Chapter Eighteen. Why Versus What
Jeff Shelton doesn’t like computers, right angles, corners, or straight lines. He hand-draws everything he designs from scratch. The best way to describe Jeff’s architectural style is one part Dr. Seuss and one part Spanish-style white stucco with tile roofs. The results have brought him worldwide acclaim. Jeff has designed buildings, apartment complexes, and homes of all shapes, sizes, and forms—some large and some impossibly small. Yet they all share the same charm. When clients come to see Jeff about a new project, they want to jump right in and start talking about square footage and the number of rooms. But Jeff knows that’s not the way a great house is made. He wants to uncover the story beneath his projects first. The why behind the concept becomes the foundation that ensures success. The why gives shape to the what.
Before the What, the Why
As Jeff explains, “I want to know why someone wants to build a house. Is their marriage falling apart and they’re looking for distraction? Is the new house a creative expression or a monument to oneself? Is the home designed to be looked at and admired or to be filled with family and friends?”
While some of Jeff’s homes look serene (like the opening image in this chapter) and others seem like a cartoon (see his sketch shown next), each home begins with the clarity of strong reason and a well-articulated “why.” And having a well-defined why is what increases the odds of success.
This idea of understanding the reasoning behind a project can also be seen from a marketing point of view. Have you ever noticed that the brands we like most tell us more than dry facts? Take Apple, which goes way beyond selling machines. Apple’s marketing message is more like a manifesto full of ideals.
As Simon Sinek articulates in his widely viewed TED talk, “Apple says, ‘Everything we do, we believe in challenging the status quo. We believe in thinking differently. The way we challenge the status quo is by making our products beautifully designed, simple to use, and user friendly. We just happen to make great computers. Want to buy one?’”
Whether you want to or not isn’t the point. The point is that they realize that a well-articulated “why” is a strong force. Think about how some Apple customers put Apple logo stickers on the back of their cars, while others buy logo shirts. Can you think of another computer manufacturer that has come close to that?
When Giorgio Armani started his business in 1975, it began with a clear idea. He wanted to design clothes, but he did so with a strong “why.” Armani was distraught and run down by all the chaos and clutter in the world. So he set out to provide an experience of simple elegance that would counteract the jumbled mess of life. The “what” was his clothes, but it was the “why” that has led the brand to be such a global success. Armani doesn’t just provide clothes but also offers aspiration to an ideal—and this is why his brand has such wide appeal.
The What Is the Surface
The what is facts, figures, and nonfiction verse. The why is narrative, the story, and the undercurrent of belief. Why is the domain of the creative arts. And this isn’t about designing homes or selling more stuff. The aim of why is not the outward expression but the inward ideal. This is true with the creative fight—we don’t become more creative to improve the bottom line.
The best results flow when we pursue creativity for the sake of being a human being. Just as Tom Schulman said in Dead Poets Society, “We don’t read and write poetry because it’s cute. We read and write poetry because we are members of the human race. And the human race is filled with passion.” We create because “the powerful play goes on and you may contribute a verse.”
Creativity gives us the means of contributing a verse in a more meaningful way. And we become more creative for the sake of honoring our own unique DNA. When we create, the sparks of identity fly and we have a chance at discovering who we are and what we were intended to become. Pursuing the why makes us become more alive whether we design homes, sell iPhones, or assemble words in a poetic and beautiful way.
Mary Oliver has spent her life stitching together small groups of words. She is a Pulitzer Prize–winning poet with a knack for finding beauty in ordinary life. And she also happens to be one of my favorite poets of our time.
In her poem “Messenger,” Mary gives us a glimpse into her life’s calling. She explains, “My work is loving the world...and standing still and learning to be astonished.” Why? Her self-defined job is to notice, collect, and share what she has found. This anchors her work. She has important messages that others need to hear. Her poems are like handwritten and sealed letters passed out to strangers on a busy street. Often her poems ask questions. Sometimes the questions are subtle, and other times they go straight for the heart. In one poem she asks, “Tell me, what is it that you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”
One Wild and Precious Life
When meeting a new neighbor a while back I was asked, “What do you do with your life?” I told her I was a photographer and she said, “Wow, that must be a tough job. Hasn’t everything already been done? I mean, why take a photograph of the Golden Gate Bridge when you could just buy one instead?” I replied, “Sure it’s tough but it’s good. Making photographs isn’t so much about creating something novel as it is about being changed.” She shrugged her shoulders, said “Interesting,” and then walked off.
I was left standing there with my own thoughts. In an over-photographed world, why do I persist? I began to think about a photograph I had recently captured of the Golden Gate Bridge (shown on the previous page). As I thought, Herb Caen’s words came to mind: “The Golden Gate Bridge. This mystical structure, with its perfect amalgam of delicacy and power, exerts an uncanny effect. Its efficiency cannot conceal the artistry. There is heart there, and soul. It is an object to be contemplated for hours.” Ah, here was a reason why. And then I began to make a mental list of other reasons I do photography: because the camera helps me to slow down, discover truth, notice details, meet new people, and learn new things. I use a camera because of the way it instructs and helps me to change. I make photographs because life is brief and the camera helps me to find the magnificent in the mundane and to live life in a more meaningful way.
So what about you? What are you going to do with your life, and why? Develop an answer to that question and it can help you live in a more vibrant and meaningful way.
Exercise
Clearly defining your “why” can anchor and fuel your success. In the space below, write down five things that you do and articulate why.
