Marco Suarez

Jack of all Trades

I recently visited a local person’s website who claimed to be, “Marketing strategist. Creative director. Business consultant. Problem solver. Bottom liner. Digital warrior. Corporate entrepreneur”. Really? You can do all that? This really bothered me. It bothered me enough that I had to write about it.

You see, the thing that makes humans awesome is our ability to possess skills. We can make a craft out of practically anything. We make things, then make them better, and better, and even more better until we know that thing so well that we can confidently call ourselves a craftsman. But in order to dive the depths of that craft we must constrain ourselves. We have limits like time, resources, and energy. I would love to be a craftsman of a ton of things but I simply cannot. If I want to be the master of anything, I can’t be a jack of a bunch. 

So to the person who owns the website I referenced, be honest with yourself. Do you believe you are a master of any of the crafts you’ve raddled off in your bio? Now granted, “bottom liner” doesn’t really mean anything. And neither does “digital warrior”. Your site is a Wordpress template that you purchased from a theme store. And there are so many web design principles you’re breaking that it makes me mad that you expect people to hire you for anything you offer. Can you honestly say you have enough depth of knowledge to sell any of those services? 

I hate picking on this person because they are only one of thousands who claim to be a web expert, though it’s not quite as easy as claiming to be an SEO or social media expert (which this person also claims to be). There are so many web impostors because it is easy to take advantage of people when they don’t understand the trade. This is why mechanics do so well. And there are so many resources and tools available (like Wordpress themes) that can easily hide the novice of these digital warriors. But the fact is they are doing poor work and taking opportunities away from craftsmen who actually do good work. Because craftsmen care about their product and create with excellence. 

Now I do believe that if you do good work and are honest, you’ll do just fine. So I’m not too worried about those web heros that continue pushing the internet forward. Everyone I know that does good work isn’t having difficulty finding work. But I can’t imagine someone who claims so much would have an inbox full of requests every morning. So this is my advice: amplification through simplification. I learned that wise concept from a book about comics that my friend Matthew Smith gave me. It’s the idea of great depth in little breadth. If you are trying to be a craftsman of everything, more than likely, you’re becoming overwhelmed by the very thing you’re trying to master. So stop trying to master it. If you love print design, own print! If you’re great with marketing, own marketing! Connect with others who have already mastered the rest and let them keep mastering it. But find the core of your passion, whittle it down to its purest form and master it. Pursue excellence and stop producing crap.

Graphic-Exchange

There has been no greater influence to me as a designer than Fabien Barral and his blog Graphic-Exchange. I remember when I found him when I was in college. I was still questioning whether design was the right route for me. I wasn’t a developer and I wasn’t analytical. I was an artist. But I wasn’t interested in pursuing the traditional artist’s route. I was at a loss. But when I found Fabien Barral I found what was possible–the blend of art and design. I can solve problems through design and do it in an artistic way. Everything Fabien posted on Graphic-Exchange resonated deeply with me. I wanted to be like the designers he showcased on that site.

Since that time, I’ve visited Graphic-Exchange every day. Every thing I do as a designer has been inspired by the work I’ve found on that site. There is no designer I hold in higher esteem than Fabien Barral. And that’s why I was a bit sad to see a new post on his blog today. 

“… this week end was the end of an era for me… ”

Fabien is re-imagining himself into Mr Cup. I can’t wait to see what he has in mind. I’m sure it will be awesome. But the thought of Graphic-Exchange no longer receiving updates caused me to pause. I’ve relied so heavily on this site over my formative years as a designer, the thought of it ending is sad. It feels like reading the last words of a book you’ve thoroughly enjoyed and got caught up in but really didn’t want to finish. Why does everything have to end?

But I think it gave me a bit of clarity too. I’ve matured as a craftsman. My responsibilities are greater now and my big ideas are a lot bigger too. This book has ended. But that just means a new one will be started. I’m excited for Fabien. And I’m excited for myself. 

What’s the value of a relationship anyway?

Facebook is great. It’s powerful. It’s connecting. I’ve been a user for about 7 years but now I rarely log in. Why? Well, at some level, all social networks turn into a popularity contest. About 70% of my friends on Facebook I no longer talk to or see. At one point I was in a relationship with them, but not today. You can now curate your relationships but who has time to do that? And what’s the point? The number of friends and information is growing faster than I can consume it. When breadth exceeds depth you lose value. The more friends I have on Facebook and the more shallow those relationships grow, the less I value Facebook as a relational tool. A large amount of shallow relationships are like fast food. They’re cheap, accessible, and you consume it quickly. Now please note that this doesn’t have to be. How would the dynamic of my Facebook change if I only had 50 friends?

That’s where Path came in. My cohort in crime @whale turned me onto Path about a year ago. Path allowed you to share photos with 50 of your closest friends. But why did I need another photo sharing app? I used Instagram and loved it. Well, what I quickly learned was that Path was different. There were constraints. Originally you couldn’t even comment but just leave an emiticon to symbolize how that photo moved you. They removed the temptation for popularity by limiting your number of followers to 50. So you had to be choosy in who makes it into your path. I’m in a real relationship with everyone on my path. And because I’m only viewing a limited number of photos a day I can spend time really looking at their photos. I mean, really looking! Who has had an experience of true digestion on the internet? The internet is notorious for quick massive consumption.

Path just released their latest upate, Path 2.0. And the interface is pretty dang gorgeous. I’m going to spend a lot of time studying it. But it’s now a full social networking platform. Positioned to take on Facebook. And I think they can do it.

But I believe we’re on the wrong side of the pendulum swing. Just like people are now desiring to buy local handmade foods and goods from the people around them, people are going to start desiring depth to their relationships over breadth. Choice isn’t always an advantage. Your father and mother are more important than your friends not just because they raised you. But because you only have one of them. No matter their parenting skills.

Relationships are as important to being a human as walking upright. We speak language so we can relate to each other. Human touch is vital to a child’s development. Marriage has been an important part of every culture since the beginning of time. If we really open up, there is no limit to the depth of a relationship. No matter how long you know someone.

So what’s my point? Constraints create depth and value even in relationships. And that’s what Path was. But now the constraints have changed and it’s lost some of the value I originally gave it. I’m a little bummed. But I guess I need to take my own advice, get off my computer, and be in relationship with someone over lunch.