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- It's Nice That
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- 8 April 2025
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No time for creativity? New video series SuprOrdinary inspires creatives to stop being their own roadblock
Presented by It’s Nice That in association with BUCK, SuprOrdinary follows the inspirational quest of designer Devin Mathews as he seeks to bring more creativity into his life, by any means necessary.
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Though this passion project started as a very personal journey for designer Devin Mathews, many creatives will see a part of themselves in SuprOrdinary. The part fizzing with (mostly unrealised) ideas, that thrives on the chaotic unknown of a new project, which often gets quashed and postponed by the busy day-to-day-ness of being a professional designer.
Following a pivotal moment in his life, Devin had the realisation that he’d been suppressing that side of himself, as many do when life and work and kids take priority. So, he decided he wanted to step off the hamster wheel and make something new, for himself, a set of films about creativity. He was to reconnect with his inner child – who, he says, made videos without overthinking or overproducing, just because it seemed interesting in the moment. Like all good passion projects, he’s drawn from what he knows – his life, his surroundings, his lived experiences, and the resulting series is relatable, funny, emotive and inspiring.
Watch the trailer below and scroll down as we speak to Devin about how it all started, the series’ biggest themes, his highlights, lowlights, and where it might go next.
It’s Nice That:
Tell us more about the inspiration behind SuprOrdinary – what motivated you to start documenting your drive to bring more creativity into your life?
Devin Mathews:
As a kid, I had a bit of a secret life, and I felt like I would have shriveled up from embarrassment if my school peers ever found out about it. I used to make music videos and films with my cousins. That’s where I was introduced to editing and storytelling, and I absolutely loved it, but growing up in a small farm town, I felt like there was never a career path for me there. So after my primary plan of becoming an NBA player didn’t pan out, I took a more practical creative path as a graphic designer and fell in love with all things design. Fast forward to right before the pandemic, one of my cousins who I used to film with tragically passed away. And as one does after the loss of a loved one, I took a good hard look at my life and asked myself: If I were to die tomorrow would I be satisfied with the life I had lived? And while in many aspects of my life I would be, there were other areas that I wasn’t, including my creativity. I felt like my best stuff was still in me. So instead of waiting for that future big moment or that future big project that would allow my creativity to shine, I decided I was going to connect to my inner child and make something I could really be proud of, by simply using the everyday, ordinary things around me.
INT:
How did it come to fruition, and when did you realise it was going to become something you could put out into the wider world?
DM:
I worked on two episodes over the span of a year. I did not anticipate it to take that long but I was working a full-time job and being a full-time dad. The only hours I had to work on it were the wee hours of the night or early hours in the morning, which was exhausting. There was a small part in one of the episodes where I quickly flashed through some of the projects I had worked on at BUCK and I thought it would be a good idea to check and make sure it was ok for me to show those projects in the series. I shared the episode with Kenesha Sneed, BUCK’s head of design and she also shared it with some folks. Long story short everyone who saw it loved it, it got passed around until it made its way into the hands of Ryan Honey, BUCK’s co-founder. He messaged me expressing interest in supporting the show. And needless to say I was a bit taken aback. The only person who had seen the episode up to that point was my wife, who is not a creative person, and loves everything I do because she is obligated to by the unwritten laws of marriage. This was the first bit of validation I had from a group of highly creative people which reassured me that what I made was actually… good! But making something good is only half the battle, so I was more than excited at the opportunity to team up with BUCK in order to really get SuprOrdinary off the ground.
“I hope the series speaks to, not just creatives, but anyone who feels like they have something more to contribute to the world but are a bit stuck.”
Devin Mathews – SuprOrdinary
INT:
Who do you hope the series talks to? What are the overarching themes and messages? How do you think it will help viewers introduce more creativity into their own lives?
DM:
SuprOrdinary is my attempt to uncover the extraordinary in the ordinary world around me, and in myself through the process. I hope the series speaks to, not just creatives, but anyone who feels like they have something more to contribute to the world but are a bit stuck. Chances are, our world needs it, and sometimes I think we sadly become our biggest roadblock. I still find myself thinking there’s not enough time, my idea isn’t quite there, or I wish I had a little more money. But I’m slowly learning there is no time like the present, ideas left in the mind will suffer a slow sad death, and you will never have enough money, so you might as well start with what you have. If I could give anyone who feels this way some advice it would be: start from where you are at, with what you have, and leave regret for the indecisive.
INT:
What sort of tone did you want to set with the series, and how has this been created?
DM:
As a designer I wanted the episodes to have an aesthetic that would make creatives swoon, but at the same time I didn’t want everything to feel overly produced and polished. In the past I’ve had a tendency to think my passion projects to death, so my goal with this series was to not overthink any ideas. If I think it’s funny try it, If I think it would be cool to see, do it, without thinking of the logistics. That is more in style with how I created as a kid. Back then, I wasn’t so worried about concepts that would be taken seriously or larger themes that would change the world, I was making stuff “in the moment” because I was excited about it in the moment. Surprisingly, by not trying to force meaning into my work I have found more meaning in my work. It allowed me to be a more authentic version of myself instead of the version I thought others would want to see.
“If I knew how hard it was going to be to try and make a giant art piece made entirely of pancakes, I probably wouldn’t have tried it.”
Devin Mathews – SuprOrdinary
INT:
Without too many spoilers, what has been your favourite moment from the series? Your most creative moment?
DM:
In one of the episodes, my brother and I backpacked in the mountains of Utah for four days with the goal to make something out of the nature around us. We only planned on being away for two days but ended up being there twice as long to finish the project. It was physically exhausting, we were sunburnt, had blisters on our hands and feet, had to ration our food (I think I lost 10 lbs), and to top it off we got rained on at the very end. But I think because that project was so hard to pull off, it felt that much more rewarding. A hot shower and a burger never tasted so good. And being able to see the final piece on Google Earth was a nice bonus!
INT:
What’s your biggest learning moment from creating this series?
DM:
One of my biggest learnings is that being naive is not always a bad thing. If I knew how hard it was going to be to try and make a giant art piece made entirely of pancakes, I probably wouldn’t have tried it. But I was naive enough and optimistic enough to think I could do it, so I did. That’s probably the same reason I had kids, but again, I’m glad I did.
INT:
Before you go, what’s your bucket list creative challenge to try, if budget and time were no limitation?
DM:
Oh man, that is a tough question. I love music! I am not musical by any means but I would love to do some sort of musical, visual experience that you could see in person rather than just through a screen. It’s a bit vague but one day hopefully you will see a headline “The Sphere in Las Vegas Presents, The SuprOrdinary’s Audio Visual Experience that you have to see in person and not just through a screen”, then you’ll know I made it.
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