CHECK-IN: TIMBA SMITS
ON VIENNA:
When I first arrived, the first thing that I was surprised about was the attention to detail. It’s got a really creative past and you can see that in the architecture and in the streets. Everything around you is designed.
ON VIENNA’S CREATIVE SCENE:
Just from my experience of speaking at Forward Festival (which was sold out), there is a demand and a hunger for creativity. The interaction that I had with the audience was really fantastic—they were a very open to new ideas, insights and inspiration from outside Vienna.
Firecracker L.A. By Timba Smits
Music Oracles By Timba Smits
ON BEING SLOW & STEADY:
I’ve had a career for 20-plus years now, and throughout that time, the biggest friend to me has been this sense of taking things slowly, being really steady with my work and realizing that I have a whole lifetime to do this. That there is no rush. That good things take time and great things take a lifetime—that’s my motto. And after 20 years, I feel like I’m only just scratching the surface.
In the early stages your career, you almost need to embrace the slowness. It’s a chance for you to develop your style and your way of thinking to make yourself different. Because being different is about being yourself.
But I certainly don’t want anybody to confuse steadiness with routine. Routine is a killer of creativity. Instead, I’m talking about setting yourself a nice pace because you’ve got a long time to work at this. Often, people just jump into things too quickly and take on too much work in a very short period of time. And I think that’s where burnout lives.
ON PLAY:
People often tell me “I wish I was creative. I wish I could draw.” I believe we can all draw. That you are creative, you just buried it under all of the seriousness of becoming an adult. Just dig away and find it again; it’s there and everybody has it.
In that respect, I think very much like a kid all the time. I stop for an hour and play with Legos every day because it’s a form of meditation, it allows me to disconnect from what I’m doing and clear my mind. It’s good for problem solving too. Over the years, we bury that child-like wonder and that child connection to creativity with all these layers of worry, fear and stress.
ON HAPPINESS:
So often, we’re too focused on the big things that we want to attain or achieve that we forget to notice the small things in life, and the small things are what (ultimately) bring us happiness. I have a trick: I notice five to ten small things on a daily basis, and over time if you add these up, they are much bigger than that one BIG thing.
Left: Firecracker L.A. / Right: Music Oracles / By Timba Smits
ON BEING SLOW & STEADY:
I’ve had a career for 20-plus years now, and throughout that time, the biggest friend to me has been this sense of taking things slowly, being really steady with my work and realizing that I have a whole lifetime to do this. That there is no rush. That good things take time and great things take a lifetime—that’s my motto. And after 20 years, I feel like I’m only just scratching the surface.
In the early stages your career, you almost need to embrace the slowness. It’s a chance for you to develop your style and your way of thinking to make yourself different. Because being different is about being yourself.
But I certainly don’t want anybody to confuse steadiness with routine. Routine is a killer of creativity. Instead, I’m talking about setting yourself a nice pace because you’ve got a long time to work at this. Often, people just jump into things too quickly and take on too much work in a very short period of time. And I think that’s where burnout lives.
ON PLAY:
People often tell me “I wish I was creative. I wish I could draw.” I believe we can all draw. That you are creative, you just buried it under all of the seriousness of becoming an adult. Just dig away and find it again; it’s there and everybody has it.
In that respect, I think very much like a kid all the time. I stop for an hour and play with Legos every day because it’s a form of meditation, it allows me to disconnect from what I’m doing and clear my mind. It’s good for problem solving too. Over the years, we bury that child-like wonder and that child connection to creativity with all these layers of worry, fear and stress.
ON HAPPINESS:
So often, we’re too focused on the big things that we want to attain or achieve that we forget to notice the small things in life, and the small things are what (ultimately) bring us happiness. I have a trick: I notice five to ten small things on a daily basis, and over time if you add these up, they are much bigger than that one BIG thing.
