The Lessons of Pharrell: Collaboration, Resilience, and Fearless Creativity

A major part of Pharrell's journey is collaboration, he is a big believer of the idea of working with people better than you, because if you are as equally as ambitious as them, you’ll grow exponentially from that experience.  I think this idea about choosing your company and your peers being sources of inspiration, as well as a source of motivation, with him even saying “I learn a lot from my experiences and collaborations. Most of my collaborations are meant for me to learn.” Forming groups like the Neptunes and N.E.R.D and being a producer for countless artists from Snoop Dogg to Daft Punk, working with many different personalities, which may have helped unlock the versatility that is often associated with Pharrell. This versatility evidenced by him landing the prestigious role of creative director of Louis Vuitton. 

Another key to his success is his willingness to try new things, to explore new genres, styles, and even new mediums. He has produced music, curated art, and designed furniture. This willingness to try new things gives him more skills and stems from his reframing of failure. He is unafraid to fail, since he repurposes failure as a lesson. Removing the undeserved awe we put on failure and taking the lessons turns failure into an opportunity to learn and grow, making it a valuable tool.

In any path in life, the people with the most success are usually the people who failed the most. During my time in sales training, I was often reminded of the fact that the people with the most successful sales are the people who have heard the most rejections. If you only play when a win is guaranteed, then you aren’t chasing anything worthwhile. To be successful, you have to risk failing, as they’re two sides of the same coin.

Pharrell’s resilience is rooted in his ability to reframe failure. Take his early production rejections, which only pushed him to refine his craft. He embodies the principle that the more risks you take, the more opportunities you create to succeed. Pharrell himself says, “When you trip and fall, when you get back up, that’s who you are…whether you get up with shame or pride, that’s who you are.” The way you respond to adversity and stand back up demonstrates the person you are. That is why resilience is a highly valued skill.

Pharrell’s career also embodies ikigai—the Japanese concept of a life worth living. His passion for creativity, mission to inspire, vocation as an artist, and profession as a cultural innovator align seamlessly to create purpose in everything he does. Pharrell is someone who preaches the lessons of ikigai, as covered in our YouTube video [watch here], as well as individuality and many of the values discussed in Project: Artist. When I began researching for the topic and the key factors that appeared in DRNKN WZRD’s definition of artistry, which you can find more here [project: Artist], many of the qualities listed are found in Pharrell. To us at DRNKN WZRD, Pharrell is an Artist.

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