The art and beauty of shonky work
Prelude to an epiphany
A couple of days ago, at 3:09 pm, I received an automated email response. The result of a job application for a role as assistant brand manager -I just finished an hour ago- was in. It was going to be a no for them. The mail bot thanked me for applying and reassured me the decision only applied for this specific position, meaning I could still apply for other jobs at the company. In the 6 sentence email, I was also kindly offered to join their talent community to « stay up to date on all things *insert company name* ».
I don’t really take rejection to heart, since it serves as an invaluable learning and growing opportunity. I am, however, still human. So I sulked for a bit, reflected on what could’ve gone wrong and then moved on. The frustration was mainly due to a lack of feedback and constructive criticism. After spending hours fine-tuning a personalised cover letter and performing research on the company, its brand, offering and work to ace their online assessment, all I got back was:
« We have reviewed your qualifications and, unfortunately, we will not be able to process your application further. »
This 7 minute read isn’t about rejection. I applied for three more jobs after I got that email. The rejection is actually one of the catalysts that lead to this thoug ht piece.
Shonky?!
Like the catchy title said, this thought piece is about shonky work. I can already hear you muttering « What in the **** does that even mean? ». So let me elaborate on shonky’s meaning before we carry on. When googling the term, Collins English Dictionary serves you the following:
Shonky (ˈʃɒŋki)
1. of dubious integrity or legality
2. unreliable, unsound
The conventional definition of shonky is not the one I abide by. I was gifted the adjective and its meaning in early 2019, by an artist friend in London. He later told me he got it from artist and scholar Dr John Walter. In his 2017 lecture at the AA School of Architecture, Dr John Walter perfectly described the essence of shonky. More importantly, he defined what « good shonky » is:
« Shonky is elegant, exquisite. You admire the thing because of its precision. It’s not precision as in « I vacuum-formed this thing and it’s slick », it’s precision as in « oh my god what a brilliant solution to the problem ». »
Shonky could describe something that just does the job, is aesthetically awkward or does not necessarily fit in a specific model. It can also be used as an umbrella term to bring artists together that would not have been associated with each other before. Rather than focusing on the pejorative, Dr John Walter looked at work that defied good taste, and orderliness. He saw shonky as a critical term to rethink processes in art-making.
Shonky work
To me, the adjective is more than just fun slang or a catchy buzz word. Shonky is a way of thinking, acting and perceiving. Don’t worry, I am not preaching the gospel of the « church of shonky » . The word, in my eyes, simply embodies potential and promise. It’s about being flexible, open to and ready for change and most importantly, not striving for perfection. Entrepreneurs and scientists have acknowledged that perfectionism can lead to ones downfall, so why not allow our work to be shonky from time to time?
I apply it daily, to my work, photography and much more. You could say this thought piece is shonky. The text was drafted in Pages, pictures were quickly edited in Preview and the entirety of a thought process just thrown in the Medium styling. It serves, however, the main purpose it was made for: sharing a story. It just works, and that’s the beauty of it.
Similarly to the lean methodology, shonky work is open to mistakes, since making them helps in identifying learning opportunities. It even goes one step further by embracing those mistakes made during the process as part of the final product. Generating shonky work and embracing imperfection allows us to not only learn in a more sustainable way, but also to work without a sword of Damocles hanging above our head.
Errataphobia, the fear of making a mistake and atelophobia, the fear of imperfection, often act as a double-edged sword. They can push someone to deliver outstanding work as well as impede someone’s work process. Ultimately, the delivered performance would suffer under pressure.
Pj workshop
Alright! We now know I got rejected and added shonky to our vocabulary and we also briefly discussed why shonky work could be beneficial. We can finally get to the good stuff! After sulking and additional job hunting to cope with the loss of a great job opportunity, I received the following instagram dm:
Tomas, a multidisciplinary artist and distant acquaintance, asked me for help. He was aiming to rebrand himself but had no idea how to do it or where to start. He told me he was an artist, not a branding expert. When faced with something novel, getting lost in researching how to start often impedes actually acting. I told him I wasn’t an expert, but I dabbled and would gladly help.
After texting for a while, I quickly realised he simply couldn’t see the forrest for the trees. His list of questions and things to do was piling up without giving him a clear idea on how to get the ball rolling on his rebranding. He offered to jump on a video call to discuss this further. I initially refused, since I felt this might require more thorough research and a better moment to chat. But I was easily swayed and agreed to call in fifteen minutes.
So I used that time to research and outline what I thought Tomas’ first steps should be and what key questions he should be answering at this stage. We jumped on a call and chatted for an hour and a half, discussing his situation, me presenting him what I scribbled together in fifteen minutes and us then brainstorming together. I had more to present Tomas, but realised the sun had set and it was time for me to head down and eat. So we ended the chat on a virtual selfie, we’re millennials after all.
Shonky works
During the call, I also asked Tomas three things: a picture of his notes, what he felt was his biggest learning and an honest review of our impromptu session. This wasn’t my first 1-on-1 session. It was, however, the first time I actually asked for feedback to be written down for me instead of just being voiced. This is what I got back:
Tomas’ feedback: « Observant and straightforward; Sami truly knows his craft as a social media strategist. Providing me with the clarity and direction I needed to branch out my brand in only one session. »
Tomas’ learning: « I’m someone who needs structure to work, and online content management can be quite chaotic. Having Sami come in and give me clear advice on how to approach my goals is a blessing. What I’m taking away from our conversation is a structured view on what to work on next! Thank you once again Sami for helping me organize my plans! »
This Medium article isn’t a way for me to toot my own horn. The reason I asked for feedback was quite simple. First, for me to obviously learn and see if I could improve anything based on this session. Second, I decided to start recording proof that a shonky way of working actually works. I delivered a 1-on-1 workshop session through WhatsApp video call while sitting on my bed, in my pjs with nothing but a very vague brief and fifteen minutes worth of preparation scribbled on two pages. And it seemed to have been successful. Far from perfect, but still a resounding success from what Tomas sent me. Standardised online job assessments don’t necessarily account for someone’s ability to perform such a feat.
So did I learn something today?
I’m not advocating for shonky to become a global go-to approach. NASA, please don’t start making shonky rockets just yet. But in many other scenarios, working in a less conventional way and embracing flaws, shortcomings and mistakes could lead to amazing results. I could have said no to Tomas’ spontaneous video call request to better prepare and to ensure a perfect result. I am happy I didn’t, as I learned a lot from this imperfectly prepared and executed session.
This random thought piece was initially meant for my eyes only. A writing exercise that turned into a cathartic release after dealing with rejection, which in turn became my first Medium article. And I still feel it isn’t meant for anyone specifically, rather for everyone. As I finish typing this shonky article sitting on a blanket on the roof, watching strangers break social distancing rules in my neighborhood, all I can hope for is that whoever reads this will take a minute to reflect and see if they too can make their work and even their life a little more shonky. In a world governed by rules and regulations, just be shonky from time to time.
