Stupid movie quotes can really make my day- There is the all-time classic Rambo III dialogue, that shows that there can be too much minimalism. Some designers and Zen followers should think about that.

Hamid: What’s that?
Rambo: It’s blue light.
Hamid: What does it do?
Rambo: It turns blue.

As you can see, all relevant information have been delivered, and a few laughs. This is just one example how movies can teach us about life. Another one of my favorite movies, not to say that Rambo III would be one, is Predator. Thinking about becoming a freelancer? Watch Predator and learn from it. Let’s start with my favorite movie quote ever:

Poncho: You’re bleeding, man. You’re hit.
Blain: I ain’t got time to bleed.
Poncho: Oh… Okay…
Poncho: [shooting grenades to a MG-Nest] You got time to duck?

Again, we can find some sparse dialogue, but this time there is actually a message. “You’re bleeding, man. You’re hit.” Poncho underlines something that has happened and that seems to be important, at least to him. Now as a matter of fact, this might not be important for you. Even though Poncho is in your team, bleeding is something that you do alone, as are most creative processes, sure you can teamwork, brainstorm and get information from others, but after all, it’s up to you. Don’t let others tell you what’s important unless they will take an active role to change it.
This leads right to the second part of the quote “You got time to duck?”, which tells another simple truth, even though there are a lot of things (such as bleeding) where you make your own decisions, sometimes you have to listen to your teammates & friends or you will get hurt.

1. Follow your own sources of inspiration, as there is no one who can do that for you.
2. Listen to your friends when trouble is ahead.

Predator inspired work-flow

Now you could be of the opinion that after such an amazing inspiration delivered by Predator, that there is nothing more in it. That’s completely wrong, if you look closely you can find some other gems in there that will take your creativity and freelancing to another level.

• Technology is king.
  The Predator has some fancy stealth armor that allows him to hunt without being seen, which makes him pretty badass. Not only is he invisible, he also has some nasty weapons to toy with. In the freelance world this means for you that you should get some decent equipment and make sure you stay up to date, it will make most of your tasks easier.
• Even though technology is king, fancy is not always enough.
  Having the latest gadgets and tricks and being the meanest motherfucker on planet earth, even though you are an alien, does not make you prone to winning every time. Same goes for artists, just because you have the best technology and tools does not guarantee that you will create great art or get every job. You are just as good as your competitors.
• Always have a backup plan.
  No matter who you are, always have a backup plan, Arnie had two traps to catch the predator. The predator had a nuclear bomb in case he lost. Someone dependent on creative capital should always create more than one project to have a backup plan, you always have to eat, and shelter in a cozy home is not bad as well.
• Run when things are about to blow up.
  At the end Arnie was the winner, nevertheless he had to run like hell. This is one of the most important lessons you can learn as someone creating creative capital, no matter if you have to deal with jackass clients, or people who want to tell you how you have to create your art. Have your rules, stick to them and when someone else breaks those rules, don’t hesitate to take steps so he won’t break your rules again.
• Don’t drop your equipment into the water.
  Mr. Fancy Predator jumped into the water, lost his invisibility as his gear was not waterproof and revealed that he had infrared vision, not being able to see cold targets. After all, this is what caused Mr. Predator to lose to Arnold, besides that it was an action movie in the 80s. Relates to the creative capitalist as following:
  1. clean your brushes, cameras and equipment.
  2. take care of your paperwork.
  3. use gloves when you work with prints.
  4. …

The scene