Ira Glass of PRI’s This American Life talks about creativity, and absolutely kills it (via these wonderful transcriptions from the Design Talk blog):
“What nobody tells people who are beginners — and I really wish someone had told this to me . . . is that all of us who do creative work, we get into it because we have good taste. But there is this gap. For the first couple years you make stuff, and it’s just not that good. It’s trying to be good, it has potential, but it’s not.
But your taste, the thing that got you into the game, is still killer. And your taste is why your work disappoints you. A lot of people never get past this phase. They quit. Most people I know who do interesting, creative work went through years of this. We know our work doesn’t have this special thing that we want it to have. We all go through this. And if you are just starting out or you are still in this phase, you gotta know it’s normal and the most important thing you can do is do a lot of work. Put yourself on a deadline so that every week you will finish one story.
It is only by going through a volume of work that you will close that gap, and your work will be as good as your ambitions. And I took longer to figure out how to do this than anyone I’ve ever met. It’s gonna take awhile. It’s normal to take awhile. You’ve just gotta fight your way through.”
He’s referring to those producing video, but alter a few words, and it maps to pretty much any creative endeavor. Including writing.
The entire 5:20 segment is here:
Keep writing, Tom Chandler.
This is so true! Love this interview, reminds me of some of my early writing days. I think I still have some of those initial drafts.
Michelle D Keyes recently posted..Finding My Courage to Speak Again
It offers some hope for the perfectionists just entering a creative field. “Hang on, you’ll get there” is a lot better than “Good lord, you bite.”
As a House Music producer at the outset of my career, I can’t overstate how well these words fit my craft. Amazing…absolutely beautiful quote. Terrific.
I’m amazed at how they fit so many careers. In one sense, that gap should probably always exist — at least if you’re committed to growing for the duration of your career.
Inspired me to come out of my rabbit hole and got me writing.
I agree with all of what’s been said. The gap should exist in order to keep you focused in growing and be better every step of the way, but it shouldn’t be so big as to intimidate you. All you can do is work, take a leap and never give up, I think.
Lucia recently posted..Quoth the Pythons, "Get on with it!"
Glad to hear you’re writing. The gap between what you want and what you can make can be pretty disconcerting — especially if you don’t realize it exists.
Keep it up.
I read this excerpt to all my students – painting or computer graphics – because the same applies there too. And EVERYONE is greatful for this information.
I’m a photographer and budding graphics designer and I felt as if he speaking directly to me. I cried a little because I finally got advice that pertained directly to my struggles. That indescribable gap between taste and actual skill is so unsettling, it makes you feel as if you’re not cut out for that thing you love and appreciate so much. Although I had no intentions of ever giving up, knowing that its universal struggle among creative people just makes me want to push even harder. Thanks Ira!
What’s nice about Glass is that he equates getting better with getting busy doing more work; too many look for improvement in the absurd “Top 10″ lists and “What you can learn from [insert famous dead person]” posts cluttering the internet and bookshelves.
Glad to hear you’re willing to keep with the struggle, because that’s precisely what it is.
Love Ira! This is so great. How nice of him to put this out there for people. It will help me in my work, though not creative. I need to get off my butt and quit wallowing in despair about not having any talent. It just takes work. This makes me smile!