Looking at something I created in 1997 this morning, I could see everybody who helped me create it.
Even though none of them were actually involved.
It was my Today’s Homeowner After-Sale Service Program for realtors.
I conceived the idea, negotiated the deal with the magazine, created the program, wrote all the copy and designed the entire booklet.
But looking at it 29 years later, I could see the fingerprints of my teachers everywhere.
Jerry Ballinger taught me how to design and lay things out so they were easy to read.
Jeffrey Lant taught me crystal-clear communication through Cash Copy.
And Robin Williams (the designer, not the actor) taught me the four basic principles of good design in The Non-Designer’s Design Book.
Contrast.
Repetition.
Alignment.
Proximity.
Then I added my own developing ideas about nurturing lifetime relationships with clients.
And all of those things came together into something new.
That got me thinking about where our best ideas really come from.
We put a lot of pressure on ourselves to be “original.”
But I’m not sure originality means inventing something nobody has ever thought of before.
I think your most original work often comes from combining things nobody else would combine in exactly the same way.
I think your most original work often comes from combining things nobody else would combine in exactly the same way.
Think about it.
You’ve read different books than I have.
You’ve met different people.
Had different mentors.
Worked in different businesses.
Made different mistakes.
Developed different skills.
Followed different curiosities.
All of those things are ingredients.
And nobody else has exactly your collection.
That means one of the most valuable things you can do is pay attention when two or three seemingly unrelated ideas collide in your mind.
Don’t dismiss it because someone else taught you the pieces.
Combine them.
Apply them.
Add your experience.
Make something useful.
That’s what I see when I look at that little booklet from 1997.
Jerry + Jeffrey + Robin + me.
A hybrid.
And 29 years later…
I can still see exactly where it came from.
Dean