Reflexive opinions
A friend, a designer in the business for nearly a decade now, said something poignant the other day. It was powerful, because many creative professionals probably experience his same sense of disillusion working in the creative field. Heck, it’s a damn mine field out there, even for the exceptionally gifted, and in the subjective world of design and taste, one person’s Picasso, is another person’s… well… Picasso. (Not everyone loves Picasso people!)
This friend made a very simple statement,
“Everyone thinks they know everything”.
Of course he was saying this because he disagreed with another creative. Also, this is an ancient statement that has been written about time and time again. (He is not uniquely privileged to the thought) In fact, there is an allegory that tells of Socrates who, after being told he was the most intelligent man in Athens, went out to discover if this was possible. After talking with a number of people, he found there was a common thread that bound them… they all seemed to believe they knew more than the average person.
This can get a person thinking. Specifically, there’s a reflexive, overlapping logic to this idea. In stating “Everyone thinks they know everything”, the observer has implicated herself. It cannot be uttered with any seriousness, only in a sort of Tongue-in-Cheek fashion, as the narrator becomes part of everyone knowing everything. (Even this text falls into this trap of Reflexivity)
At any rate, all of that can get a little tedious and boring. The point of this is very direct, especially for a creative professional.
To be really good, to really have an idea that counts, likely means realizing you don’t know much at all. This is not an epiphany, it is a basic mode of daily operation. In this way, an ego can appreciate something outside of itself, without being imprisoned in a personal domain.
Broadening your tastes, and being good, means taking a second look under different lighting conditions or at another angle. A good opinion counts on this.