On Suzuki's and Helping a friend with their project
On "Suzuki's"
*Disclaimer: The following are my opinions and speculations on how creativity and productivity work, and persons mentioned as an example is based on my interpretation of what is known about them and not to be taken as fact. If you see this asterisk, it means remember this disclaimer.
As this is my blog, I will strap you down to my current "hyperfixation" of "Suzuki"'s. Even though I identify as an artist, I sometimes play the role of Suzuki for others.
Miyazaki's (Studio Ghibli) talent was revealed by Suzuki. Toshio Suzuki believed in Miyazaki before Miyazaki believed in himself. I learned that Miyazaki had a difficult childhood, and an intelligent but volatile mother (due to her chronic pain). In my opinion, I think it was the cause of his genius and the cause of his emotional turmoil.* It made him wildly perfectionistic, but also volatile.
But, that's where Suzuki came in. He believed he just needed to give Miyazaki the stability to nurse his genius. And Suzuki's human first, emotional intelligence brought out the greatness in Miyazaki. He would help Miyazaki relieve stress, let him vent, and listen intensely, and joke around and keep a light hearted atmosphere. I believe under these conditions, no wonder he became wildly successful.
Over and over again, I learned about these Miyazaki-Suzuki relationships. When someone wrote, "Talent is Overrated" and bragged about the "10,000" hours mythos that anyone can just grind their way into excellence, no one had ever pointed out the importance of having a Suzuki in your life. Or developing one in yourself. I think for a lot of people, their first Suzuki is their mothers. And when they have an anti-Suzuki, someone who tears them down and dims their light (such as Adele's ex-husband) It smothers out the light that wants to create.
Over and over, once I saw the pattern, I couldn't unsee it. Young, bright talents, paired with a grounding and stable Suzuki.
With Fate / Type Moon, the author had a Suzuki, who believed in what he was making and allowed him to live with him rent-free to work to write full time.
Toby Fox got to live in Hussie's basement, because Hussie believed in Undertale. Suzuki's believe in their talent's work. (Hussie was a creator himself too)
You see every mangaka paired with an editor. Or FMA and Ranma's gentle, supportive, private husbands supporting the artist. Or ConcernedApe's supportive girlfriend and family.
The intensity and sensitivity of the creator must be balanced by a Suzuki. The chaos and intensity is the enemy, but is also part of the package. You can't have genius without the other. It is stress that kills creativity. You need safety and stability to nurture that genius. Families that disown their children for pursuing art is... a great evil. It kills the dream. It was never that the artist could "never make it", but they were never given the right environment to grow.
The myth that they developed alone is simply a myth.
In the golden age of my art, I was surrounded by Suzuki's - my close and supportive friends, my financial stability, and good health. No wonder my art flourished!
I don't know how to conclude this post. I just wanted to vibe about Suzuki's. And anticipate the day when I can set my own hours. I believe we shouldn't feel guilty for needing support to make art. Also, I want to create an OC named Suzuki. This concept fascinates me so much.
Oh yeah! I was helping a friend with their project. And they were like me, they thought they needed an external deadline - but I think they need someone who understands them. And everything I've used in helping them break down their project into manageable pieces, were all stuff I learned in my software process class. And, it is just like how I think Suzuki's and manga editor's talent's lie in breaking down the project and deadlines into realistic chunks, so that the artist is free to focus on creating. Another thing I wanted to share is, a lot of people will blame themselves, without realizing what they need are Suzuki skills (emotional regulation, calmness, humor, lightness, planning and execution skills) and they more than enough have the talent, intelligence, wit, and creativity to do something great. What people need is a Suzuki, what people often meet instead is an anti-Suzuki.
Anti Suzuki's will put doubt, pressure, and question you relentlessly on your project. Anti-Suzuki's withhold praise, feel insecure, or give you too much praise and flattery. A good Suzuki (or really, "coach" or "editor") should be emotionally intelligent and understanding most of all.