Learning from where we least expect it

Some creative disciplines might be so far apart it would seem a stretch that they could possibly offer much to one another at all. But if you take the time to break it down, the work of a fashion designer in London could actually have something to offer to a photographer in Sydney, or indeed to creatives anywhere. You just have to be able to recognise it when it presents itself.

There’s a designer you might know of whose work has recently caught my eye. Sir Paul Smith started in fashion in the 1970s but he’s since done everything from teapots to tie-pins too.

The Paul Smith label is a clever mix of the classical and a subtle modern twist; like a respectable, gentlemanly suit that appeals as much to a twenty year old and could be carried by either; or a range of fine china not out of place at home or at high-tea; or an umbrella that’s a conservative black on the top side but an eclectic, eye-catching array of patterns underneath that you could carry in any setting. He finds a balance between bold and subtle; loud yet conservative.

For Paul Smith, commercial success must also come from his obvious diversity as he is clearly intent on pushing beyond his comfort-zone.

There’s a common thread running through Paul Smith’s designs that I think can often play out in successful commercial photography too. It employs tried and tested concepts that satisfy a client — the classical, let’s say — but it features a signature element that makes it distinct and unmistakably you.

So it’s about being the same but different. It follows a path well worn by others which tends to make it commercially safe, but it’s made simultaneously unique by your own touch and style which renders it hard to mimic and probably more creatively rewarding too.

This has got to be the killer combination for success as a business while enjoying your craft as a photographer: creating pictures that are proven and tested, yet fresh and unique.

It turns out that it’s ironic to hold up this particular designer as inspiration for photography because it appears Paul Smith shoots a bit himself — so much so he does his advertising pictures in-house.

wade@wadelaube.com

www.twitter.com/wadelaube

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