Innovation means defying best practices
Best practices never create new ideas. Calvin Ross Carl on the courage it takes to defy them, and the motto that keeps Parliament honest: be brave, stand apart.
Summary
Calvin Ross Carl shares a long-held belief at Parliament: best practices never create innovative or new ideas. He admits it’s a little hyperbolic, but it’s something the studio has always stood by. It takes courage to remind yourself that innovation only happens when you defy best practices. That’s why Parliament’s motto is “Be brave, stand apart,” a line that keeps the idea at the front of the work.
Highlights
- Parliament believes best practices never create new ideas.
- Innovation only happens when you defy best practices.
- The studio’s motto is “Be brave, stand apart.”
Key insights
A provocative belief on purpose
Calvin knows the statement is a little hyperbolic, and that’s what makes it useful as a guide.
Courage has to be a habit
A motto keeps the reminder close, because defying best practices never stops feeling risky.
Detailed analysis
This is Calvin’s thesis in its plainest form. By stating it as a rule, Parliament gives itself a standard to push against when the safe option looks tempting. The motto turns a belief into something the team can return to in the moments that test it.
Conclusion
Innovation starts where best practices end. Be brave, stand apart.
This is all on my mind a lot because—it feels like a provocative statement—it’s been a really long-held belief at Parliament that best practices never create innovative and new ideas. That’s maybe a little bit hyperbolic, but it’s just been something that we’ve really stood by. And I think it takes a lot of courage to remind ourselves that innovation only happens when you defy best practices. We’ve always had the motto of “Be brave, stand apart,” and that’s always put this idea at the forefront for us.