Shows To Watch for (Online) Creatives
Published: May 5, 2017
FOR INSPIRATION
Abstract: The Art Of Design
I love that they came out with this series on Netflix. There is one 8-episode season with each dedicated to an industry of art/design experienced by one expert in the field. Of course, my main interest was Graphic Design where they showed Paula Scher. I became familiar with her in school but never went out of my way to research her in detail. Seeing who she is and learning about her process or how she lives her day-to-day really interested me. I would highly recommend watching this and all other episodes if you are a creative of any sort. I was motivated and inspired in different ways even from the episodes that were in a completely different industry. The story of Tinker Hatfield was another one of my favourites.
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Off Camera Show
This is a fantastic show. I am the type of person to sit on YouTube all day and watch late night show interviews of my favourites. This show struck a cord as it had some deeper questions that intrigued me. I later found out that they had full-length episodes on Netflix so I switched over to that and would play it in the background as I worked; similar to a podcast. Sam Jones is a celebrity photographer who is familiar with a lot of A-list actors. He has them on the show and they dive deep into topics like how they started, where things went wrong, what pushed them to keep going, and keys to success. Listening to other artists experiences always make me feel better about my own because we all tend to go through the same instances of insecurities, doubt, and choosing the right path. Not all of the guests discuss work, some get more personal but they all have very articulate and engaging stories. I’ve watched many clips but I will put a couple of my favourites down below:
Nick Offerman
https://www.youtube.com/embed/KcX9Y2wFfW8
John Krasinski
There is a really good story in his interview that is only on the Netflix episode about his pursuit of acting. But this clip is great too:
https://www.youtube.com/embed/SAdJ7VxzquU
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Jobs/Steve Jobs
I never watched the Michael Fassbender version (I know, I should) — but I really enjoyed the Ashton Kutcher movie Jobs. Ashton Kutcher is someone that I see as a visionary already so I think it was easier for me to imagine him in the role of Steve. As an industry, graphic designers tend to support Apple much more than Windows so learning the story behind how it came to be feels almost mandatory. Seeing someone so passionate about what they do makes you want to find that trigger for yourself.
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FOR ENTERTAINMENT
Mr. Robot
I’m sure you’ve heard enough about this show from all of the awards it received but it truly is fascinating. Rami Malek is so believable in this role I couldn’t imagine anyone else playing Elliot. Mr Robot opens your eyes to the world of technology that you should be more wary of. As a generation that lives in an online world, it’s incredibly important to have security while you share your life to everyone else on the internet.
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Silicon Valley
Bringing you views of the business model and competition in Silicon Valley — this fictional show submerses you with the humour and the relativity of computer engineers. It’s intriguing to watch another lifestyle and seeing how much money people in these companies earn. Even though they fill the script with jokes and animated characteristics, you still get a glimpse of what it would be like to reach for that innovative technological breakthrough.
