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Re-framing What You Do
I was reading in this month’s Fast Company magazine about NBC’s 2008 Summer Olympic coverage. There is an interesting article about the strategy behind the use of sound and music during the “highlight” and story narratives that bring the games to life on the small screen. (NBC will be broadcasting over 3,600 hours of Olympic programming via its various channels during the 17 day Olympics…that’s over 8 days worth of programming for every day of the games.) What I found most interesting is that they describe what they’re doing as creating “cinematic moments.” They’re not just scoring video reels, they’re not just creating background music, they’re creating Cannes-worthy mini-films about life and struggle, ambition and glory and the oh-so-familiar agony of defeat.
While reading this I was reflecting on how important this kind of “re-framing” has been for my work and the work of many people I know. We’ve always thought of Accidental Creative as “freedom fighters for the creative class.” We are engaged in a battle to free-up creative people and organizations to be unleashed in their work. This little phrase has given us clarity in what we’re doing and helped the handful of us who make AC happen to stay focused on what’s really important.
The same principle can be applied to any work. Writers, coders (“code is poetry?” I LOVE Wordpress.org’s ethic…), designers, etc., can all apply this ethic to what they do.
Q: So…if you were to re-frame what you do, how would you do it?
Tags: Creative Process, organizations
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This post reminds me of a favorite story:
A tourist was visiting a new town and came across a huge worksite. Curious as to what was going on, he asked a bricklayer, “What are you doing?”
The worker replied, “What does it look like I’m doing? Laying bricks.”
The tourist approached a second bricklayer with the same question. The reply: “I’m honing my bricklaying skills–see how smooth my cementing is?”
The tourist approached a third bricklayer with the same question. The man replied with a proud smile, “I’m building a cathedral.”
It’s an interesting question to pose one’s self while executing an everyday task: “What cathedral am I building?”
It’s always a good reminder to step back and ask “what am I trying to do?” If I asked this question more, my life would be much simpler…
I am an “instigator” - I work to make sure people don’t get too comfortable with their roles and what they’re doing. It sounds much easier than creative director.
I love the thought of “instigator”…not letting things settle or get stagnant.