If you’re fortunate enough to be in New York anytime between now and June 11, 2011 you should make every effort to see Ryoji Ikeda’s “The Transfinite” installation at the Park Avenue Armory. It’s a massive audiovisual experience in two parts which should convince the most sceptical of audiences that maybe this whole “new media” thing has something going for it after all.

On the occasion of a recent graduate show students from Berghs School of Communication in Sweden have conducted a series of interviews with some very bright people about the fear of failure. Predictably, many responded with the old adage: “Embrace failure.”

While undoubtably true, that idea requires some translation in order to make into one’s personal practice and to most students it seems tremendously unhelpful. So Milton Glaser’s comments stand out by going far beyond simple encouragement. Instead he outlines an excellent argument for why the fear of failure leads to stagnation: If you only do what you’ve already proven to be good at, in the future you will always be asked to do that type of specialized service. As a result creative development ceases and rot sets in.

All creatives develop their own arsenal of tried-and-tested tricks. I’m certainly guilty of that. But I am always most impressed by people who take chances with their work and trust their instincts. I am also most pleased by my own projects when I feel they go beyond what I already know. So I for one think Mr.Glaser’s advice is damn good advice.

Make sure to watch the whole thing, it’s some of the most useful 7 minutes and 30 seconds you’ll spend this week…