Nothing encourages mediocrity in creativity and complacency with ideas like this overused statement. It’s the opposite of innovation, it accepts the status quo and the order of things as gospel. Yvon Chouinard (the founder of Patagonia) said in order to understand the entrepreneur, one must study the delinquent; ‘The delinquent is saying with his actions, ’this sucks. I’m going to do my own thing.’
As a former delinquent, I’ve done my own thing a few times because I didn’t like the state of play. New things were made and new ways of doing those things were done. Others have done their things in even better, new ways, and they're the ones making the best work out there. You know who they are.
When you hear that statement, rise up. Be annoyed enough to want to create new rules, and be so dangerous with your ideas (thanks for that nugget, Andy Khatouli) that you piss off the establishment. Be polarising. All the best work is.
