All Men are Frauds
Every creative feels like a fraud at some point–because nothing is new. Every idea is built on previous ideas. “All men are frauds. The only difference between them is that some admit it. I myself deny it.” – H. L. Mencken
Every creative feels like a fraud at some point–because nothing is new. Every idea is built on previous ideas. “All men are frauds. The only difference between them is that some admit it. I myself deny it.” – H. L. Mencken
Creatives risk burning out unless they make inspiration a priority. It’s easy to immerse yourself in your work. It’s easy to shut out the world and create for hours. It’s easy until you run out of inspiration. Then you find yourself trudging through the project. You might finish it but you’re emotionally exhausted. We need…
The Bible says to pity the fool that walks alone. I’m paraphrasing the MRT Version. But the road to creativity is a scary one. It’s not good to walk it alone. Creativity deals with deep parts of our soul. When we put ourselves out there and get rejected it can hurt–deeply. That’s why it’s important…
Psychologists have found people don’t learn well when they are comfortable. Our brains are at rest because we aren’t being threatened. They’ve also learned that we don’t learn well when we’re overly stressed or anxious. Our brains kick into fight or flight and we act on instinct. The sweet spot for learning is between comfort…
Don’t be afraid of being small. If you’re just getting started in your creative field, you may feel intimidated. If you compare yourself to the “big dogs” in your field, you’ll be intimidated by their skills and connections. But we shouldn’t fear being small.
I live in a city that lacks subtlety. It’s not just a quantity over quality issue. It’s deeper than that. If something tastes good, they’ll add more sauce. If a new restaurant does well, they add 10 more around the city overnight. (We have 31 Taqueria Jalisco’s in a town of less than 300,000.)
Metta World Peace. That’s what NBA Basketball player, Ron Artest, changed his name to. Apparently he got tired with the massive name recognition and wanted to change it up a bit. He got bored. That’s what happens when you don’t have a vision for your life–for your art. You find yourself jumping between mediums. You…
There are enough ideas to go around. I was afraid when I began this blog. I had about 20 blog posts in mind. I knew I would run out of material. So I paced myself and I held back. I knew I could stretch my 20 blog posts out to 60 if I was careful…
We’re victims of an entertainment culture. There is always something to watch, listen to or read. Even this blog could be considered entertainment—amusement. It’s easy to fall into a pattern of (1) sleep, (2) work, (3) amuse.
There’s a popular philosophy that says creativity needs to be unrestrained. But you need limitations to create your best work. Limitations keep your work grounded and accessible. Limitations force you to think more creatively. Take Dr. Seuss’ beloved book, Green Eggs and Ham. This book is the fourth bestselling children’s hardcover book of all time. But it only has 50 words in…