Your most creative work is that which other people can copy, but no one can replicate. It’s your catch-me-if-you-can moment. This newsletter and everything that I offer is intended to help expand this idea in your life.
Streaming services are a huge part of our lives, yet creative types often deride the effect of sitting around and watching addictive programs. I think it would be fun to play around with the visualization of streaming services as a metaphor for your creative career.
The Guy Who Finished Netflix
My friend used to joke that he “finished Netflix”, yet as we all know this is not really possible. Even if you got through what’s on there, they will keep adding new shows from different countries. What a great place to start with the idea of abundance.
We often put a ton of pressure on ourselves, worried that we will never accomplish the things we want to get done before our time on this planet gets plucked from us.
This anxiety leads to paralysis and then creates a sense of “what’s the point” thinking. Instead of sitting down to work through a difficult piece of music, I might as well scroll on my phone and eat cheese puffs.
So imagine that when you sit down to do your most creative work, there is an entire streaming service of ideas ready for you to work with. If an action tv series is not working for you today, then try a nature documentary instead.
You select programs based on your mood (or the collective mood of a couple or family), and your most creative work is no different. Teams and collaborators also select projects based on their collective mood.
You have an entire lifetime to poke around this service and see what’s good in there. No one’s going to get annoyed with you for not finishing the Netflix of your creative career. John Cage’s most famous piece was 4 minutes and 33 seconds of silence. Let that sink in for a minute. We often put way too much pressure on ourselves.
The Russian Dolls
To take the analogy one step further, each show inside a streaming service can represent a project. Inside each show there are seasons, and inside the seasons are the episodes.
Your work sessions should be focused on working through one season at a time. An individual session will likely be focused on chipping away through writing the script of one individual show, or a portion of one show. This is very much the Russian Doll Approach to creative projects in action.
Reflection
So what are the shows that you’re currently writing? What season are they on at the moment? Are some of your projects nearing the season finale and are about to get retired?
Thank you for reading today’s edition. I am on a journey to help people do their most creative work. I am open to suggestions about what sorts of initiatives can help move your projects forward. Feel free to write me back with any suggestions.
With gratitude,
Elliott