Mediocrity and the Innovator
“If there is any one way to confess one’s own mediocrity, it is the willingness to place one’s work in the absolute power of a group, particularly a group of one’s professional colleagues. Of any forms of tyranny, this is the worst; it is directed against a single human attribute: the mind—and against a single enemy: the innovator. The innovator, by definition, is the man who challenges the established practices of his profession. To grant a professional monopoly to any group is to sacrifice human ability and abolish progress; to advocate such a monopoly is to confess that one has nothing to sacrifice.”
— Ayn Rand on “guild socialism”
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Comments (4)
Oh. Dribbble. No wait. AIGA. And Andy is design’s Ayn Rand.
Ha, right. :) Thanks Naina.
It’s important to get that “…place one’s work in the absolute power of…” means placing one’s work under the “absolute control of,” not simply sharing one’s work with a group of peers. It refers to ceding the autonomy of one’s own genius to the control of a collective. So Dribbble, et al, are still good stuff in the eyes of Rand. Fear not.
I don’t really see it as a sign of mediocrity, especially since I don’t know anyone that “willingly” does this within an organization. Most people have a virtual gun to their heads (also known as a paycheck). However, if you take it out of the confines of a singular business, it happens everyday with open source software, and I think that’s a good thing. Where would that entire ecosystem be without thousands of smart people that were willing to work hard on something and then give that work back to the masses to accept, update, or reject?
Personally, when I’m working on something, yes, I want to believe that the path I’ve chosen is the smartest, most effective solution to a problem. I want to believe that I am “the innovator,” the genius. But how many people in the past “challenged established principles” and were wrong? Do we call those people innovators, or geniuses? Or do we not even remember their names?
Believe it or not- sometimes, a group will surprise you. The key is having an open mind, keeping your ego in check, and knowing when (or if) you should let it go.
I think you interpreted it incorrectly as I originally did. It’s more of a warning of what could happen and guild stuff like the AIGA. Where they are left to decide what’s good, acceptable, and professional. Which is bad, but working with other people, sharing, and collaborating is fine. Because even if they don’t like your work, you can still work on it, sell it, use it, finish it. They don’t have the final call, which would be a bad thing if they did on Dribbble, Forrst, or LoveDSGN.
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