I love this YouTube video. It’s so perfect the irony contained. “I’m cooler than you!”…until I suddenly realize I’m not.
“Pride comes before a fall” is the obvious application here. But I see this attitude so much creatives. We do something we think no one else has done (at least no one around us) and we think we’re awesome. Then we see someone better than us. And we feel like we fell to the ground.
I felt this way as a musician. I thought I was awesome. Then I went to a Deliriou5? concert and I decided to give up. I couldn’t live up.
I felt this way as a graphic design. I thought I was great. Then I saw Barton Damer’s work (and now all the great art contributors from Sunday| mag) and I decided to give up. I couldn’t live up.
I climbed up the door frame, yelled out “I’m Jonathan Malm and I’m cooler than you,” then I fell. But the tragedy was that I stopped climbing after that. My humiliation was devastating and I couldn’t climb again.
Whether you’re arrogant or humble, we all fall and fail. We all feel inadequate at times. But the arrogant climber/creator/artist has a harder humiliation. It’s harder to get up.
That’s why I’m choosing to climb quietly. I’m choosing to create something for the love of creating something…rather than getting a chance to yell how cool I am.
Will you join me on this journey? Will you be a quiet climber with me?
