Grrrrr.
I have had to console more than one person this week over the feelings resulting from another person’s belittling or simple lack of clear understanding. Today I was blessed with the opportunity to practice what I preached in terms of the solutions I suggested.
Here is what happened.
At my work, the attitude of the management toward merchandising, advertising and all aesthetic considerations of marketing is negligent to say the least. Stubbornly ignorant at times even. Like all signage was printed in black ink on yellow paper until I started kicking up a fuss and demanding better materials when they brought it to me to do. Now we have several examples of my early experimentations in graphic design, tossed in higgledy-piggledy with the black on yellow, and earlier incarnations yet, down to handwritten signs with marker on cardboard. There are hundred of signs in this store, and I have requested to be able to redo them all, but there has been little cooperation.
Last month we had a meeting regarding signage and it was agreed that I would take over designing the Specials board that you see as you enter the store. It was being done by the corporate sales and marketing chick who, while having a lot of creativity, doesn’t seem to get how to make signs readable. It was also agreed that I would have all necessary information and pictures one week before the board was expected to be ready.
A lot of things were agreed to that never happened, and in the end marketing wound up doing it again, largely because I did not in fact receive the stuff I needed to even begin until 6 days into the month.
Last night I dreamed that everyone was hassling me to get this month’s done. I woke up realizing it was a week away from the end of the month. When I got to work I asked the manager about the specials and he said he would look into it.
A few minutes later the woman who I report directly to approached me. She said that the board did not have to be of good quality, and they thought two days was enough to get it done. I disagreed. I asked that I get the photos by Monday at the latest, she said Wednesday was soon enough. The board has to be done for Friday. I was kind of bewildered. She then spoke belittlingly about my inability to get the last one done and said she hoped I could do it without help this time. Excuse me? It is true I did get mysteriously bogged down in the last one, I could have accomplished more but I felt really pressured by the lack of time and the volume of material I had to work with, which is why I had asked for a week. it was actually a week into Sept before I got the pics last time.
No matter, no one is perfect, and I’m not really trying to make excuses for not doing it, but I will say that I have a solid track record for creating very good quality work in a reasonable period of time. But not in no time. Not in negative time.
Anyway, I continued arguing with her for the time I needed even as she turned her back and walked away from me! And then I got upset. The best thing about working where I work is how reasonable and respectful everyone is to each other, so I was pretty shocked.
I considered a number of retaliations. I wanted to chase her down to the office and raise a fuss. I thought of telling the owner of the company. I even considered walking out I was so upset. The worst part was knowing that not only was I right, but that she would have thought so too on any other day, and I still don’t know what happened.
Anyway, what I did in the end was vented on the store manager, who is also her husband. I said very simply that I would handle any personal issues between her and I myself, but that I would like him to intervene on the matter of getting me those pics and things. He said he would see what he could do. Then I went to marketing girl and asked her if it might be possible to get the stuff by Monday. She said I could probably have it by the end of today, no problem.
No one knows why Val was so determined to wait till the last minute. I haven’t asked her. None of this actually depends on her cooperation anyway, I don’t even know why she got involved.
I considered approaching her and asking for an apology, but I find I prefer to simply quietly circumvent her attempt to thwart my efficiency by enlisting the help of others and having the board ready to go BY Wednesday with the best quality graphics and layout I can produce. Then I can say to everyone, "looks good, don’t it? Boy, it’s nice to have that out of the way already. It’s wonderful how that policy we all agreed on to get this done efficiently and well has been upheld with such success! Don’t you think, Val?"
Being right and doing a terrific job of your assigned task and looking good doing it at the same time are all very satisfying, but the best revenge is getting your own way.
Bitch.
That’s the way that I am really evil btw everyone. Because I will find the best solution to get around people's dicking with me and they will never know it in time to cook up a new plan. I will just go right ahead and do what I want, disregarding all efforts to obstruct me. I will do so without drawing attention to their stupidity, so that they may feel quietly stupid when i succeed and have the added frustration of knowing I have kindly spared them the public embarrassment when I could have made an issue of their failed attempts.
Neener neener. Take a lesson you guys, again, heres how to use my infuriating attitude to get your way!
My art school friend has experienced a similar problem, which you can all read about if you click on her comment on my tom poem. the instructions some anonymous guy left on how to post a link were unclear, and it keeps rejecting, so scroll back and find that if you care to understand the details.
She came up with a few ways to communicate her pissed off-ness about this to the class, which I argued were unconstructive. She said "am I just supposed to meekly take this crap and play their game then?" I said, no, you’re supposed to beat them at their game. You have the option of going back and presenting you ideas in such a way that at least one person in the class may be willing to attempt viewing your piece the way you intend it to be viewed. If even one person chooses to go against the norm and experience it the way you intend, you win. It may be that this person will come to the conclusion that the others have without trying it out, and you will have to accept that, but the objective of your art is to challenge thinking, not to threaten or alienate those unwilling to be rise to the challenge, which will serve only to cause them to close down to your ideas.
And that’s true, it may be more satisfying in the short term to vent, to throw another persons shortcomings in their face, etc., but its just not very efficient. Even when a person deserves it with all their might, it’s not worth it if you can instead use their negative energy to power your own success. It makes you look good, feel good, and makes them look and feel stupid, and that’s what we all want, aint it?