WAIT. BASQUIAT DIDN’T GO TO ART SCHOOL?
A few weeks back, while in research mode for a new talk, I stumbled onto a youtube video that I have probably watched 10 times now: “BASQUIAT's work ethic” by Make art not content. Here it is, you gotta watch:
Seriously, watch it.
I personally didn't know tons about Jean-Michele Basquiat. I know he had a unique style. I have heard he was fast, prolific. I know he died too early. I know one of his paintings sold for like $110 MILLION DOLLARS.
I think this peek into his process is riddled with helpful lessons for those of us on the path to storytelling excellence (super thankful to the makers who crafted such fabulous inspo!).
So many takeaways, but this one line revved me up the most:
“Most of the flow that you will have while making art, will come from all the things you were doing when you were not making art. In between your creative sessions—while everyone else is busy consuming regurgitated content on social media—you should go offline, and you should go deep.”
I think the concept builds nicely upon last week's Dispatch—my ode to a liberal arts education, squiggly paths into marketing, and Dan Wieden's infamous source for the "Just Do It" tagline.
Jean-Michele Basquiat didn't go to art school, he even claims to have failed the art classes he took in his regular education. And yet, he may be considered one of the most successful artists in modern history.
What gives?
It sounds like the dude was full of inspiration, and what set him apart from others who might sit around and wait for that inspiration, is that... he didn't wait. He was OUT there, hunting it down. It's what he did. He studied art. He immersed himself in it. He gathered source material. When he wasn't painting, he was participating in the world around him, paying close attention to it, and surrounding himself by artists who inspired him. He walked runways. He romanced Madonna. He traded notes with his own idol, Andy Warhol.
There's a lot of talk about taste being the new currency now that everyone can build and write and design with AI.
But how does a marketer develop good taste?
The answer might be somewhere in this video. The answer might be that we need to channel our inner Jean-Michele and do everything we can to feed our creative minds. Push ourselves past the LinkedIn echo chamber and step offline to find something fresh. Explore, observe, and continue to build the bridges within our own brains, to deepen the wells of inspiration that will give us future flow.
✌️💚🏕️
Don't forget to write back!
Mikey
