Tag: Writing, Creativity and Art

Accounting and Expectations

It must be satisfying to have a completed project proudly on display. I am picturing a private art collection worth millions. The various pieces hanging perfectly on walls throughout the house for visitors to “ooh” and “aah” at. Each piece has a fabled story, and a price tag to match.

Seems to me that when we think up a project, it is in our human nature to be attracted to the end result rather than the steps along the way. When I think of how long it takes to actually create an art gallery of any substance, I am put off by the idea immediately and that is why I pay to look at someone else’s.

Accounting is a loaded word. It brings to mind tough exams, nerdy calculators, stiff people in white collared shirts and boring number crunching. However the concept of accounting for what I have now and what may come through the life cycle of a project is essential to any art. It forces us to be realistic. It manages our expectations.

With some accounting for what is in store, you could conceivably take a very long term view on creating your gallery of priceless art from scratch, and you would be more likely to succeed. With no accounting and managing of expectations, you’re likely to get frustrated and not even try.

Painting versus writing

Yesterday I painted a wall from green to white. Not the most exciting thing I’ve ever done, but I learned something nonetheless.

For good results, there is a definite, clear, systematic way to best paint a wall in one single colour. (FYI, first comes covering up the parts you don’t want to paint, then comes painting the delicate edges, then comes moving systematically from one side of the wall to the other, filling in the gaps. Once dry, repeat). Not much room for improvisation, dawdling, doodling or spitballing. Not much creativity once the system is in place.

I love writing because it is completely different. The blank page doesn’t have to be filled with one particular type of word, it can involve as many or as few words as I like. The end result is variable. I can do what I want within the parameters of the page. I can take you to the moon or throw you into a hole. I can create a new world out of thin air, and I can drown it in a flood if I so choose. (I generally wouldn’t so choose – but you get the point) – this writing process is creative versus the industrial, repeatable painting job.

I’m glad I am not a wall painter. But at least I got another blog post out of the time spent yesterday :).

Initiative

He took some initiative. She showed some real initiative there.

The gist of this concept is that you need to start (initiate) something yourself. Of course, your brain can trick you into believing that this relies on various conditions. The young apprentice may tell himself he is not qualified to start a new project. The exec may convince herself that she needs sign-off from the partner before anything can happen. This is in fact what the big corporate companies have set up to manage risk in the work place. Standardization of the workplace ala McDonalds’ production lines means that little goes wrong, but little is created in the mean time.

Hence we want to be our own bosses. Once you leave the comfort of a salaried low ranking job, never has the pressure to initiate something been so great. Publish an article, make a sales call, think of a new offering that will turn a profit and then find an audience that is willing to hear you.

Write a novel. Paint a picture. Initiate something from nothing. Show some initiative. Create

Important to understand is that the urgency of initiative (make a start and create something) is very different to the urgency of conformity (hurry up and wait for sign-off). We do what we do for the long run and for the freedom of being able to make something now, here, today if we can.

Chasing ratings

When creating something, the problem with following ratings, clicks, likes, engagement online is that it has its own set of rules to win – it is its own game, in and of itself. When the art of popularity is refined, it usually (always?) becomes a race to the bottom to appeal to the most people. This distracts you from the real task at hand – making something cool.

Creating something authentic and original – whether it is a book, an experience in a BnB,  a song – means that it will not appeal to everyone. By definition. This is ok.

Instead we must double down on the people we want to please, who matter to you and whom you want to engage with your art.

I don’t think you can possibly matter to everyone. We must stop chasing ratings for ratings sake.

Fear of the conversation

The creative process is often thought of as a completely solitary process. A creative brain unleashes its powers and, given enough freedom, creates something amazing from nothing, all on its own.

I think the truth is less romantic and more, well, realistic. You need at least two twigs to make a spark. Check out this quote from Steve Jobs:

“It’s through the team, through that group of incredibly talented people bumping up against each other, having arguments, having fights sometimes, making some noise, and working together they polish each other and they polish the ideas, and what comes out are these really beautiful stones.”

So this implies a friction and a teamwork which is necessary for creative things to happen. The Beatles as a group were greater than the sum of their parts. Fine solo albums from all 4 notwithstanding – the friction was necessary to change the face of music and to generate something as unique as Sgt. Pepper, or Revolver.

So why doesn’t this creativity and spark happen more often? In my life it is because of the fear of disagreement. I want everything to be happy and easy all the time. But conversations, confrontations and disagreements are part of the human condition. I need to force myself to reach out for opinions, to open myself up to arguments and disagreements on a piece of work. It is through this process that the product is polished. It is the hardest but simplest thing you can do, is talk to someone.

Who is best to talk to? Well the person you are selling to of course. Only they can offer the best insight as to why they liked or disliked what you have to offer.

 

Publish something – it’s good for you

Publishing is good for you. It’s like an apple a day.

I have decided to take the publishing process from blogging, and apply it to my ‘day job’. It’s getting me really excited about work and play.

Marketing my supply chain risk assessment services online is essentially like writing a more technical blog, and searching for people who may be interested to read it is like an easter egg hunt. Don’t worry I would never subject you to that writing on this blog! My point is that the process is valuable and can be applied to many situations.

Everyone should publish something. It doesn’t matter what it is, because the longer you do it, the better you will get at writing. Publish ideas regularly enough and it will become a database of thoughts to throw at any given situation. That is a remarkably valuable and powerful thing.

Any problem you have…

…is probably fixable.

Think about it. Humans have cured polio. We discovered bacteria. We put people on the moon. We have cell phones which are as sci-fi as you can imagine. They let me talk to someone in China…if I so choose. So progress happens if we want it to, but it is not automatic.

In my personal experience, I am learning that there are two key components of creativity and progress.

First, I have to accept that progress will bring with it unintended consequences. These can be positive: For example back in the day we learned about atmospheric pressure which allowed us to create vacuums which allowed us to create combustion engines to push trains down a track. But they can also be negative: those combustion engines spit out pollution of all sorts. Personally, to become more creative has led me to quit unsatisfactory jobs, to learn about publishing, marketing and blogging. However it has also led me to become super self-critical. This is good sometimes in a work context, but it can impact other areas of my life. I never expected this as a side-effect.

The key for me is that progress is always better than the alternative, which is stagnation. It is a truth which I have had to get my head around. Stagnation is easier but far more destructive to my life. I think this applies universally to our race.

Next, for progress to occur, there needs to be focus. This may be internal – are you sure of what you are trying to achieve? Are you putting in the time and work? Or it may be a matter of collaboration. Do you have another person who will help you progress? I am learning that focus essentially means aligning of habits and habitual behaviour. Mine were all out of whack before I chose to be more creative.

I find it comforting that there are broad rules and conditions for progress. It helps my creativity and keeps pushing me on to fix problems each day. What helps you make progress?

De La ChimpWithCans

To those of you who don’t know, I’m a chimp who likes to listen to music while I write. The Bantam civilisation implanted a chip into my brain when they invaded Old Earth. The chip allows us animals to understand human language. While I still can’t talk with the humans (as some of the other animals are able to do) I can understand what they say. This means I have to listen to people as they quibble and argue all over the place. It also means that a huge back catalogue of human music is now accessible to me. A regular old chimp with modifications, I am now a blogger and a music junkie.

On the cans this morning is the De La Soul album from 2016. This is a wonderful sound. Beats to jump up and down to, guest appearances all over the place to make me screech and grin my wide chimpanzee grin. I love a good album and the fact that this was funded in part by a Kickstarter campaign makes it even more satisfying for some reason.

Variety of voices from Usher to David Byrne keeps this album interesting. Lyrics and rhymes mixed with audio scenery give it depth.

A most pleasant listening experience for this chimp. Now it’s time for me to find some bananas for breakfast.

 

 

Sci-Fi @home

I see how great sci-fi books take inspiration from everyday events. It’s a whacky world we live in.

Take this alien looking plant for example. From a few saggy leaves it is now in bloom and has pods exploding every few days:

photo-on-2016-11-25-at-5-31-am-2

Expect a public service announcement that the invasion has started. Started in my kitchen.