The Talent or The Smart One
Friday Nov 07, 2008 · Categories: Inspired by.-
I recently watched a movie called That Thing You Do, directed by Tom Hanks. It covers the rise of 1960s band The Wonders, and, as you might have suspected, because it's not the household name The Beatles is, also the subsequent fall.
It remains a mostly "rise" movie, because the fall isn't really the focus. (Wow, that's a rough set of sentence structures for the first paragraph of the post. No worries though. I'll get warmed up shortly. Hang in there.)A wonderful concept was introduced to me through this movie. Towards the end, (i.e. "the fall"), the manager of the band tells the drummer, also the main character, that the lead singer is "the talent," whereas the drummer is "the smart one." The drummer ponders this concept, then goes on to jam with a few jazz greats, marry the girl of his dreams, and start a music school in Bainbridge Island, Washington, USA. The lead singer, who was not the focus of this movie, reportedly goes on to start another band which eventually earns a Gold Record for one of their albums.So this is the big question: Are you The Talent, or The Smart One?
The Talent is the one with the temperament, the one who causes greatness as well as distress, the one who has the girl, then loses the girl due to his instability. The Smart One is the person who understands what's happening around him, takes what he's got and reacts in a way that keeps him jamming, whether for fame, fortune, or simply satisfaction. Is he talented? Yes. Is he The Talent? No. If he was The Talent, he would go on to make Gold Records. The Talent, arrogant but understandably so, may not find his place, because his place is no place. His satisfaction is not achieved, his demon is what he has inside of him to keep him doing what he does. Monetary gain is not his muse. The Smart one? He understands what monetary benefits exist, what the sacrifices are, and what decisions should be made based on the circumstances at hand. The Talent is unwavering in his beliefs, his passions, his ideals, his decisions not a reflection of circumstance, but of core beliefs in who he is and what he has to do.You young folks in the crowd might be thinking, "I'm clearly The Talent." You older folks might be thinking, "I'd like to think I'm The Smart one."
Whoever you are, you are designers. You are developers. You put your blood and sweat into your projects (and let's face it, sometimes you only put in half the hours quoted). You do what you do because you know how, and it sure beats the alternative. Whether you're The Talent or The Smart one, I doubt you have any say in the matter. The truth is, those of you with your heads in the clouds thinking you'll win awards and fame for your work will most likely be disappointed. Some might call that sour. I call that real. But I tell ya, I doubt Stefan Sagmeister ever decided to give up and not be The Talent. I doubt David Carson ever thought he was anything but The Talent. Or did they? Maybe they're The Smart ones. Maybe they're the ones that saw what was happening around them, put their talents to work and did the time that made them who they are today. Even Einstein said something significant at some point about genius being a whole heck of a lot of hard work. (You'd think with Google these days a blogger would just look up the exact quote... LAZY. LAZY. Who does this guy think he is? The Talent?)
There's no real conclusion to this post. More of a food for thought sort of thing. (Yes, I hate that cliché too.) Feel free to send me your thoughts.
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