Do you think Anthony Bourdain would care about going viral?

At the core of Bourdain’s work, it was always about the attention to detail first, and most of the time, it was those same unglamorous details that editors chose to ignore for whatever the reason may be. But Bourdain knew that life starts at those moments, and as such, they should be experienced thoroughly first, because that’s the only way the story could be told properly. For creatives, it’s not different. We’re all quick to shout references, see something cool, grab it, and post it fast, without knowing the full story, let alone indulging in it first to truly understand the essence of it, as we let the true story reveal itself the deeper we go, and we don’t force it. That same approach is also what allows the creative to work from a place of genuine curiosity. Comparing it to TikTok, assuming someone saw a 60-second video about a specific designer, made by someone else, and good or bad, some things weren’t included, obviously. Now the creative has two options: continue with their life knowing only this piece of information, or dive deeper and truly understand more about the designer, about the time the work was released, and anything else that can help bring another angle to the story - most importantly an angle that no one has covered yet. Research first, output second.

Now you might say “well, anyone can travel, and if we had the budget we’d be able to do the same,” and granted, economics is real. But there’s a difference between covering a culture and performatively showing interest because it benefits one’s current moment or project, especially if the creative isn’t planning on learning more than what’s being presented at the moment. It might start with reading about a designer whose ethos or style you didn’t agree with, but there’s this one look you saw that you had to research. And next thing you know, you’re deep researching, to a point that you know the designer’s parents’ names, or whatever the case may be for each situation. The process of researching by itself is “painful,” because you cannot observe new things passively, you have to explore, look through the rough parts and not the polished ones, with the belief that what’s on the other side will be worth much more than that 60-second video you just watched, or that short quote you saw on IG/Pinterest/Tumblr/your platform of choice

Virality is worth nothing to us if there’s no substance or any contribution to anything significant. There’s no reason to chase the viral moment, because it means you have to sacrifice one thing, and that thing is usually the depth we’re starving for in the current landscape. But above all, honesty was the trait that made us fall in love with Bourdain, that connection that felt like it was more than just watching him on a big boxy TV in the living room, it felt like we were traveling with him. And just like that, we keep looking for the creatives who will take us on a journey with them, no matter what industry they chose, or what vehicle of expression. Discipline and trust will get you further than anything you might do. Cover: William Mebane for The New Yorker