25. Cynicism
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tWelcome to Episode 25 of Navigating the Fustercluck\u2014 where we\u2019re almost \xbd way through our first year of our podcast full of snackable insights designed to help you navigate the tumultuous world of creativity and marketing.My name is Wegs, like eggs with a W, joining you from Deaf Mule Studios in Dallas, and no matter what corner of the creative world you focus on, we\u2019re here to talk about attitude. More precisely, too much attitude.In an earlier episode we spoke about negativity of positivity. That the Positive Thinking Movement is too much in the hip pocket of the Happiness Industrial Complex. That the idea that you must paste on a perma-smile to suppress all your negative feelings is inauthentic, unhealthy and quite frankly, annoying.All that said, have you read Fishbowl? Agency Spy? You name it, virtuallyevery forum on creativity often devolves into a cesspool of cynicism and snark.Now some of it is hysterical. Even healthy. Too much of it, however, is sad. Maybe even self-destructive. Certainly destructive to some of the people it targets.Being a critic, of course, is easy. And safe. It\u2019s also a way to chill debate. People read the viciousness of some posts and they withhold their thoughts, fearing that they\u2019ll end up in the crosshairs of a personal attack.Are the attackers really that mean-spirited? I doubt it. More like frustrated from lack of leadership and not being heard. Regardless, some go pretty raw.But I\u2019m just being honest, many would say. Authentic, may be the word of choice for others. That\u2019s possible. Or it could be that they\u2019re scared and defensive. What I\u2019d like to see us all avoid is turning vicious and intimidating. Besides being a bad look, it\u2019s hurtful to the deliverer as well as the receiver.\xa0I\u2019d like to understand them better. I wish I knew more.\xa0All I know is that\u2026 Some People Find Fault Like There is a Reward for It.The rebellion of sarcasm has given it some cache. The aura of intelligence. A few misguided \u201clikes\u201d. Yet, as internationally known graphic artist, print-maker and designer Anthony Burrill says:Pessimism is Not Always Deep.\xa0Upon further review, it\u2019s usually not as smart as it seems.Question then:\xa0Are we really such tortured souls? Is that what this business has done to us? If so, run for your lives. That level of toxicity is lethal.Shouldn\u2019t it all be a bit simpler? As Burrill also likes to say:Work Hard and Be Nice to People.\u2013 Anthony BurrillI\u2019m not going to go on much further on this. I\u2019ve made my point. And I certainly am not claiming that I\u2019ll never be sarcastic, ironic or even a little disagreeable, again. But I will try harder to keep those things to myself. Because sometimes I wonder if Howard Schultz is right when he said\u2026Idealism is Out of Sync with the Cynicism of Our Age. Skepticism Has Come to Be Synonymous with Sophistication. And Glibness Is Mistaken for Intelligence. In Such an Atmosphere, Why Bother Aiming High?Creativity can be such a positive thing, it\u2019s amazing that we get so twisted about it. Let\u2019s aim higher.\xa0Maybe We All Need to Take a Short Breather\u2026 (EXHALE.)\u2026We\u2019re here at Deaf Mule Studios to remind everyone that this is Navigating the Fustercluck. And I\u2019m Wegs, your world-weary host hoping that you can avoid my many mistakes. Now back to the show with one final thought\u2026We all get beat down enough by our clients and bosses, let\u2019s be a bit more supportive and try not to turn on one another. That\u2019s no excuse to be soft, but\xa0 it\u2019s a tough business. Thankfully, over the years I\u2019ve found that the truly toughest people in it tend also to be kind. Kindness being something to be valued as much as authenticity.Well, that about wraps up our 25th episode of Navigating the Fustercluck.\xa0Here from Deaf Mule Studios, I\u2019m your host, Wegs, like eggs with a W, thank you for listening in. Until then, please feel free to reach out to me at <a href="mailto:JustWegs24x7@gmail.