Graphic Designer Paula Scher on Serious Play and Not Becoming Solemn

Arts November 11, 2013 / By Ben Weinlick

SYNOPSIS

Graphic design master Paula Scher shares interesting insights on creativity, serious play and the inevitability of great work becoming solemn once you gain success.

Paula Scher is one of the great graphic designers of our time. Being a master of typography, many of the memes we see in graphic design today could be attributed to her popular work. Even if you’re not interested in design, but you are interested in creativity and innovation, you should check out Scher’s TED talk below.

“In my youth, passion drove me into very serious play; a kind of play I could never do now because I’m too well educated. There’s something wonderful about that form of youth. Where you can let yourself grow and play and be really a brat” Paula Scher

Like many creative people, Scher recognizes that often the best work comes from serious play. The unfortunate thing is that when we create good work from serious play and it becomes successful, then we tend to try and recreate moments of authentic spontaneity so that we can continue creating great work. Well, trying to recreate a moment of spontaneous, uninhibited play that yields great results quickly causes us to become stiff, stale and as Scher says, solemn.

SOL·EMN
[sol-uhm] adjective

1. grave, sober, or mirthless, as a person, the face, speech, tone, or mood: solemn remarks.

2. gravely or somberly impressive; causing serious thoughts or a grave mood

3. characterized by dignified or serious formality

So what can we do about this very human situation that creative leaders in any field face? Scher, has some interesting insights from her 35+ years balancing this tension between serious play and solemnity.

“This funny thing happened, I found I was no longer at play, but in this solemn landscape of fulfilling an expectation, which was not where I started…That’s a terrifiying factor because it means that all that’s left for you is to go back and find out what the next thing is that you can push, that you can invent, that you can be ignorant about, that you can fail with, because in the end that’s how you grow and that’s all that matters.” Paula Scher

KEY TAKEAWAYS
1. START EMBRACING PLAY AND THE UNEXPECTED
2. TAKE ON JOBS THAT ARE A LITTLE BEYOND YOUR ABILITIES
3. DON’T BE AFRAID TO BE A FOOL AND EXPERIMENT
4. DON’T BE AFRAID TO START OVER
5. DON’T CLING TO SUCCESS
6. HELVETICA ISN’T AS GREAT AS PEOPLE THINK…

"Play prepares us for the unexpected” Marc Bekoff -Contemporary Biologist

Further reading from Think Jar Collective

VIDEO: TIM BROWN OF IDEO ON WHY SERIOUS PLAY IS IMPORTANT
RICHARD FEYNMAN, SPINNING PLATES AND SERIOUS PLAY
WHAT DO SCIENCE AND PLAY HAVE IN COMMON

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creativity
design
play
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Author

Ben Weinlick

Ben Weinlick, MA is the founder of Think Jar Collective, a website and a group of people from diverse disciplines bringing together unique perspectives on creative thinking and innovation. Before Ben entered the community development and disability services field over 13 years ago, he thought he was going to spend his life terrorizing the experimental music and art scene. Always an idealist, Ben thought he was making a less egotistical choice by giving up art to work in a field more actively engaged in social justice issues. He soon discovered otherwise… Ben reminisced of this period, “I found I could be just as much of an ass (egotistical) in human services as the art world and began to see it was not about the domain one works in that matters in how you benefit others, but what kind of view one brings to whatever one does.” Eventually seeing the value of a creative approach in human services led Ben to complete a master's thesis which focused on enhancing creative thinking in human service design and delivery. Currently, Ben is leading think tank teams in the implementation of the research recommendations at SKILLS Society in Canada. Within Canada, Ben has been seen as a leader and innovator who is passionate about improving the quality of support services for people with disabilities. Currently, Ben is the Senior Leader of Research and Organizational Learning at SKILLS Society, part time faculty at Macewan University, a keynote speaker on creativity in human services and consults throughout Canada.... He also stills makes weird experimental music in his spare time. Of Ben’s passion he says, “People in disability services are often asking for innovation and creativity, I’m interested in how we can get our minds unstuck from status quo assumptions and see with fresh, creative eyes. If we can do a little more of that, we will set the stage for creativity and relevant innovations to emerge. I am very passionate about leading organizations to develop cultures where creativity thrives and yields better quality support services.”

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