Following the Leader

According to my stats on flickr, this is my most viewed photo. More than my comment-blocked, Galaxy-ad skin series, more than the buttery-toned ones from the disused elevator shaft, more than the comedy Easter batch, more than my, ahem, immensely clever kiwi eyes and my beautiful Paris set. More even than my crusty classic ‘Old Woman with Bread’ – a relic which I’m sure people only visit to chuckle at the dodgy photoshopping.

Is this what designer labels are all about? I think it is a boring image, with dull colours, no clarity and no purpose. It doesn’t say anything to me, and I’m the one that took it – it must say even less to everyone else. I suppose this is the essence of a popular label: people will follow it regardless of what it produces. You’ve only got to look at Nike and its horrendous Shox trainers, now a chav staple the world over, and I won’t even start on Microsoft.

It’s such a shame when people blindly follow big names to the detriment of real quality, potential and innovation from the plethora of enterprising upstarts out there. And most of the time they don’t know what they’re missing – moving out of the herd and into the unknown is a risk most of us are afraid of taking.

I feel like I’m on the verge of something important here, something fundamental, so to do it justice and attempt to claim some kind of pathetic ownership for this idea that has clearly been around forever, I’m going to baaaaptise it ’sheep theory’. A quick Google of my hastily constructed doctrine reveals that extensive research has already been conducted in this area and I may have to compete with a sister sheep theory, possibly pioneered by an real live sheep.

Why Better is Worse

I don’t have a problem with people criticising me.  Good job really, as it happens enough. Tell me to do something faster, make it longer, shorter, snappier, greener, cooler, smoother – yes, absolutely.  But better? Better in what way?  For who?  How?  To me, criticism is all about identifying problems and making improvements.  Constructive, if you like.  When criticism becomes destructive, a reassertion of power or just plain cruelty, well, what’s the point?

It’s like a coachman who whips his horses just to look impressive.  The horses are trotting along at exactly the right pace; if he wanted them to turn left he could tighten the left rein, to turn right he’d pull the right rein, to slow them down he’d pull gently on both.  They know the score.

But instead, every few miles he’ll give them a couple of thwacks with a grand swooshing movement of the whip, catching them square on the flanks.   He feels important, needed, in control.  The horses don’t have any more guidance or direction than before, but they sure know who’s boss.  And they know whose head to poo on when they get the chance.