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My place of work is seriously looking at a catalog generation software to take the place of the current system (me). That is not to say that they are going to fire me, they are really pleased with the work that I do. I will be doing other cool stuff instead.

Currently, they pick the products, I research them and gather images to populate the catalog.
Then I proceed to lay it all out in Quark. This is no small task. We’re talking thousands of products over many months. As tedious as this sounds, and it is, I like doing it. Call me a masochist, and maybe I am, but if I didn’t like to do it, why would I base my professional career on something that I can’t stand. Sure the catalog generation software could do the same job in weeks, but it wouldn’t look anywhere near as cool. I like taking something ordinary like HVAC equipment and making it fun and creative. Sure, I could layout the products in a plain grid, and it still gets the information across, but how is that fun and interesting? I want those HVAC contractors to think, “Damn, this is a nice looking catalog.” Whose to say that contractors don’t appreciate art. My father father falls into said category, and he likes to sculpt. He also happens to be my 2nd toughest critic. Why does everything have to be so dull and generic?

To be honest, I do think that it will cut production time in half. They should definitely get it. It would be foolish not to. Besides, it will free me up to do more creative projects. I just have a hard time letting go, even if it is in my best interest. Admittedly, I’m a bit of a creative control freak. Not completely unbending, but pretty damn rigid when it comes to artistic compromise. I tell the person what they’ve just suggested isn’t really what they want. They really want what I told them they should want 9 times out of 10, I’m right. Mostly I argue with them until they cave. In the end, they really do like what I’ve done. Here’s my reasoning: those who aren’t the “creator” may not see the full picture, they only see one snapshot, and are too quick to judge. They can’t see the final product when 25% of the final piece is still in my head. If I am wrong, I back down. If I feel I am right I’ll fight tooth and nail to prove it. Besides, I make it my job to watch the market see what’s the latest trend in art and advertising. Just like CPA’s make it a point to know all of the latest tax codes. They should have a little faith that I want to do the best job I possibly can to produce quality creative work.

I think I may have gone off roading a little, and for that I apologize. I just feel passionately about what I do. The creativity part is what makes my job fun. I’m not willing to be plain “vanilla”, I was always the coffee heath bar crunch kinda’ girl.

This entry was posted on Thursday, April 22nd, 2004 at 7:15 pm and is filed under