MTIV: Hillman Curtis
Really sad to hear that Hillman Curtis, a brilliantly creative designer, author and film maker has died.
I’ve never met him, but I’ve been a big fan of him and his work for years. In 2001, I read his first book, MTIV; Process, Inspiration, and Practice for the New Media Designer.
What struck me about the book wasn’t just his wonderful design work, but the open and honest way he would share stories about his life, and how it influenced his work. By exposing his own vulnerabilities through his stories he really reassured me that you should always be yourself, and approach life and design with openness and honesty. That you don’t have to change who you are to be successful.
Hillman has made many short films on design over the years that have been more than inspirational to me, and I’m sure thousands of designers. They show a view of design that we might never have seen otherwise. Strangely enough, and I don’t know why this has stuck with me for so long, I think of this photograph and story from his book every time I hit turbulence in an airplane. Every time.
Here’s the excerpt.
“August 2001: I’m on a plane, flying to Las Vegas for a job, headphones on, cranking whatever MP3’s I have on my hard drive, trying to quell my fear. The plane is bouncing around, dipping, and rattling. In the middle of it all, I recall a line from some pop song –– “Nothing Really Matters…” –– and I weave that phrase into my white knuckled prayers. But when I’m in the worst of it, it occurs to me the line is crap. Watered-down Zen Buddhism. In fact, everything matters. The plane and everyone on it matter; the clouds matter; the birds matter. Las Vegas, New York, and every town in between matter. My company, coworkers, and work all matter….And most importantly, my wife and little boy matter…a lot.
Clearly, the experience brought out the philosopher in me. And it’s a philosophy I hold in every aspect of life, including my work. But with one key difference: In life, everything is important, no matter how small or seemingly insignificant; in design, each element must be deliberately chosen, and only then does it matter.”
Thank you for the inspiration Hillman. You’ll be missed.
Here’s more of Hillman Curtis’s work.
