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No, You Will Never Write That Book
If there’s anything a writer hates to hear, it’s this: “Oh, you’re a writer? I have a great idea for a book!” Nobody means any harm about this, of course. But the implication is clear — anybody can write anything if they try hard enough. After …
6 Lessons Jimmy Stewart Taught Me About Creativity
Before we get into the creative lessons I learned from the life of Jimmy Stewart, a reminder: When we look at the machine of cinema now, we forget the scrappy, chaotic explosion of innovation from which it came. Consider this: in the first decade …
How to Make Art Which is Truly Unique
She sits across from the music legend, black shirt hanging loosely around her shoulders, hair draped over her chest. It's been 3:22 seconds since either of them have spoken. …
The One Element Which Matters Most in Creative Work
Kate walks on the beach in front of me, her father to her right. I don’t know what, exactly, I am looking for. Something, anything, which shows they share a gene pool— a 6th toe maybe? A flair on the right pinky which had been passed down through …
Forget Going Viral and Do This Instead
After walking to the stage, pumping his fist, and yelling ecstatically, Chancelor Bennett gives a nervous chuckle when he gets behind the microphone. The crowd is on edge, waiting to see what this first-time Grammy winner will say. Every musical …
A Dirty Secret About Creative People
This is something it took me a long time to admit, even to myself. Are you ready? Here it is: All creative people are self-absorbed. We care about what goes on in our heads more than what goes on in “real life.” We would rather look at what …
One Exercise Which Will Change the Way You Write Forever
Okay, first I’ll give you the very simple goal of this tip: REMOVE THE BRAIN FROM THE WRITING PROCESS. Let me explain. At a job — you think about stuff. A specific problem is presented and an objective decision is made based on cost and time and …
Dear Young People Looking for a Career — Do This
Dear career seekers: In life, I know 2 things to be true First - crunchy peanut butter is better than creamy. Second - I will be bored of what I'm doing now in six months. I meet many people who say “I don’t like to work,” or (worse) “I’m not good …
How to Stay a Creative Genius
I think we can all agree kids pretty are stupid. They can’t draw worth a darn, they walk like drunks, and they definitely can’t talk right. No, I do not want “basgetti” for dinner. They fail at everything they try. They fall down. They hit their …
Is it Worth it to Share your Creative Work?
In 2013 a man named Dong Nguyen probably leaned back in his chair and sighed with happiness. During his free time, Dong and his team had been using a character from a cancelled video game to make his own project - a simple mobile adventure in …
Can Anyone Be Creative?
Yes. Okay, that was easy. Can I take the rest of the post off? No? Fine. Look, here's the deal, Creativity is nothing more or less than coming up with a new solution to an existing problem. Sometimes that problem is getting your drink out of a cup …