Mick Jagger’s on the Line
Letter Zero.10
*phone rings*
You: Hello?
Mick Jagger: Hi, this is Mick Jagger. Can I talk to {your name}.
You: Uhh, hi. This is {your name}. Did you say Mick Jagger? Like from The Rolling Stones?
Mick Jagger: That’s right. Yeah, I saw some of your art and I was wondering if we could use one of your “pictures” on the cover of our next album. What do you say?
You: (insert your answer here)
If you got this phone call, what would you do? Yes or no? This exact situation happened to two of my favorite artists. Mick Jagger sought out both Andy Warhol and M.C. Escher to ask for artwork for Rolling Stones album covers. One said yes, the other said no.
Andy Warhol said yes. He proposed the idea of a closeup photo of a male crotch. Instead of printing the zipper on the jeans, Warhol convinced them to use a fully working zipper that made the cover provocatively interactive. It is often cited as one of the greatest album covers of all time.
Escher said no. In response to Mick’s letter, Escher politely declined, writing,
“My answer to both questions must be no, as I want to devote all my time and attention to the many commitments I made; I cannot possibly accept any further assignments or spend any time on publicity.” – M.C. Escher
Who made the right choice, Warhol or Escher? At first glance we instinctively pick Warhol. He created an iconic album cover while Escher seems to have missed an amazing opportunity. But with further examination, Escher made the better choice. Let me explain…
When the Rolling Stones new album hit the shelves, fans got a disappointing surprise. The zipper had indented the sleeve so deeply that it scratched the record. On shelves it damaged whatever record was placed next to it. The zipper was eventually abandoned altogether, leaving nothing but a mediocre photograph on the cover. It makes for a good rock and roll story. It is perfectly on brand for Warhol and the Stones, reckless and egocentric. But is this the type of reputation we want to be known for?
Most of us can’t get away with shipping work that arrives damaged upon arrival. (I will save my minimum viable product rant for another letter.) We rarely find ourselves in the envious position of turning down dream jobs from celebrities.
And yet we are constantly saying yes to much less compelling offers. Yes to overtime. Yes to Netflix. Yes to those big beautiful eyes. Yes to another meeting invite. Yes to dropping everything for today’s fire drill. Yes to everything but our art. Our record is damaged, skipping, caught in a loop of yeses.
The reason we have Escher’s art at all is because he was able to maintain an intense focus on his creative process. Saying no to Jagger wasn’t a hard decision for him because he had a lifetime of experience saying no to anything that distracted from his personal mission.
Consider every distraction, every request for a bit of your time as a phone call from Mick Jagger. Everything inside you is going to want to say yes. I hope you can find the courage to respond like Escher. We need more of your art and fewer skipping records.
By the way, happy Easter! I’ll write again next Sunday. Stay creative.
Your friend,
Adrian