

I am tired of making crap, who's with me? - kentf
http://kent.io/post/66892209965/the-end-of-mediocrity?r=hn

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unclesaamm
This is a really vacuous article. I don't mean it in a bad way, but this is
probably the kind of attitude that leads to making "crap" in the first place.
What makes something good is almost certainly unclear in the beginning, and
requires a degree of persistence. You can't just throw some shit on the paper,
post it on HN, and call it a day. That's crap.

~~~
kentf
First off thanks for the comment!

Totally agree, was a quick blog post and re-reading now, not the best I have
ever written.

The sentiment I was trying to get a across was more the intention / attitude
when making things.

I have spent a lot of life working for clients that didn't have a strong
vision. I took the work, because I have a mortgage to pay and told myself that
I could TRY and show them that we didn't need to build this mediocre thing.
That they were better than that. That we could do more together.

Often times, that wasn't the case. I got paid to make a crappy website or app,
and I did it.

I have a new found feeling that I will simply choose not to do that anymore. I
work at an amazing startup and luckily have an exec team that lets me make un-
crappy things. But I speak to a lot of people who aren't so lucky.

I just want us to re-calibrate.

I feel that a lot of founders, hackers, marketers example are looking for the
quick buck, the easiest way to fame and fortune even if that means not really
doing something worthwhile.

I am ranting again... I will stop. I do appreciate the feedback though. All
the best.

------
jaggederest
A) Unsuccessful on the first try - this is a crappy blog post. It's like a
blog post that says "I think people can fly, you're not limited to the ground!
Start flying!" \- cool, but how?

B) That's the exact opposite of what I took away from Ira's sentiment - just
because you're making crap doesn't mean you are forever going to be making
crap, because every bit of practice makes you better, so keep at it.

~~~
kentf
Hey!

I totally agree w/ B). I know that there are a lot of people out there that
'think' they are making crap, but they aren't. In fact,that's the creative
process. They are on a path and it's getting better and better.

What I meant to bring across in this post was the intention of making crap.

I know people that intentionally make crap. This crap makes a lot of money.
They know it's crap but they don't care.

Sort of akin to these amazingly smart mathematicians and physicists working
for Goldman Sachs rather than trying to solve the 'big' problems.

I used to get paid by companies to make apps, websites that had no vision. No
real purpose other than to make money.

I see so many other people trying to find shortcuts to success, so they make
crap. I just wish or want to live in a world, where people understand B). They
see that they are on a process, that its okay for something to be crap, as
long as the intention behind it is good. That's what Ira is saying. He wants
to be good, but he isn't good yet, but it's the WANTING that makes the
difference.

Does that make sense? Anyway, thanks for the comments. I will try and flesh
this out more before posting next time.

------
TheZenPsycho
All good things start out as crappy things that are then refined. To declare
that you will stop making crap is to remove the only path to making quality
things, and resigning yourself to making nothing at all.

~~~
kentf
Hmm sorry, the point of the article didn't really come across then.

It's the intention of crap that I am rebelling against. I want to make
beautiful and amazing things, but often times I end up making crap. That's
okay, because I have my sights set on greatness, like Ira said.

What worries me is that I am seeing a lot of people that don't have their
sights set on greatness. They know they are making crap and they are okay with
it. There is no intention for growth.

That bothers me.

It's the intention of wanting to do something great that makes all the
difference. You clearly have that, but so many people I meet don't. Almost
like they have given up and resorted to making crap.

That's what I am rebelling against. Does that make sense?

~~~
TheZenPsycho
I suppose I do but it's a phase I've gone through and grown out of many years
ago. what other people do is their business. you can try and inspire them
sure, but you don't know their struggles, you don't know why they've resigned,
there's many things I don't know about the world and about other people and I
accept that.

for some people, they just do not have the ability to move beyond "making
crap" because it's not important for them. Something else is more important,
like their children, or their mental health, or their drug habit, or their
real hobby.

