How I Turned Frustration Into Creative Success | Joshua Schachter | TED

Overview

Joshua Schachter shares his unconventional journey from creating geometric art with plotters to achieving viral fame by programming robots to make deliberate mistakes. His story highlights the power of embracing constraints, humor, and imperfection to connect with audiences in unexpected ways.

Notable Quotes

- I promised people oddly satisfying, and then I would betray them. – Joshua Schachter, on the art of subverting expectations.

- If you go on the internet and see something that annoys you just a bit... it might have been me. – Joshua Schachter, reflecting on his viral impact.

- You could manufacture emotions of various kinds with just a robot and pen and paper. – Joshua Schachter, on the emotional power of deliberate imperfection.

🎨 The Evolution of Plotter Art

- Schachter began creating geometric art using plotters, writing code and sometimes building the machines himself.

- Early attempts to share his work on social media were met with little attention, despite the soothing sounds of the plotters.

- A pivotal moment came when he experimented with a chocolate 3D printer extruder filled with acrylic paint, leading to chaotic but intriguing results.

🤖 Deliberate Mistakes and Emotional Reactions

- Schachter programmed robots to make deliberate mistakes in their art, such as drawing dots out of order or creating mazes that bypassed the exit.

- These imperfections sparked strong emotional reactions: some viewers were frustrated, others sympathized with the robot, and some even danced to the process.

- He discovered that these errors could manufacture a wide range of emotions, from anger to amusement, using simple tools like a pen and paper.

📈 Viral Success Through Subversion

- Schachter's videos, often under 15 seconds, became wildly popular for their blend of oddly satisfying beginnings and intentionally disappointing endings.

- One video garnered 200,000 hours of watch time, with so many notifications that his phone repeatedly crashed.

- The key to his success was subverting audience expectations, promising satisfaction but delivering betrayal in a humorous way.

🎭 Constraints as Creative Catalysts

- Schachter emphasized the value of constraints in art, such as time limits and the need to hide mistakes within the mechanism.

- However, he noted the risk of becoming a crappy cover artist of his own work, leading him to take a break from the medium.

🌐 The Internet and Annoyance as Art

- Schachter humorously acknowledged that his work, designed to provoke mild annoyance, might be lurking in unexpected corners of the internet.

- His journey underscores how embracing imperfection and humor can transform frustration into creative success.