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Why the porn industry is killing creativity
I have a confession to make. If we knew each other when I was 14 years old, there’s a very good chance I masturbated thinking about your mum (and your sister… and your sister’s friend – usually together).
Sure, on occasion I’d manage to get my hands on a wayward copy of Scope (thanks Dad), but for the most part the average candle-bashing involved nothing more than my imagination.
I was a master. I could piece together a story that would make Jeffrey Archer proud (or at the very least, blush), starting from how we met, flirted, seduced and succumbed all with the perfect timing of a thriller.
And I could create a new story every day, or if I’m to be completely honest, twice a day… sometimes more.
Fast forward 20 odd years and the world has changed, although not entirely – admittedly I still enjoy the odd manual override.
However, I’ve become lazy.
Gone are the Booker Prize winning scenarios, only to be replaced by the cheap thrills of youporn.com. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining, the convenience of the click/shake/wipe method has its advantages. I just feel that an imagination is a terrible thing to waste, and if you have a job like mine, my imagination is a tool that I require daily.
So, what’s the solution? Lads, there’s only one thing for it, you need to double your efforts, what ever you’re doing now, do it twice as much! BUT and it’s a big bold but, every other time – no porn allowed.
Do it for yourself. Do it for your career, for god’s sake man… do it for your country.
So yeah, to sum up, the porn industry is definitely killing creativity. Either that or your mum got ugly…!
October 18, 2011 at 10:17 pm | 9 comments
You have a point there Sir….. To use a slightly different analogy (thank goodness) the creative graphic and video forums are full of folks asking “How is this or that effect achieved and is there a plug- in?” It’s the modern phenomenon of wishing the orgasmic stunning result with minimum work or input. Too true it kills of imagination and worst of all creativity. It also leads to sameness and blandness. We just now the blockbuster look out this week will be a plug in next week and all over the place the week after. It separates the leaders from the followers. Once you’ve seen the porn star in a vat of beans defying the laws of nature and at least 7 US States once it’s done ….and dusted!
By all means go for the quick fix when appropriate but at least change the scenario a little and make it your own. Some of my most satisfying work is stuff I started from scratch myself. I really hope your Mum or sisters aren’t reading this….. but you just know they are.
Nicely put Ian. Sadly… you’re probably right about the family
Too true. Usually when I start developing a site for someone, or myself, I always get the same response from my friends: “Why not use a framework or system thats already built”. 2 reasons why : I hate modifying other people’s hard work to suit my own needs, and 2, I get more satisfaction of the final result that I do otherwise. I’ve got apps on my phone that does everything I need, but I would rather write my own version of the app, name it after myself, and use it with pride. Somehow, I wish I could make porn, rather than having to watch it :p. Great Article by the way! Keep up the good work.
Crap … I sat next to you in Biology when you were 14!!
Don’t worry Jo, it wasn’t your mum I was thinking about… thanks for the inspiration
“like”
I have to admit that, while I certainly agree with you in most respects, and with the entire sentiment of the post – I have to disagree a little bit…
Part of the problem I face is that I manage a bunch of developers, with timelines and budgets that go with that. In that space, I’m in a constant struggle with them to try and get them to focus their creativity on doing genuinely new and exciting things. Unfortunately they always want to do everything from the ground up, even if that means re-inventing the same thing that has already been invented a million times over by people that had a whole lot more time to devote to inventing it, and were, in many cases, far better qualified to do the work. All invention and innovation (certainly in the last 100 years) has been achieved by building on the work of others. Taking a brilliantly creative photograph doesn’t require a photographer to build their own camera, from scratch…
Ianage, I agree with you 100%. This wasn’t a metaphor for business and innovation – I was just writing about wanking
Saw you on Top Billing…. Thought you were probably someone who could take view point on things….. I like your view point on this….. Cool