an insight regarding creative work.
Sep. 7th, 2009 03:11 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kengrAfter reading http://www.clientcopia.com/quotes.php?id=2636 it came to me that the would-be client was confusing the time it'd take to "enter" ("draw") the logo in the program (which would indeed not be all that many minutes) with the time it'd take do design and perfect the logo.
And that lead to me realizing that this is a a widespread failing of many, especially management types when dealing with "creative" people.
They don't realize that the time it takes to type a novel into the word processor, or enter the code of a program or web page *isn't* the most significant portion of the task.
Instead, it's a minuscule portion of the work involved. Far more effort (and time) is involved in coming up with what needs to be drawn or typed.
Yes, when I writer or program is "in the flow", things just pour from their fingers into the computer.
But the thinking, pondering, and imagining that were required to *get* to that point can often look like "goofing off". And stressing out a creative person tends to make it harder for them to create. So quotas and the like to say nothing of the all too common "look busy" dictates of many a workplace actually *reduce* productivity of anybody doing a job that involves creativity rather than what amounts to data entry.
And that lead to me realizing that this is a a widespread failing of many, especially management types when dealing with "creative" people.
They don't realize that the time it takes to type a novel into the word processor, or enter the code of a program or web page *isn't* the most significant portion of the task.
Instead, it's a minuscule portion of the work involved. Far more effort (and time) is involved in coming up with what needs to be drawn or typed.
Yes, when I writer or program is "in the flow", things just pour from their fingers into the computer.
But the thinking, pondering, and imagining that were required to *get* to that point can often look like "goofing off". And stressing out a creative person tends to make it harder for them to create. So quotas and the like to say nothing of the all too common "look busy" dictates of many a workplace actually *reduce* productivity of anybody doing a job that involves creativity rather than what amounts to data entry.
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no subject
Date: 2009-09-07 10:16 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-09-07 02:10 pm (UTC)If they ask "Where do you get your ideas?" you know they'll never understand the answer.
no subject
Date: 2009-09-07 06:45 pm (UTC)It's sad that so many people want you to "look busy" - I think it came about from the perspective shift of "Your work load is X and that's what we hired you to do" to "We own your ass from 9 to 5, do X and then report to me for Y, and Z.. or at least look busy so I don't have to fire you for 'slacking' after you finish your X workload Wednesday afternoon." Stupidity at large, greed in action.
no subject
Date: 2009-09-07 07:12 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-09-09 09:29 am (UTC)