Hey, Whipple, Squeeze This

Figure 9.1 Being creative is hard. Being creative on demand is harder. Being creative full time, that takes discipline.

9Zen and the Art of Tastee-PuftOr, Managing Time, Energy, Panic, and Your Creative Mind

Remember how it felt the first time you held a new iPod or iPhone? Remember the delight you felt with every detail? The texture of the metal; the precious curve of the housing; the precise click of each button? I doubt I'm the only one who thought these angelic details made those little devices from Cupertino feel perfect—not just good, but perfect. At Apple, they call this design ethos making something “insanely great.”

Whatever You're Making, Make It Way Better Than It has to be Made

Apple isn't the only place you can enjoy the benefits of fanatical attention to detail. You can hear it in the slam of a new Audi's door; feel it in the cool delicious weight of a Waterford crystal glass; hear it in any Beatles song. (Well, I hear it anyway.) Point is, all these things are made way better than they have to be.

We've discussed the crafts of art direction and copywriting. Now, before we go any further, I want to emphasize the importance of employing these crafts to the very best of your ability; the importance of doing work that is insanely great. Because in the end these skills are all you have at your command to get a reader or viewer to lean in. And this leaning in is ...