Escape the Mundane

“Creativity is piercing the mundane to find the marvelous.” Bill Moyers, Journalist

Several of my friends do freelance work so that they can pursue that which drives them. They put in unending hours of editing, reworking pieces, or slaving away at the rigors of prep and post production. As a screenwriter, I am intimate with working a scene or character over and over. In the midst of editing, the tasks can begin to feel ...well...boring.

Creative block (pick your poison) can rob an artist of the very will to live if allowed to fester. That is why it is so important to escape the mundane. You have probably heard the phrase "so heavenly minded that he or she is of no earthly good." That is mundane defined: consumed or trapped by earthly, worldly cares. A Bohemian attitude may help ease the depressed condition of living the life of a three job pauper, but it doesn't unshackle the creative genius within.

There are so many people with formulaic answers for creative block and the torture of living day-to-day with the mundane. Some of those solutions include: will power, visualization, coaching, drug induced stupor, or a line up of ineffective or self-destructive behaviors that may never deliver your answers. Eventually you plod through to the end with a certain level of resentment as the payoff or never finish your project.

Richard Wiseman recommends several concrete solutions in his book 59 Seconds. Wiseman throws down a challenge to the mindset that change can come by wishful thinking. "Fantasizing about your perfect world may put a smile on your face, but it is unlikely to help transform your dreams into reality." He describes the process of as "getting in touch with your inner gorilla." The actions you can take to escape the mundane -- at least long enough to regain your sanity -- include:

• Priming—work hard on the problem then do something completely different...then come back to the problem

• Perspective—Put yourself in a different role/person
• Play—15 minute fun break
• Perceive—Ask yourself an interesting question and get the answer

I hit a block with my writing back in October. This week I am going to use these tools to revive the rework of one of my favorite scripts. Success is right around the corner. Chris Soth encouraged me today with these words, "you need to find joy in the process." If you don't enjoy what you are doing, you will have to revive that joy to earn the reward of fulfillment.

Stimulating a Creative Response

At the core of our being resides a reservoir of creative energy. Most of the time it lies in an undisturbed state of rest. We move from day to day without giving this incredible source of change a second thought. Then one day you are forced to make a decision that is totally new to you. You get a pink slip in a down economy, some trauma strikes you, or on a positive note you take a leap to escape the mundane. Your brain synaps start cracking with new connections. Pow! You get an idea.

You don't need to wait for trauma to smack you up side the head to get the brain generating enough energy to jump start the creative juices. There are many tools available. In my opinion, the most overstated method for generating creative energy is visualization. Capturing a vision in your mind is wonderful means of getting the imagination rolling. It is like a soft breeze on the sea of your creative core. But if you want wild, untamed creativity to flow from your being you shouldn't settle for soft breezes and hammocks.

To create a storm of creativity you need to take your mind and subconscious on a ride into the uncomfortable. A tame approach might be an aggressive brainstorming session, mind mapping, or other methods of invoking right brain activity. More radical techniques are defined by the creator. Push the boundaries of your prejudices, education, and indoctrination until you feel the reservoir stir with tempestuous power. Let the energy pour from you until you are drained of physical energy.

Spend yourself on your art or whatever is your creative expression. The best way to fill up with new creative ideas is to empty yourself and make room for more.

Creativity DNA

There is no way of broaching the question of the source of creativity without investigating the philosophical and theological connections. Nearly all faiths have a creation story. While considering the source, I recalled the Latin phrase creatio ex nihilo (creation out of nothing). In the book of Genesis the phrase is worded as God creating something from out of a void.

Using the principle of original use, we can make a reasonable connection that creativity is borne from a place that was void of substance. I know, kind of heavy huh? Too much philosophy? Stick with me. This may take a few days.

When a creative thought is birthed, the ah-ha moment makes you want to yell "Eureka!" Because creativity appears from nowhere, it is historically associated to the Divine. I don't take that position. Creativity comes from a source deep inside. Personally, I think it is the way we are wired. Since creativity is not confined to the religious or irreligious we need to view it as a universal quality of our DNA. Soul if you prefer.

Tomorrow: Stimulating a creative response

Creative or Innovative?

Ralph Goings began painting realism in the 1960s. He has so refined his skill that his work is now referred to as super realism. His diner series reminds me of a HD Norman Rockwell. Although Goings is not the first to paint realism, his work is so real that it bears the brand of illusionary (Inset Ralph Goings' - Duke Diner).

The work of Ralph Goings is a great launching point for debating the differences and similarities of being creative or innovative. Clearly Goings is innovative in his methodology. But if he is essentially capturing an image of his eye in minute detail, how can that be defined as creative? Hold on. The battle within is going to take a few posts to work out.

When writing about being creative versus innovative, definitions can be helpful or they can be lost by common use. I prefer in this instance to use creative (adj) over creativity (noun) and innovative (adj) over innovation. They will blend at some point, but for now I want to focus on these words as qualities of the nouns that they modify: people.

Words, properly used, should describe for the recipient what the messenger intends to be received and comprehended. If, when referring to a system or process, I say that the new system is better then I am referring to that modification as innovation. To achieve innovation a person or team of people must be innovative. She will take what is and transform it into something new and potentially better than the previous process, product, or system.

The dilemma starts there. If an artist (encompassing all arts) uses a tool or process and alters it to create something new, is that creativity or innovation? From what I can tell from my limited exposure to formal art training, all art is evolutionary. Each successive generation builds on the discoveries of the past.

Tommorrow I want to tackle the question: What is the source of being creative?

Dance you fool!

"Out of limitations comes creativity." Debbie Allen, Choreographer

An aspect of the arts and creativity often overlooked by many men is the art of dance. Since middle school most guys have avoided dance for fear of being clumsy clod hoppers. Unlike Navin R Johnson, who could not keep a beat despite his cultural upbringing, most of us have a natural rhythm in our being that yearns for physical release. Tonight I smiled again as I watched a viral video that incorporates dance.

Art, regardless of it's form, is meant to move the emotions. Make us smile, laugh, cry. When you dance you let down your protective barriers. You move to a feeling. At a very minimum, it should bring a smile to your face.

These three viral videos bring a smile and a tear of enjoyment to me every time I watch them. I even wiggle in my seat a little. Who knows... maybe I'll get down when nobody is watching.

The Power of Follow Through

The hottest gift this past holiday season was Wii. Exercise at home in front of the tube. I even played Wii. New Years Eve I bowled an average 110. Whereas a week before I bowled 205 at a live bowling alley. We also Wii golfed. I was relieved to discover that I was not required to manipulate my hands into pretzel-like contortions and swing with stiffened joints et al. On a course, all those things are important. Especially, follow through.

Last October I attended the Creative Screenwriting Screenwriting Expo in LA. I sat under the instruction of pro-writers and teacher for several days. The wealth of information I gained to improve my writing was overwhelming. So much so that I felt that was contorting my hands to deliver my writing under the rigid guidelines of the experts.

Today I finished the first draft of a 15-minute short. After months of floundering in my writing, today the imagery flowed with visual ease. I felt the pleasure of Polymnia as I crafted the emotionally charged story.

Skills learned in association of a craft are vital for achieving excellence and industry respect. The acquisition of those skills can either lead to discouragement, disillusionment, defeat or resilience, achievement, and success. The pivot on the scale of decision is follow through. That will push you on to take action.

You don't need to contort or get all bent out of shape about the structure of your art. You just need to swing and correct. At least you get something done.

Talent Capital

Slow capital is gain earned over time. Fred Wilson, venture capitalist and blogger, suggests five tentets of slow capital:

1) doesn't rush to conclusions and doesn't expect entrepreneurs to do so either

2) flows into a company based on the company's needs, not the investor's needs

3) starts small and grows with the company as it grows

4) has no set timetable for getting liquid: slow capital is patient capital

5) takes the time to understand the company and the people who make it up.

While reading Fred's piece in "What Matters Most," I was struck by the similarity of capital to talent. Unless you are a progeny, the talent inside of you must be cultivated and nurtured.

I overheard a conversation today. One person was in his fifties. The other, a single mom. He remarked about the daughter of other person and her interest in several musical instruments. He noted that as young man he learned the violin, but only got as far learning the novice peice of Twinkle Twinkle. He doesn't play now. Gave it up a long time ago. The regret humg in his voice.

It takes time to become good, let alone expert at anything. Malcolm Gladwell  promotes that it takes 10,000 hours. Let me borrow from Fred Wilson's tenets for five tenets for slow talent.

Talent...
1) doesn't rush to a resolution to quit nor expects the heart and mind to do so either

2) flows into daily living based on the room offered, not financial needs

3) starts with small projects, doodles, random ideas captured and grows as the talent host takes action

4) has no set timetable for generating revenue; slow talent is patient talent

5) takes the time to appreciate creativity and those that host talent.

Creative expression is not an overnight gig. It is the journey of life.