Senior Art Director Samwise Didier talks creativity in recent AMA

To promote the release of his new novel The Last Winter, Blizzard’s Senior Art Director Samwise Didier conducted an AMA (Ask Me Anything) on the World of Warcraft subreddit. Though he didn’t answer oodles of questions, what responses he provided are worth a read for anyone in a creative field — or anyone hoping to one day enter a creative field. He discusses his ABCs of creativity, what Blizzard looks for when hiring new artists, and touches on the topic of artist’s block.

Personally, I find it a bit much to suggest no one should ever have artist’s block or writer’s block. Perhaps no one should have it, but often, artists do have it. The key distinction, however, is whether the block is viewed as a wall or a hurdle. The block is something to overcome, and if you view it as something to overcome and keep working at it or trying new things, you’ll eventually jump the hurdle. I’ve struggled with this as a writer even with my work here on Blizzard Watch. Sometimes, I’ll get stuck on a lede or how I should structure a piece, and instead of cranking away at it, I turn to the many distractions readily at hand. Launching World of Warcraft or reading Twitter isn’t going to help me jump the hurdle, yet it’s something I catch myself doing.

A block is only a block if it’s allowed to be a block. Rather than seeing a wall and succumbing to distraction, view it as a hurdle and find a way to navigate it.

Of course, this was a Samwise Didier AMA on a World of Warcraft subreddit. Surely, you’re here for World of Warcraft facts and tidbits. How about the origins of Uther and Illidan? (Wait, was that the lede?)