Remember: Marketing Is Art

Are you inspired to create the work that you were meant to create? Is it your art? Is Marketing art?

There’s a video interview at the end of this Blog post that leads me to ask this question: is what you are doing the art you were meant to create? If not, why do it? Yes, it’s a tough question to answer and yes, the answer or negation of this thought/question will include countless uses of the word, "but." In the end, it is spot on: whatever it is that you are doing for the majority of your waking life better count, and it better be something that is your art. Your work (your art) must make a difference in the world and it must make you proud.

How much do you care about Marketing?

Do you care enough to think that it’s more than a job? More than the work you do? That it is important? That it changes lives? That it validates your very existence? The most successful musicians feel this way about what they do. We’re talking about everyone from U2 to Motorhead and from Slayer to the Rolling Stones, and it’s not because of the money (they like the money and they’ll take your money, but it’s not the reason they do what they do). They make music (or create art) because it is who they are. "It’s easy to be passionate about rock n’ roll, the sex, the drugs, the excess," you might be thinking, but dig a little deeper. There are those who are just as passionate about fixing things (some of us do it with our hands, and some of us do it with our brains) and are simply magnificent at it (true artists).

Design your passion.

Bob Lefsetz blogged about an amazing video where Jonathan Ive (the Senior Vice President of Industrial Design at Apple – the principle designer of the iMac, MacBook, iPod, iPhone, etc…) talks about how they designed the unibody of the MacBook (Jonathan Ive On Design). It’s a clip from a 2009 industrial design documentary titled, Objectified and it is inspiring. Forget that he works at Apple. Forget that he has a cool job, and just focus on what he’s trying to accomplish and the words/questions he asks himself (and of his team).

Industrial Design is his art. Is your work your art?