The Present – Scott Thrift (Clockmaker) Ep.15

Episode 19 of the The Language of Creativity Podcast podcast, hosted by Steven Leavitt, titled "The Present – Scott Thrift (Clockmaker) Ep.15" was published on March 21, 2021 and runs 101 minutes.

March 21, 2021 ·101m · The Language of Creativity Podcast

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Summary

We’ve all said things like “where did the day go?” or “wow, it’s already the end of the year!” Traditional timepieces aim to keep us on task, but are we missing something in the pursuit of endless “productivity?” Scott Thrift is a “filmmaker turned artist” (Wired Magazine) and the co-founder of the award-winning creative agency m ss ng p eces, which he left in 2013 to pursue his dream of making an annual clock. This was no easy feat considering no clockmaker in the world had ever created an annual movement. Scott became obsessed with the notion of “What does the world need now?” The annual clock was designed to address society’s extreme lack of what Scott calls “temporal bandwidth.” His answer? A clock designed to help people be in time rather than simply being on time. Scott’s timepieces are unique in that they all have only a single hand and feature beautiful gradients instead of stark lines. Many people who experience the clocks begin to find they are forming a whole new relationship with time. As someone who struggles with society’s rigid interpretation of time, Steve speaks about his own evolving view of the relationship between time and creativity. Scott shares his journey from Los Angeles to New York City. Frustrated with film school, he quickly forged his own success by making “something,” which took the New York Gift Fair by storm and ingratiated him with the New York design elite. This led to his involvement with the Ted organization where he was one of the first to make a behind-the-scenes documentary of the event. From funding three very successful Kickstarter campaigns to interviewing Brian Eno to getting his first clock into the MOMA store almost by magic, Scott’s mindset has taught him simply to flow with the river… he shares what he learned from the opportunities to rub elbows with creatives from endless backgrounds. Scott now has clock movements that feature the day, the moon, and the year. His goal is to create pieces that stand the test of time: lasting a lifetime as owners of his clocks expand their relationship with the present.; More on Scott’s special clocks https://daymoonyear.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottthrift/ https://coolhunting.com/design/scott-thrift-clocks/ https://www.wired.com/story/moon-scott-thrift-slow-clocks/ Scott’s Kickstarters: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/scottthrift/the-present https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/scottthrift/todayhttps://www.kickstarter.com/projects/scottthrift/the-present-day-moon-year Scott’s Instagram: another way to think of the passage of time Examples of Scott’s cinematographic oeuvre The Visual Art of Brian Eno: Light and Time William and the Windmill Behind the TEDTalk References: m ss ng p eces 77 Million Paintings (Brian Eno) Gravity’s Rainbow (Book) Youtube channel for Cool Hunting Tags: The Present, annual clock, day, moon, year, gradient, Kickstarter, TED, Craig Venter, Brian Eno, the passage of time, longer now, being present, clarity, wisdom, growth, day, moon, year, German engineering, US-Customs, discipline, degrees of change, mind space, headspace, mindset, moving parts, potential, the gift of time, New York, MOMA, just do the next right thing, ad agency, design, video editing, timekeeper, circuit bender, temporal bandwidth, WFMU, staying-power. depth, creation, adventure, problem-solving, collaboration, time and space, circuit bending, supply chain, entrepreneurship, podcast, non-linear editing, audio editing, lines, supply chain, entertainment, Full Sail, film school Language of Creativity’s host Steven Leavitt enjoys discussing the ins and outs of all aspects of creating, creativity, and life with his fellow creators, artists, inventors, designers, and producers. Along the way, he gains perspective and multiplies his understanding of our universal potential for creating, living, and learning. Site: https://www.icreatesound.com/ Portfolio: http://stevenleavitt.com/ Theme Music: “Nothing Wrong” by Lobate S

Episode Description

Scott Thrift is a “filmmaker turned artist” (Wired Magazine) and the co-founder of the award-winning creative agency m ss ng p eces, which he left in 2013 to pursue his dream of making an annual clock. This was no easy feat considering no clockmaker in the world had ever created an annual movement. Scott became obsessed with the notion of “What does the world need now?” The annual clock was designed to address society’s extreme lack of what Scott calls “temporal bandwidth.” His answer? A clock designed to help people be in time rather than simply being on time.

Scott’s timepieces are unique in that they all have only a single hand and feature beautiful gradients instead of stark lines. Many people who experience the clocks begin to find they are forming a whole new relationship with time. As someone who struggles with society’s rigid interpretation of time, Steve speaks about his own evolving view of the relationship between time and creativity.

Scott shares his journey from Los Angeles to New York City. Frustrated with film school, he quickly forged his own success by making “something,” which took the New York Gift Fair by storm and ingratiated him with the New York design elite. This led to his involvement with the Ted organization where he was one of the first to make a behind-the-scenes documentary of the event. From funding three very successful Kickstarter campaigns to interviewing Brian Eno to getting his first clock into the MOMA store almost by magic, Scott’s mindset has taught him simply to flow with the river… he shares what he learned from the opportunities to rub elbows with creatives from endless backgrounds.

Scott now has clock movements that feature the day, the moon, and the year. His goal is to create pieces that stand the test of time: lasting a lifetime as owners of his clocks expand their relationship with the present.;