The value of an expert

I had to make the bun yesterday.  It wasn't pretty.

Let me explain:  Saturdays are busy around here.  Hockey, lacrosse, ballet, play dates, and whatever else materializes from the gigantic social spreadsheet that represents my children's lives.  In this maze of activity, I function well as a chauffeur.  I'm also a decent kid-food cook (peanut butter and jelly quesadillas, anyone?) I play great music on the car stereo, know all the good drive-thru places, and have been known to approve ice-cream, just because.  I'm ok assisting with hockey equipment, but just ok.  I'm quite good with lacrosse equipment, and even with passing, catching, and "hustle" tips.  But when it comes to ballet, I, thus far, have been delivery and pick-up only.  Until yesterday. Yesterday, I had to make the bun.

My five-year-old daughter's new ballet school is pretty strict.  I suppose that's a good thing, even if I do keep thinking, "She's five -- can all this possibly matter?"  It has a good reputation -- they required auditions, didn't accept many, etc.  And, unlike her previous ballet school, they're picky about ballet attire.  White tights only - a specific cut.  Spec shoes.  Street clothes to enter and exit.  And hair in the bun.  Not just a bun.  A specific bun. The bun. No embellishments, or bun-covering bun covers.  Just the official bun.  The bun is hard to do.

My wife had a meeting she couldn't miss. She gave me explicit instructions the night before on how to make the bun.  I listened.  I watched.  I thought I had it.  How hard could it be, anyway?  Way back in the day, I was good with my own ponytail.  Way back.

Things went sideways with the goop that glues the hair together.  I think I got too much.  And I know I didn't get the hair tight enough, but I was worried about giving a five-year-old a face lift that would be more appropriate for an aging Hollywood starlet.  I shouldn't have worried about that, because the tight-enough thing is an important thing.  You can't really cure it with several hundred bobby pins. Trust me on this.

When we were done, my daughter thought she looked beautiful.  So did I, but I knew it had nothing whatsoever to do with the bun.  But we were edging on late, so we headed off to class, inadvertently dropping a breadcrumb trail of bobby pins in our wake.  Upon entering, I made sure the very strict-looking ballet marm knew that my daughter had good reason to show up with a (here's an understatement) less than perfect bun -- by cracking a soft joke about how mom was busy, and I'm not great with hair, while referencing my own cue ball.  "Well, it looks better than it would if you'd shaved it," came the visibly unamused reply.

I could learn to do the bun.  I can take classes from my wife.  I'm sure there is some sort of online reference guide.  But the truth is, I don't think I'll ever be as good with the bun as an expert bun-maker.  My wife is an expert bun-maker, and it was an anomaly that she wasn't available yesterday.  This is a strong case for me out-sourcing the bun.  No matter how easy it looks, and no matter how much I study it, the bun will always be better if I don't do it.  By extension, so will my daughter's tenure in this particular ballet school.

But that's enough about ballet.  Let's talk about the web.

The web has, and has always had, a DIY spirit.  Technology has placed into the hands of everyone almost all the tools the experts use to create almost everything.  Anyone can shoot and edit video, tweak and manipulate digital photography, publish an article, build a site.  Because, like I said, almost every tool an expert would use is available to anyone. 

The operative word in the last sentence is:  Almost.

Because, to truly become an expert, it takes more than knowledge of the tools.  Knowledge helps -- a lot.  And lots of knowledge comes from experience, which is just one form of practice.  But knowledge alone won't do it.  Talent has a say, too.  A big say.  And talent is the tool that isn't available to everyone.

Frank Compton is a great creative director.  His perspective on what makes great creative, and how to put together the environment that helps it come to life is some of the most valuable insight anyone has ever given me in this business.  Frank explains his perspective on creativity with an easy-to-grasp metaphor:  Michael Jordan.  The athletic ability represented by Michael Jordan isn't just something you're born with. And it isn't just something you can attain by practicing every day.  It takes both.  Innate talent, and the application of that talent -- every day, for a long time -- to reach the highest level.

So, back to the web.  Because the tools are available, there are lots and lots -- and lots -- of people who know how to use them.  And they use them well -- or at least, according to spec.  But spec doesn't make the product great.  What makes the product great is the infusion of talent, on top of perfect mechanics.  For that, you need an expert.  And if you defer to that expert, the product will be visibly better, every time.

Because of the availability of tools, there are lots of people who know how to make stuff.  Which means there are frequent questions from many about the real value of bringing in an expert -- whether it's for design, code, content, strategy, or whatever.  My personal guess is that this has a lot to do with the newness of the tools.  As tools become easier for everyone to understand completely, it gets easier to tell who is truly an expert -- and the value of a real expert rises.  Right now, you hear lots of clients saying, "The intern can shoot, edit, and post the video."  But almost no one thinks anyone who can use a pencil is Picasso.  Pencils have been around for a long time.  It's easy to tell the Picassos.  It will be the same with the web, but it isn't, just yet.

In the meantime, if you're ever questioning the value of hiring an expert -- if you find yourself frequently thinking, "how hard could this be, anyway?"  I invite you to my house on a Saturday morning before ballet class.  Take a crack at the bun.  It's not as easy as it looks.

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Comments

[Ody Leonard]

Good point. I look at the creative job listings and consistently see things like:
Junior Art Director wanted. Must be proficient in indesign, photoshop, illustrator, dreamweaver, quark, aftereffects, final cut, imageready, flash, fireworks…
What about: must be able to demonstrate talent, judgment and dedication?