(Photo Source: maria. [photography])
This notion dawned on me while getting out of the subway today. Ok that’s a lie, the concept is still relatively fresh in my mind when I self-stumbled upon it within the last few months. But today was the day I felt compelled enough to write about it. Within the creative community, I deem ourselves to have some better qualities than other industries. Up to debate for sure as no industry is perfect but alas I think that the strengths of the creative industry carry more weight over other workforces… yes I think most people that come across this post by virtue of finding this via Hypebeast are in accordance. I think the positive benefits are namely the community spirit that has become one of the focal points of this job. You just meet good people straight-up (Sidenote: Or maybe people just are nice to me cause I’m affiliated with Hypebeast??? I’m sure that comes into play in some instances where you get jocked hard, but let’s not make that a main argument haha.). And there seems to be less of a focus on making more money than you can spend or know what to do with. Well maybe some people aspire for that but I think I’ve gotten over that silly goal. It’s the building and the makings of foundations that I find particularly fun and fascinating. I’m not sure why the creative realm stresses this more than other industires. Is it because success is largely considered in subjective terms while the very people toiling away on Wall Street and in technology firms base their success on absolutes, on numbers.
Hopefully that last paragraph sort of set the stage regarding the community aspect and helping each other out. As I see it, everybody who’s involved in this industry should largely be down with it less on the basis of the money-making potential but rather freedom and the chance to express themselves beyond the confines of a regimented work landscape. You ain’t getting rich here son cause I don’t think many do… So as I see it in the larger picture, why not be a critical cornerstone to the development of this industry. When people ask for guidance, don’t see it as a competitive threat, see it as raising the bar for everybody and effectively boosting the overall profile of your creative playground. You are truly only as shitty as the weakest link and no there aren’t “people wrecking it” out there… just mis-guided souls in my opinion. Of course tons of external factors come into play… the unfortunate aspect is that many people don’t set themselves up to succeed. Some people are just dumb as shit, narrow-minded and actually think they’re going to get rich hence the need to keep things internalized . But for every person that doesn’t set themselves up properly, there are people that are wanting to learn and filter through advice to come up with their own philosophy and game plan. Why not take on the role of a mentor… I hate throwing that word out but you do get an instantaneous understanding of what I’m trying to say. Maybe don’t ignore that email or message and actually think about righting the ship and putting someone in the right direction. Don’t take this shit in its most literal sense cause it’s impossible… time is finite as well all know but your outlook, your demeanor, these are all things that I think you can embody.
Capping things off, I have the ultimate respect for those who explain and educate regarding their trade including their processes and equipment. It’s a noble move to strip the playing field to its bare essentials but I don’t necessarily see it as a “shooting yourself in the foot” business move. You are simply guiding, not doing the work. True innate ability and hardwork are two parts of the equation that many people have always stressed as being critical to success. You can’t super-impose these pieces of the puzzle onto anybody, the best you can do is probably make light of its importance and help people get in the right frame of mind. Can or should you really be mad if you’re the catalyst to the next good thing?