Demystifying Taste

According to Merriam-Webster, taste means to become acquainted with by experience. The keyword is experience. Taste plays a vital role in the creative sphere, whether you’re a graphic designer or a copywriter. Imagine writing a script for a video commercial for a high-end fashion brand, but you are not a fashionable person. You don’t know the difference between a cardigan and a hoodie, let alone pair one of them with an inner shirt. Worse, you grew up in a household where fashion sense is from the Jurassic era. How would you even begin to write a trendy narrative?

Tell me it’s easy. All you have to do is research. That’s a great idea, actually, but not enough for you to form a solid comprehension of the fashion world. Like The Matrix, fashion is meant to be experienced. One must immerse himself in it. Internalize its nuances. My dad wasn’t a fashionable person. He believed he was. Let’s just say he always missed the mark. Why? Because he never experienced fashion in the real sense of the word.

A better explanation is you can’t make sushi by just researching it. You have to pick and buy the right ingredients, learn how to cut the meat, and roll the rice. But then, since you’re a novice, you don’t have an idea of how it will turn out. It will take several attempts before you can come up with decent sushi. The point is you have to experience and appreciate the entire process before you develop a taste for good sushi.

It’s possible to have an appreciation for the unfamiliar only if you’re open to it. Many creatives I’ve worked with are willing to try new things, whether it’s a genre of music or an exotic delicacy. They understand the value of having discernment for different flavors. They know how to tell a tacky from a trendy design because they’ve seen and explored every type of esthetics.

Art is a product of our experiences, inspirations, and emotions. The best works are a blend of these three.