Rules Are What Artists Break

“Rules are what the artist breaks; the memorable never emerged from a formula.” - Bill Bernbach

From the lean startup methodology, which describes a system for testing and validating business models, to activities like unit testing and TDD, which describe a system for testing and validating a codebase, startups love a good process. 

And who among us doesn’t love clear systems and repeatable processes? But while process is important as a framework and guide, we should remember that process is not itself an end. 

Good process produces good results, sure, but great results come when an idea transcends the confines of the process, using it as a springboard into something both novel and meaningful.

Consider the art of Salvador Dalí, who was deeply familiar with the technical aspects of painting handed down form the Renaissance masters, knew the tools, knew the techniques, but who greatly diverged from classical considerations to develop his own voice. Most would agree he’s one of the most unique and memorable artists from the past century, not because he followed rules, but because he knew the rules intimately enough that he could effectively break them. 

The truth is that most people like the idea of developing effective systems and processes because of the sense of control and predictability they afford those within the system. 

But systems are by their definition tools of measurement and control, usually enacted as an organization grows and as a result needs to impose structures to ensure consistency of word an action, not tools of creation. 

Again, consistency, clarity, control, and the like aren’t inherently bad things. But we must remember that systems and processes are based on the past and used to predicability shape the future. As Bernbach so wisely quipped, “the memorable never emerged from a formula,” and only when the boundaries of the rules are tested will inspiration reveal itself. 

We can all follow the steps to epiphany and ascribe to lean startup methodologies, and probably be stronger for it, but when everyone builds according to the same instruction manual, we ought not be surprised when we witness a dearth of creative thinking in the tech community. 

If you’re in the business of solving big problems with creative solutions, process matters, but understanding when to push beyond the process matters more. Allowing yourself and your team to push the limits of your systems just might lead to a discovery—in design, product, code, or whatever—that delights your users and further differentiates from the competition.