*Image from CNN.com, Albert Einstein
The myth of genius.
As a creative director, you will rarely hear me call a fellow creative soul a genius. I can remember the times I have very clearly in my mind and I could barely count them on the fingers of one hand. Geniuses exist—like Einstein, but I hold that word sacred. For me, there has always been something about the label of genius that discredits hard work, academic study, practice, passion, problem solving, consistency, persistence, enthusiasm, intelligence, and the honest daily pursuit of excellence—everything I believe creativity to be at its very core. Like the term guru, it has always felt trendy and dismissive and ignorant to me of the true creative process and all the raw beauty, power, intelligence, occasional madness and sincere effort creativity requires of the human being committed to its insatiable demands.
The history of genius.
The history of the word from both the Greeks and the Romans is that a genius, like a god, descended upon an individual from Heaven, and brought wisdom and inspiration and insight.
Because the Demiurge was ultimate and transcendent, communication between God and man required an intermediary: the genius. In the classical period, wisdom descended from on high, and the genius was the tongue of proclamation. Ultimately, the genius was the source of man’s insight into the created order and the Creator. — curatormagazine.com
The evolution of genius.
The concept of having a genius to being a genius has evolved over time. The stories of the mythical decent of the genius spirit upon the human soul have been traded through the centuries for the innate excellence of the individual.
In 1533, Agrippa of Nettesheim, a German humanist, in his De occulta philosophia, explained that rather than wait for the genius’ descent, one could use one’s reason to bypass the hierarchy and take the knowledge of the genius by one’s own power.
Today, because the genius is within Man, art has become self-expression, not an appreciation of God and his Nature as it once was. When a person looks at the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, he or she does not do so in order to see God communing with Adam; rather, it is to see Michelangelo. Originality, because the power of creativity now belongs to the fine artist, has become idolized as the criteria for judging a piece’s worth. As any artist will tell you, this, more than any other art convention, is most crippling. — curatormagazine.com
Genius according to the dictionary.
From the dictionary, genius is defined this way: late Middle English: from Latin, ‘attendant spirit present from one’s birth, innate ability or inclination,’ from the root of gignere ‘beget.’ The original sense ‘tutelary spirit attendant on a person’ gave rise to a sense ‘a person’s characteristic disposition’ (late 16th century), which led to a sense ‘a person’s natural ability,’ and finally ‘exceptional natural ability’ (mid 17th century).
The true compliment.
For me, the more coveted compliment would be to be considered smart or clever or hard working or fiercely curious or just—fierce. These are the words you will hear lavished on our creative team, our clients, our creative partners, and the people we admire if you visit the Fierce offices or sit in on our meetings or share in our beer and brainstorming sessions. Here’s to the souls who see things differently, who fight for the right answers, who never give up, and who effect change on our world.
Fierce. Your strategic brand partner.
Are you looking for a fierce strategic brand partner? Brand fiercely with us at www.brandfiercely.com. Reach out today to sayhello@hellofierce.com.
