin, I firmly believe that designers need to adopt a higher appreciation for writing. Ask today's leading creative directors, they'll tell you that they gravitate toward hiring designers who have an understanding of written and verbal communication.

(After all, why the hell are you trying to communicate visually if you can't even do it verbally?)

devin denman said...

DESIGN WONT SAVE THE WORLD GO VOLUNTEER AT A SOUP KITCHEN YOU PRETENTIOUS FUCK.

devin denman said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
devin denman said...

(in regards to migs last comment, i agree! too bad i'm one of those verbally inept peeps bringing down the bloggers IQ to an 8th graders level. see above comment. my apologies, eh.)

prob should have prefaced my last response with some history of the vulgar, tasteless, classless, full of uppers, downers, screamers, laughers and salt shakers statement... it was designed by a designer, for a designer (?). they seem to know the true value of their endless hours spent on that creative design you never realized you were missing out on.