This is where Creativity happens. All are welcome. Few remain. On being Humble enough.
I set out early to be an innovator and creator, and I try to work at them each day, including days off. I am still on the Path. It’s important to still be on the Path. We are constantly testing things, reversing things, combining things, subtracting things, running experiments to see what works and what doesn’t for our market. The truth is, we often don’t know. We can guess, but we really don’t know. So, we have to experiment. We have to be humble enough to experiment, to test, to train, to put offers in front of people for more. If people are your true Super Fans, they will buy everything you offer. Who are you a Super Fan to? Do you buy everything of theirs? I bet you do! I know I do! It feels good to support them, even if they’re a big company like Apple. Tons of hard work, creative design.& promotion went into these products in order for creative pros like you and me to use them to make amazing things!
Being a creative is far more about action with an open state of mind than it is about being lost in creative thought. In fact, it is counter productive to be lost in creative thoughts. It is far more productive to be focused on doing, focused on trying different angles of attack, focused on experimentation to see what sticks vs. being lost in thought. Don’t be lost in thought — DO! MOVE! BUILD! Do something with your hands!
Set the example for the kids.
The key is never being afraid to try. Being afraid to try completely defeats the purpose of Creativity, which is all about trying the new and experimenting to see what works for us and what doesn’t. Yes, it requires some degree of courage, but you got this. You got this. Go out there a blazing’. Why not go out there a blazin’? Show some bravery. Show some skin. Set the example for the kids. Show them it is OK to try new things and have them not work. That is so OK! We get so caught up in perfection, in what we perceive to be perfect, in what the parents or teachers or pseudo authority figures deem to be perfect. And then it messes up our ability to take action! We get lost in inaction whenever we think about what perfection looks like. It is such a waste! And then when we never take a creative chance for us, for ourselves, for someone else. Then we wonder why we never feel creative! Duh! We’re too busy lost in redundant meetings where nothing productive gets accomplished. We got to get out of our own way and MOVE to take action. Even if it is wrong. Wrong direction is still motion toward something. (There are plenty of companies moving in the wrong direction as we speak. But at least they’re moving.)
“I’d rather be moving and be wrong…”
I’d rather be moving and be wrong than be lost and adrift in inaction and distraction, not doing much of anything at all. How freeing it is to be willing to be wrong! How willing are you to be wrong? Typically, the higher up in academia we go, the far less willing we are to be wrong. Sound familiar?
We miss all the Creative shots we don’t take.
Creatives are doers doing. Experimenting. Taking chances. Testing things. Throwing things against the wall. Trying & testing. Trying & testing. Trying & testing. Trying new things. Taking shots on goal. We miss all the creative shots on goal we don’t take. Why not take as many shots as you can!? Frequency counts. Keeping at it 100% counts. Persistence counts. Showing up counts. Being dedicated to the craft counts. Being the diligent craftsman who is willing to experiment, test, tweak, and make improvements accordingly counts.
Our Creative Work is never finished. Never.
It is just shipped.
This is far more a way of life than it ever is one and done. It’s never one and done. Nope. It is try, test, observe, get feedback, try again, test again, observe results, get feedback. Try, test. Try, test. Try, test. Did I mention try & test? Keeping at it. Whittling away at it. You’re getting after it. Our Creative work is never finished. That should either really excite you or perhaps demoralize you — it depends upon your perspective. I never want my work to be done. It is simply released to gain feedback. Then, we iterate from there. We keep going.
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[Ed Note: the following is what you write when you don’t know what else to write — you just write. It doesn’t matter that you don’t know what to write — you just write. The key to GOING, to MOVING, to building momentum.]
Alright. Enough with the B.S. Let’s get on with the work already. Let’s move some units, people! Let’s GO! Let’s get after it! Let’s build. Lets create. Let’s publish. Let’s solve some problems. Let’s sell some training. Let’s move it. Let’s create even more value than we’ve already created. Let’s find out what people want and then give it to them. Let’s get to the heart of the matter. Now.
Let us move in the direction of our goals to what we want to become. And who do we want to become? What steps are we taking in order to get there? What are we building together that will last? Is is replicable and scaleable, like software apps? The only way to go is to get started right now. Take those first three steps toward the big goal. Create the first micro training. Shoot the tiny video. Write down the solution to the problem and post it up online so that others in your market can learn from it. You don’t want just one person learning from it. You want many others learning from it, too! Write it down and share it! Let others benefit from it! It all started with you helping to solve the problem, and then caring enough to document its solution, and then publishing your findings online.
That’s value creation! Now, you just need to do it again and again and again. Then, you have a business for a market who’s problems you solve. The very foundations of innovation & creation.
