Ambition and humility can coexist
Why should I downplay greatness?
Do great work, but act like it's mediocre. Invest all your time, but keep that information private. Win an academy award and thank everyone but yourself. Crazy right?
That seems to be the paradox creatives, and really humans are faced with. You are expected to operate at a level of greatness yet act like you didn’t. Be proud, no be humble, no be proud, no be…it’s exhausting.
I’m sure by now you have seen Timothee Chalamet’s SAG award acceptance speech, if not, go check it out for some context because today’s thoughts were inspired directly by that. Before I was a fashion student, I was an English Lit A-Level student so I have decoded a piece of text or two in my time, this one will be no different.
Timothee Chalamet’s SAG award acceptance speech - highlighted by me
Decoding His Speech:
Each highlight colour has a different meaning that I will address individually in the following bullet points. As always, these are my thoughts and if you have any comments, let me know on my instagram under this post in the comments!
(My speech for the LCF East Bank Opening)
Orange: First and foremost, he recognises what this means to him personally. As much as you can talk about the effort you put into something, only you can really understand it. Students, think of an assignment you did well on, and remember the moments when it was just you and your laptop at 2am. Creatives, think of a project you were working on, and remember how many times you wanted to give up on it. It is not prideful to appreciate when your efforts are being appreciated.
Yellow: Being aware of your environment and position is the first step to humility. He hints at the industry he is part of that can be quite superficial and concedes that the following declaration is abnormal. But that doesn’t mean it is wrong. Sometimes you have to acknowledge your surroundings and have the boldness to be better.
Turquoise: He has a track record of greatness yet he remains humble by acknowledging that he still has more to do before he can be considered on the same level as people he looks up to - that is being respectful and humble knowing that it’s not that easy.
Green: Ambition - This is the part that turned some heads. Confidence has a moment to be private, but it also can be public. Ambition and humility can coexist. Notice he didn’t say he was great, but that he aspired to be. This was a big moment for his career and instead of saying something that blended with any other forgettable speech, he had the courage to timestamp this stage of his career. Who knows, maybe 10 years from now we’ll be referring back to this speech as he continues to elevate his career.
Blue: Acknowledging his audience - Context is important. This speech is not a monologue, he is accepting an award in front of an audience and graciously praises them also. This was not a moment to boast, but a time to share.
Purple: Doesn’t just want to be the best actor which is why he didn’t just mention actors. I love this. This is where it gets specific and sincere. You can’t say you want to be like the best people in your respective industries, if you don’t even know who they are. The names he dropped offer range and insight into what he defines as great. It’s beyond aesthetics, he sees the greatness in people’s work and hopes to be recognised in the same way.
Pink: Not materialistic - its meaning Wrapping this section up with some more humility, he sees the award for what it represents. As a creative, we don’t work for a miniature statue-like award, we work because we love and care about our craft so much that we want to share it. We hope that our audience will like it and things like SAG awards is evidence that our efforts have been well received.
I will go as far as saying that this speech ticks so many boxes that I wouldn’t be surprised if there was some professional help writing it. However, after listening to him speak in the Apple TV interview on Youtube, eloquently describing his creative process and how personal this journey has been, I doubt that is the case.
Arguably, he has enough experience to believe he is one of the greats, yet he has standards for himself that he has not yet reached. He invests himself wholly into his roles because that’s what greatness would do. Creatives, don’t you also have those standards, or particular benchmarks you have for your career and life?
Let this blog be a reminder that you don’t need permission to operate at the highest standard of excellence.
