Category: Creativity
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Practice vs. perfection
If you’re wondering if you should’ve signed that email off differently, or worried that you didn’t convey a certain detail the ideal way, or if this is your only shot at something, you’re missing the bigger picture. When the stakes feel too high, something is off. Perfection shouldn’t be the expectation for a positive outcome. …
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8 lessons on creativity I learned from Virgil Abloh
Here are 8 lessons, and accompanying quotes, from Virgil Abloh to offer a different perspective in how you approach your creative work: 1. Don’t wait to get chosen; start where you are, and do it yourself When Virgil and Kanye interned at Fendi in 2009, the fashion world wasn’t ready to give them a real…
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Practice improvising
The need for consistency, preparation, and routine is the foundation of a solid creative practice. It’s also equally important to be able to improvise and adapt to work in whatever environment you’re in. That way, you can work whenever inspiration strikes. Your need for routine won’t become an excuse for you not working. Earlier in…
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The case for consistency
On its own, consistency isn’t a particularly magical virtue; your work won’t magically improve on its own just because you show up every day. Deliberate practice and improving taste are still crucial parts of the practice. Rather, as a structure, consistency tends to build something of a keystone habit. If you commit to writing every…
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It’s the climb
If you’re considering using artificial intelligence and generative technology in your creative process, just remember these two parables. First: An old man in Calcutta would walk to get water from a well every day. He’d carry a clay pot and lower it by hand slowly, all the way down, careful not to let it hit…
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“I don’t believe in titles, I believe in work”
Via Abloh-isms by Larry Walsh; a sentiment shared by Armando Zambrano and Karl Lagerfeld. The original interview with this gem—supposedly here—has disappeared from the internet; another reminder to rescue lost stories and collect them. Each idea gets new life when it’s mentioned. See also multi-hyphenate careers.
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Graceful embarrassment
Porsche recently shipped its first NFT, to little traction. It’s a 91-year-old company, turning 92 this year, with tons of cash in the bank. If you were being critical of it, you’d probably make the case that the team should’ve known better. It should have spent more time building ties to the community. It should…
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In defense of copycats
Michelangelo found his first patron, a Cardinal named Raffaele Riario, by forging a sculpture and artificially aging it. It wasn’t a cult of personality, or story, or perception of originality, that drove the work; it was the skill. The times have changed, in a way. We value work differently, because copies and replicas can be…
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The smart thing vs. the right thing
The internet is riddled with so many posts on how to do things the smart way. You’ll see it in other words—“more efficiently,” “optimize,” “pareto principle,” “shortcut,” “insight”—etc. Effectively, it’s an acceptable way of suggesting, “Here’s a secret.” You may also have been trained to keep a radar up for these things; to always try…