kenjisan

Ryan McGinness

"I struggle to produce work with an honest language that is uniquely my own but that resonates a universal truth while coming to terms with the fact that I'm just like everybody else."
—Ryan McGinness, inspiration=ideas: A Creativity Sourcebook for Graphic Designers

McGinness is talking about graphic design, but I think this statement rings true for myself, both in writing and in graphic design. In the one realm (writing), I feel like I'm on the road to developing my own voice. In the other (graphic design), I feel like I'm just starting out.

I interpret his mention of "universal truths" with something along the lines of "universal acceptance." McGinness's designs have a very personal feel to them, yet are also easily accessible. I'd like my own stories to hold this same quality: not art for art's sake, but also not art for the mass's sake. I think there's an attainable balance there, and I think it has something to do with the last part of his statement: coming to terms with the fact that I'm just another reader as well as writer. He writes earlier in the book that he is "a producer and a consumer." It's an important self-awareness to acknowledge because by understanding what things interest me in the stories of others, I can gleam some truth about what should go into my own stories. And yet, being self-aware that this process is going on helps me forge my own voice, rather than simply writing to sell books or be popular.