Notes based on studying on the temple of Seths Godin, all hail. The ex-Ted talker has done an interview, here's some notes.
"I ask my clients, do you want my best or do you want the new?"
A spectrum
The hack - The best
First, a pre-defense, being a hack pays the bills. It's one own best work. It helps one makes a living by meeting the specifications of the client exactly.
Being a hack is okay, if it's done on purpose.
Being a hack is okay, if it's done on purpose.
The village of hackney produced luxury horses that really were a normal breed. Luxury as a quality requirement that's becoming more transparent and fake as the internet opens up.
Regardless, meeting client specifications is important. Yet it loses the creative magic, especially with clients/audiences who push for mediocre work.
Its needed to pay the bills, to make a living. All the industry complexes are built on it, and it's needed to function. Whether the industry complex is moral or immoral is another question for another time.
The worst extreme of this is those at the worst industry complexes, "Its a living!" can only get a hack so far.
Being a hack, a commodity producer won't be as profitable as a creative professional. I'm not sure if it leads to a life well lived.
The rich hacks are crying on top of a bag of money.
I doubt a cover band will change the world.
The creative - The new
The worst extreme of this is those at the worst industry complexes, "Its a living!" can only get a hack so far.
Being a hack, a commodity producer won't be as profitable as a creative professional. I'm not sure if it leads to a life well lived.
The rich hacks are crying on top of a bag of money.
I doubt a cover band will change the world.
The creative - The new
This is where the creative magic lies, and it may not necessary pay off. The worst of this spectrum is the selfish starving artist who does not ship or show his work.
Yet.. It's the quality that really makes peoples pant's blow straight off. Creativity is the work that might not work. Work that is on the edges.
Ideas that may not pay off.
It's best for the creative to differentiate between the two.
How does genre relate to all of this? (Genre being, what does this remind me of?)
Lean too much into genre and it becomes hackish, too much out and it will be ignored. The edges are where's it at.
All of this is within the book, of the practice. For the mindset.
(Is the losing precious art of customer service all hack work? Not necessarily.)
Yet.. It's the quality that really makes peoples pant's blow straight off. Creativity is the work that might not work. Work that is on the edges.
Ideas that may not pay off.
It's best for the creative to differentiate between the two.
How does genre relate to all of this? (Genre being, what does this remind me of?)
Lean too much into genre and it becomes hackish, too much out and it will be ignored. The edges are where's it at.
All of this is within the book, of the practice. For the mindset.
(Is the losing precious art of customer service all hack work? Not necessarily.)