Last year, I focused on systematic interactive learning. At the beginning of this year, I began to learn knowledge in various fields. Now, I have slowly begun to develop interactive knowledge base. Next year, I will focus on the system field, including Ai, VR, AR and so on. There are so many things to learn and so little to know that I can’t stop.

Sometimes I’m glad I’m on an imperfect path and realize how small and vulnerable I am. I will often recall the beautiful scene of the dream, even if I can recite the dream, but every time I think about it, I will have a new feeling. And how many of us dream of saving the world, but stay under the covers, waiting for weekends when we can lie in?

The article translated today was collected by me last year. It is very short, but the content is great. My main appreciation is that the author expounds his attitude towards tools from another Angle, which inspires me a lot, so I share it with you.

Enter this week’s translation.

I remember when I was designing in my little apartment in Austria, I didn’t call myself a designer, because I was mostly writing the front end, so I used to call myself “stationmaster,” and it was 15 years ago, but I still think that sounds great.

I was making $400 a month as an apprentice to a computer scientist, which barely covered my rent and board. On top of that, I saved up some money and bought some equipment, though not much.

At the time, some of my friends had everything I wanted: beautiful macBooks and external monitors, awesome cameras and so on. I envied them and told myself that if I had the same equipment and tools, I could do a better job.

So I often come up with excuses to delay projects because I feel like they need new cameras and equipment. For me, limited tools and equipment seem to limit my creative output. At least that’s what I told myself at the time. Now that seems to have been a ridiculous excuse.

I always believed that expensive equipment would make me better at my job, even though I knew it was a lie. Even today, I still think that way.

When I look back, I realize that the best work was done when I didn’t have expensive equipment.

When I don’t have the best cameras, and the best computers and materials, I can always come up with alternative solutions that often proliferate creative ideas further.

In general, constraints are our driving force. However, if we do something without constraints or requirements, we often don’t know how to do it and what the standard of completion is. At this time, it is useless to make beautiful things.

However, when we have constraints, we start to complain: “If I don’t have enough time, I can’t do this task at my best.” That’s what we often tell ourselves, that’s what people are, but we all know in our hearts that it’s bullshit.

Very few people are good at time or task management. If you give me a four-week project, most of the important decisions will be made in the last seven days. Because when I’m under pressure, I tell myself I’m running out of time, and then I form constraints and get it done as quickly as possible. But most of us do. You don’t finish your summer or winter homework until the last few days.

The same goes for equipment. I have a lot of tools and equipment today, but do they make me a good designer? The answer, of course, is no. I would go so far as to say that a designer is good only if he designs good work under limited circumstances.

There is a famous paradox of choice for action: “More choice is not more, but less”. Even now I have computers, cameras, lenses, etc., but they don’t make my work any better than it used to be.

When I realized this, I began to put as many constraints on myself as I could.

For the past five years, I have been competing in the Young Lions Competition in Cannes, an event of the Cannes Film Festival. Here’s how it works: On the day of the race, you get a demand notification from an imaginary customer, and it tells you what to solve. You then have 24 hours to complete it. During this process, you are not allowed to ask any questions and must submit your work after 24 hours. You can’t even do a presentation for your work, it can only be silently appreciated. (I was involved in the design of magazine printing pages in the advertising category)

Let me explain why this competition is challenging for a few reasons:

  • I have 24 hours, including time to eat, drink and poop;
  • I had never worked in advertising and this was a new challenge for me;
  • With limited time, I could only focus on one solution, because THERE was no time to waste, and all those fancy PHOTOSHOP effects and 3D rendering effects only distracted my attention and didn’t help me solve the real problem.
  • Learn to manage your time during those 24 hours. Don’t forget to eat and sleep. The consequences of not sleeping during the last hour of decision time can lead to poor decision making. But sleeping also means losing time. How to choose?
  • I have to weigh the optimal solution that I want to implement. If I have two different solutions, each presenting a different solution effect, how do I choose?

These constraints on creativity only force you to act, think, and find solutions faster. Only in this way, can help you grow up faster.

Sometimes the constraints are already there, and sometimes we have to create them ourselves. If you find yourself stuck during the creative process, limit your tools.

conclusion

Some of you may not understand what the author is trying to say, but what he is trying to tell you is: Don’t worry too much about what tools you use, because that won’t help you much in your work. For example, when someone asks you how to prototype in Axure or Sketch? It doesn’t really make a difference, as long as you can articulate the problem, prototype it clearly, and solve the actual problem, it’s enough.

Throughout The Chinese culture is the word “Tao”. All levels of the whole culture are carried out and performed around this “Tao”. People’s respect for “Tao” is reflected in everything from governing the world to weddings, funerals and living customs. Tao is spirit, art is body. Therefore, if we want to solve the fundamental problem, we must start from tao, and the solution means is art. When you pay too much attention to the art, you have a poor understanding of the Tao. This can lead to being attracted by appearances rather than solving the root cause of the problem. That’s what the author says: When you get too caught up in fancy PHOTOSHOP effects, you get distracted from really solving the problem. You spend too much time on the surface, and you miss the best time to solve the problem.

END.

Original text: medium.com/@vanschneid…

By Tobias Van Schneider