Creating for Myself

In my life as an artist, one belief really stands out: When I create for myself, I don’t have anyone to satisfy but me. No one else can meaningfully appraise my personal work. I alone know what I want to make, and only I can judge whether it achieves that standard or not. Feedback from others rarely feels applicable, because it’s not for them. It’s only for me. Every day, I see new things. And every day, I’m inspired by those things. Every little thing I see shifts my perspective, shaping what I think looks good and what doesn’t. I curate this influence all the time, building on years of deliberate exposure to specific influences. The result is my own taste. Of course, everyone does this to differing degrees and about different things. My thing is drawing shapes. It’s illustration, in a very specific way. And what I do is a little bit of a science, but mostly art. It is the product of a constantly-evolving life experience that no one else can possibly replicate, let alone ever fully know. Working at The Iconfactory fifteen years ago gave me early validation from people I respected most in the field. And at Apple after that, designing for Steve Jobs—his approval represented a peak—an unattainable bar that once I had cleared, I realized I no longer needed external validation at all. It freed me to create without constantly seeking the opinions of others. Instead, I rely on my own perspective. Clients hire me because they trust that perspective, and I consistently deliver work that feels in line with that. For my personal work, it’s just more potent. Designing for clients has to meet some criteria that I didn’t get to set myself, but if there’s no client, there’s no expectation beyond my own. Because of this, external opinions often feel irrelevant. What I make reflects what I believe is good, beautiful, or meaningful, and that understanding comes from a place no one else has access to. I know that online culture has actively encouraged public reactions and feedback. And while some may find value in public appraisal, I don’t seek it. My work is validated by me.