I got a courtesy call from a Dell salesman to follow-up on a $2,000 laptop I’d recently purchased. He introduced himself, “Hi, this is Jim, the guy who sold you the laptop – how’s it going?”
Yuck.
I don’t want to talk to a guy who thinks he sold me something. Jim should have called and said, “Hi, this is Jim, from Dell. How’s that great laptop you chose treating you?”
I’m the customer. Make me feel like the smart and successful part of the transaction.
Andy Warhol created the famous Marilyn Monroe montage below. It probably took him a while and I’m sure the original is worth millions.
I created this montage of my dog Ziggy in 20 minutes using a filter on my Pixel 2 phone and PowerPoint.
Has easy creativity “cheapened” creativity?
No, I don’t think technology is narrowing the gap between real talent and tech-stimulated creativity. Technology is enabling those of us not making a living as artists to be able to enjoy being creative without a steep learning curve. “Ziggy Warhol” was fun to make, and now fun to write about. I don’t think Andy Warhol, if alive, would feel threatened.