“If everyone is moving forward together, then success takes care of itself.”—Henry Ford
A PAINTER WITHOUT A PAINTBRUSH
Jeff Koons is one of the most wealthy living artists, infamously known for his gimmicky style of art. He pushes the boundaries of traditional art by using visually striking materials and techniques with controversial themes. From bright colors to shiny materials to massive scale, Koons’ art embodies pop culture. One of his most notable works, Rabbit, a stainless steel sculpture of a rabbit balloon animal, auctioned for over $91 million, making it the most expensive work by a living artist ever sold at auction. Overall, his pieces are diverse. They encompass photography, sculpture, painting, and installation.
The controversy behind Jeff Koons lies beyond the artwork itself. Koons’ wealth in the art world reflects his ideas, not his techniques. Koons proudly admits, “I’m basically the ‘idea’ person. I’m not physically involved in the production.” Koons uses a team of highly talented art assistants to bring his ideas to life. He rarely creates the artwork by himself.
His creative process has caused a stir of emotions in the art world. On one side, some argue that Koons’ art feels inauthentic, as if he slaps his signature on someone else’s work. His work sells for record-breaking prices, yet the artists who created the work receive little compensation. Does it make sense for Jeff Koons to receive all the credit and money from a sale even though he often can’t create the work himself?
On the other hand, Jeff Koons arguably plays the role of a creative director. The job of a creative director is to use their knowledge about creativity in their field to generate an overarching idea that a team can create. Most times, the vision for his ideas is so ambitious that it would not be possible for one person to execute it. With his leadership, these ambitious ideas came to fruition. Koons says he plays the role of a director in his process. He uses his knowledge from his time spent at the Maryland Institute College of Art and various tools to create the original idea for his pieces. Then he assembles a team of specialist artists to make it happen. Koons’ New York workspace employs over one hundred of the world’s most talented artists to bring his ideas to life.
Artists throughout history have employed assistants to bring their visions to life. Andy Warhol’s studio, known as The Factory, was a hub of creativity where artists, writers, musicians, and other creatives collaborated. Even in the 16th century, Michelangelo hired assistants to paint the Sistine Chapel. The ethics behind this process still stands as a debate in the art world, but the main lesson to pull from Jeff, Andy, Michelangelo, and other creators is the power of a team. Instead of using a combination of oil paint or pencils as a tool, these artists brought their visions to life by using a combination of people. Many creative geniuses throughout history have used teams to give life to their massive ideas.
IT TAKES A VILLAGE
When Will Smith spoke on his experience behind his success he said, “Who your friends are, who you’re with everyday, will make or break your dreams…you probably can’t do much of anything in this life at a high level without a rock-solid team.” Ideas are like babies. It’s conceived in the mind of the creator and nurtured to life with their time, effort, and resources. As time passes, the idea grows and evolves, taking on a life of its own and finding its place in the world in ways you couldn’t have predicted. But, like a child, it takes a village to raise an idea. It requires the support and guidance of a community to thrive. An idea’s potential lies in the number of people with vested interest in its success. You have to find and partner with exceptional team members who believe in your vision.
Ambitious ideas require an ambitious leader. To harness the potential of an idea, it is necessary to gather a team of exceptional individuals who share your vision. As the great Steve Jobs once said, “Great things in business are never done by one person. They’re done by a team of people.” Christopher Nolan needs a team of cinema professionals to tell his mind-bending stories. Frank Lloyd Wright, the pioneer of modern architecture, needs a team of builders to make his drafts a reality. Steve Jobs building Apple, Elon Musk building Space X, and Phil Knight building Nike are a few examples of visionary team builders who fought tooth and nail to bring their ideas to life. Their ability to change the world can trace back to their overlapping skill of selling their vision. Creative geniuses understand that at some point they may have to play the role of director to give their ideas the life it deserves. They are aware that successfully executing a massive vision is often a collaborative effort. It takes inspiring a network of individuals with different skill sets, backgrounds, and perspectives to provide the necessary support, feedback, and guidance to bring an idea to fruition. They package their vision into a pitch and use it to recruit the best team members they can.
THE PRODUCT
Creating a product requires a talented workflow. An engineer is tasked with making the product functional, while a seasoned designer establishes the brand. Then it’s handed off to the head of operations to figure out how to make the product at scale. Once that’s figured out, a marketer executes the best strategy of getting the product in front of all the right people. The individual mastery of skill sets in this team increases the chances of the product’s success. This workflow would be flawed without any of them.