I revisit this video of Ira Glass, NPR Journalist, every couple of months. I think it’s completely natural to go through these cycles where you think I think I am just absolutely fantastic at what you do. Now, is not really one of those times. But, that’s exactly it. I (we) reach these thresholds and tipping points where all of a sudden we can see further along the horizon of how much more we have to learn and experience. Anyway, any time I am starting a new creative project or feel like my designs “suck” I call on Ira Glass (watch from 0-:00-2:41. Then skip to 4:45 if you want to skip the journalism part). I always feel better. He reminds us 1. We are young 2. We have great taste, that’s why we began doing this in the first place 3. We have the great taste to know our work is “crappy” 4. There is a solution: do a huge volume of work. Keep practicing and exercising.
I’ve been thinking about this video as I’ve been filling up my calendar with red, orange blue and purple events. Work, HCI, events, social and so on. Then I start looking at my task lists. Again, work, HCI, Shopping, General life To-dos. But then I think about Ira. I think about how much work I am doing. These huge volumes of work and how much practice I’m getting. (Remind me to blog on Malcom Gladwell’s Outliers. This is all about practice).
That’s what I think we are learning here. Between all of these classes and the rest of our lives going on we are learning a lot in a short ammount of time. We are implementing Ira’s advice to do a huge volume of work. Failing often. No problem.
If this video doesn’t make you feel better… well, it will. It really will. I just love it.
“It’s going to take you a while… You will make things that aren’t as good as you know in your heart you want them to be. Just make one after another.” Please trade the word “TV” for whatever you want to be making.