the curiosity of creatives

The public’s fascination with learning the intimate details of the lives of others has lately, from a humble observer, been edging toward a greater emphasis and attention to satisfy society’s need to understand what inspires and captivates creative minds.

Audiences have developed this insatiable desire to see and understand what makes creative people…well… creative.

We aspire to dissect these individuals, deconstruct them into easily digestible pieces, to mould this insight to fit our own lives.

It is an innate curiosity, to uncover the process that makes up a “creative’s” talent – what are they listening to, inspired by, who are they wearing, socializing with, living amongst.

During what can almost be considered a cultural renaissance emerges a new breed of celebrity – one who acts as curator, collector and critic. They base their cultural relevancy on their almost prized ability to expose the minute esoterica of creative people. The likes of the Satorialist (http://thesartorialist.blogspot.com/), the many incarnations of ‘Street Style’, Tommy Ton (http://jakandjil.com/), the Selby (www.theselby.com) and on. We look to their keen eye to lead our interpretations of what is authentically cool and illustrate to us how creative people are integrating those elements into their lives.

The ‘fashionation’ with deconstructing the elements that create genius has been around for ages. Many works have uncovered the mysteries behind the talent of such minds as Andy Warhol, Coco Chanel, and Diane Arbus – those works in turn offering inspiration to the people striving to unleash their own creative endeavours. Great art always inspires new art.

However, this preoccupation has taken a deeper hold of the public’s attention in a way far different than it once did.

As the creative pool stretches further, deeper, and broader, we require guidance to filter and assess what is genuinely innovative/unique/fashionable, the very service that these popular critics offer.

In our quest for unabridged individualism and uniqueness, we look at the creative leaders and innately creative people through the lens of these cultural guides. Hmm… disconnect?

And with their power to sufficiently dissect each creative brain into something far more digestible and attainable to the average consumer, brands are increasingly latching onto this societal curiosity, engaging said guides in their endeavours to reach an even wider audience – i.e. The Satorialist for Burberry (http://artofthetrench.com/), and the Selby for Nike (http://www.nike.com/nikeos/p/nke6/en_US/apparel#/Michel-Bourez).

The below: ION the Street, ION magazine #57, by Javier Lovera.