Sometimes the idea sucks.

An area that I find creatives struggling with is the topic of good or bad.

Just for example sake, let us look at creating a brand, writing a story or creating a piece of music. That way we have a breadth of "creatives" to talk to since we have all been there...no matter what you do creatively. Knowing if what you are doing is good or not.

My best piece of advice is to make it public, publish it, show it on the internet...exhibits etc. No one gets to decided what is good or bad. People/consumers...aka the market, gets to decided what is a good/bad idea.

You could create the most beautiful piece of art, music, what you think is awesome logo or creative writing piece. But if no one else likes it...is it actually good?

This is where we start to dance around the bigger question of...are some creations inherently good regardless of what people think. Yes and no.

Just the same...just because a lot of people likes something does not mean it is good.

"But you just said..blah,blah,blahblah."

I know, it is a bit of both.

I do believe that certain creations...stuff that is truly unique, things that changed the way culture does/sees things...something paradigm shifting. Those have inherent qualities for whatever reason that will forever make it good and very hard to slip through the cracks of the market. Mozart's music, The Mona Lisa, Evard Munch, Shakespeare, Hemingway, Socrates, Dickens, Picasso, Einstein etc. These people have created unique things, ideas, positions, art that never existed before them.

"So just because it never existed before and now it does means it is good?"

No, of course not. But those same people also had the market on their side. Not only did they make something new but that new thing was wanted/needed.

This is why I say we do not get to determine what is good and bad. It is up to everyone else to let us know if sucks or not.

So we must make our work public and get as much feed back as possible. That way we can determine if the idea/thesis sucks.

The hardest part about this is patience.  Sometimes the timing is poor and the market doesn't like it or need it now but maybe they do in 5,10,20 yrs. Sometimes it takes awhile to get enough eyes on it. So waiting, learning and understanding feedback is very important.

Now some amazing stuff will slip through the cracks. Shit happens and the chance you are next ground breaking artist,musician etc is slim to none (sorry).

The hardest part for many of us is simply putting our stuff out there in as many spots as we can and getting feedback to know if we can hack it. This is all up to you and what you do. Learning how to feel things out etc.

Keep making awesome stuff, keeping publishing and let the market decide what is good.

Write more.

I think there is something amazing about someone who can write well. The way they can communicate exactly what they want to say, the choice of words....it is a true talent that often gets overlooked. Especially for those of us who are in the visual creative department.

First it is hard to find a dumb person who can write really well. They usually run hand in hand. That is not also to say that all smart people are good writers. But I would bet on the former as opposed to the later. So being able think and problem solve the issue of written communication makes you that much more valuable. At the end of the day, what are we as creatives? We are communicators and problem solvers. But instead of using sentences we use other visual means to solve the problem. So in my mind...it only makes sense that they would have a carry over from one to another.

Secondly, it is just an amazing skill to have. People pay big bucks if you can write well. Many of us are caught up in the kerning, tracking, white space....the photography, type setting and all the other things involved in putting together good designs. When it comes to communicating to others, especially clients....this is where we usually fall behind. It is tough to live just off your ability to design and have them speak for yourself. So it is important that we learn how to write so we can effectively convey what we have to say. At the very base of it, if you are missing out on this skill you simply leaving money on the table.