April 10, 2009
gapingvoid’s secret, evil plan finally goes public…
[“Hamster Wheel”. Click on image to enlarge etc.]
I’ve sold or given away a lot of cartoons to my peer group over the years.
And given the choice between the two, I have generally preferred it when they hung it in their office, as opposed to in their homes.
Not that I have the slightest objection to people hanging it in their homes, of course. But ever since I was a kid, I’ve wanted my place of work to be a creative environment, not an environment of slow, lingering, death-by-endless-drudgery. And when I think of my peer group, they always FELT STRONGLY the same way as well, regardless of what they actually did for a living.
Idealistic? Sure. Unrealistic? Often. But we never had a problem with that. We knew it was the price we paid for trying to be true to our guts.
And yes, I always liked making cartoons that reflected this “creative” streak we all aspired to professionally. And my peer group liked it, too. And this is basically where my office-centric cartoon shtick came from.
One of the buzzwords you hear a lot in the business world these days, is “Innovation”. Yes, it’s a genuinely worthy thing to aspire to. Genuine innovation creates lots of genuine value, every young intern knows this. Which is why people like to throw it around like confetti. It’s one of those words that sound good in meetings, regardless of how serious one is about ACTUALLY innovating ANYTHING.
Here’s some friendly advice for all you Innovation-buzzword fanboys: You don’t get to be more innovative, until you make yourself more creative FIRST.
“Innovative” is an “external” word. It can be measured. It generally talks about things that have been tested properly and found to have worked in the real world.
“Creative”, however, is more of an “internal” word. It’s subjective, it’s murkier. It’s far harder to measure, it’s far harder to define. It’s an inward journey, not outward. Which is why a lot of people in business try to keep the word out of their official lexicon, preferring instead more neutral, more externally-focused language like “Value”, “Excellence”, “Quality” and yes, “Innovation”.
The trouble is, of course, that approach doesn’t work as well any more. In this globalized, hyper-linked, internet-enabled world, “Boring” has suddenly become a very expensive luxury.
Do you REALLY think Apple is afraid to use the word, “Creative”? Do you REALLY think Steve Jobs goes around his office yakking on endlessly about “Value, Excellence, Quality and Innovation”? No, of course he doesn’t. Apple’s UTTERLY AMAZING design, business and marketing prowess comes from the UTTERLY AMAZING creative fire in their collective belly, not the other way around.
I want to make limited-edition prints that somehow, even in a small, indirect way, helps make companies and individuals less afraid, and more willing to be CREATIVE, more willing to embrace the CREATIVITY that they already have. Because economically and spiritually, that is ultimately where our future lies, even if that idea sometimes terrifies us.
There. So now you know my secret, evil plan. You have been warned.
ah thank fuck for that !
back to black and white…like Guinness
No longer secret, no longer evil, yet still a good plan.
If there was ever a time when those words need to be globalized is now…“your prints”.…What a great object/tool to do that with!
Godspeed Hugh:)
…i was expecting a truly evil plan…as for example introducing brands as friends in social networks and spamming endlessly…
Well..but what you lack on evil, you have on nerve =) talent and good humor.
Your “Quality isn’t job one, being fucking amazing is job one” has been on my laptop screen for a long time, i show it every time someone wants to deliver me something less than “INCREDIBLE, I LOVE IT, CAN I SHOW IT TO MY MOTHER?” job.
Kisses.
Hanna Back.
ain’t that the truth…
Our own creativity is seriously scary — from day one we are offered refuge in school, college, work-places and then we can say, ‘Great, now I don’t need to putting myself out there…’
That’s why I love your prints — they say it’s OK to be scared witless!
Keep ‘em coming — we all need the reminder.
SteveM
There are two ways to get something of value in the world — create it or take it. Unfortunately, it is often quite a bit easier to take something than to create something. The world would be a much better place if there was more creating and less taking.
Bravo!
Yay.Go.Love it.
You should pass this post along to the folks at BestBuy, who’s UNCREATIVE web advertisment is disrupting the asthetics of your page.
Ah.. finalement ! All the best to you Hugh, and may the Tango between ‘creative’ and ‘innovation’ spark a ‘Joget’ soon to be revelled.
That’s a great plan!
Dude. Keep going. We all need the encouragement. Me as much as anyone.
Oh, yes and can you do another edition of the “market for things to believe in” one?
Seasonal stuff
M
As Eddie Izzard remarks, “I’m not a capitalist, I am a creativist. I want to make money so that I can create things. Suddenly all these people have come along who want to create things so they can make money.”
Just curious Hugh, does being a full-time cartoonist now change your Sex & Cash theory any?
Creativity is also a lot of FUN… ergo
the Soul and Spirit are happy and allow
even more creativity… under one condition:
One needs to be f… truthful!!!
But then again also truthfulness can be a lot of fun
in a world of lies which obscure the way to a
bright future.… because it allows the courageous
to find enlightened ‘unthinkable’ solutions…
The Sacred Dance and White Pebble beautifully encapsulate what has been coming to me recently. Great to have them so well expressed — thanks.
BTW — your plan rates really low on the evil-ometer. I look forward to seeing your cartoons replace the ‘motivational’ posters.
Innovation is not the product of logical thought, even though the final product is tied to a logical structure. –Albert Einstein