I’m a sucker for anniversaries. In fact, one might say I heart them, and I’m fast-approaching a pretty big one. On January 20, 2011, Rick and Tam Bailey treated our office to an outing at the IMA to watch, Milton Glaser: To Inform and Delight. Sure, some people say that this or that documentary is a life-changing one, but this one, that night really did change things. It changed everything.
If you haven’t seen it, you must. (Take a second to add it to your queue right now. Go ahead; do it. Now.) The film discusses things nearly everyone knows about Milton, like his ubiquitous I <3 NY campaign and how he served as the genius behind NY Magazine. But the film also shed light on a little-known (at least to me) Glaser fact: that every summer, he hosts a weeklong workshop at the School of Visual Arts in New York. Hundreds apply, few are accepted.
The next Monday during a lunchtime reading of Print, Sam and I noticed an ad for the Workshop. “You should apply,” Sam said. “Yeah, right,” was my response. “Do it,” he insisted. “Now.” Never thought I’d find the courage to apply, but I did. Never thought I’d be accepted in, but I was. Never thought I’d hug Milton Glaser, but we hugged.
There’s a reason not many know of this one-week experience with a design icon: it’s the Las Vegas of graphic design. What happens at the Milton Glaser Workshop stays at the Milton Glaser Workshop. Why? For one thing, it’s hard to describe, but the most important reason is because Milton insists upon it. There’s no way to prepare for your week with him. The workshop requires a certain element of surprise. To experience the most growth, one must make herself uncomfortable, and Milton ensures that as much growth happens as possible. Translation: It’s one heckuva hellish, uncomfortable, uplifting, extraordinary, indescribable week. It’s the kind of week that makes you say, “Did that really happen? It must’ve because I feel different somehow.”
Out of respect for Mr. Glaser and his spectacularly spunky assistant Carla, I’ll not reveal any specific details. I suspect when people apply for Glaser’s workshop, they expect to learn about pushing pixels and point sizes. In fact, it’s so much more. You should know that after a couple of intense days (filled with critiques like, “If I were the client, I’d throw you down a flight of stairs”) followed by a couple of sleepless nights, he hammers you with what should be a days-long project that’s due in 12 measly hours. While you’re gasping from shock, he adds, “In 25 years, no one’s ever failed.”
”Well, Hell!” we collectively thought. “We’re not going to be the first!” So no one did. It. Was. Amazing. Simply gobsmackingly amazing. People not only finished, but they kicked that project in the rear. (One workshop-goer said she felt as if she was on a reality show called,Milton Glaser Hates You.) After a couple of days mending wounds to our confidence, we were all suddenly so pleased with ourselves. After not smiling for days, we witnessed the corners of his large mouth turn up. He said, “When I told you yesterday that no one had ever failed. That may not have been true.” We had been duped! He went on to say, “I changed your perception of what you thought was possible.”
Indeed. I’ve had several “impossible” personal and professional projects since then, but I keep telling myself, “no one’s ever failed.” It’s amazing what you can convince yourself is possible when failing isn’t an option.
-Lindsay Hadley is the Lead Designer at Richard Harrison Bailey/The Agency and teaches Publication Design and Graphic Design at Franklin College. Follow her on Twitter @lindsayhadley23.
