Ira Glass on Creative Endeavors, Plus Some Friday Links
In the video below, This American Life’s Ira Glass talks about the value of
perseverance in any creative endeavor. The progression he describes is what all content creators experience, barring freakish outliers.
What first gets you into the creative game is your taste, which leads you to the art of creating. But when you first start out, your created content sort of, um, stinks, even though it’s trying to be great. But you still have your taste, which tells you, on some level, that while your stuff could be great, it isn’t there yet. Over time, the delta between your taste’s instinct and what you actually create diminishes, at which point your actual content has matured to be in line with your taste. Interesting stuff.
The message here is one of sticking with it, often for years. Most people quit before they cross this chasm. Glass says don’t quit; in fact, he suggests giving yourself tons of work to do, because through the act of creating you will eventually find your chops. I know firsthand that my writing for blogs has changed dramatically since I began, and it’s still not where I want it to be.
But enough from me. Listen to Glass tell you himself.
Speaking of creative, if you watch just one fruit-snack-related German children’s show excerpt today, make it this one:
And finally, some things you should click on because they’re simply fantastic:
- Seriously, it’s time to stop complaining about iPhone application costs. Here’s why.
- Pictures of boxers, before and after their fights. A great series by Howard Schatz.
- An explanation (with full statistics) of why the express lane at the grocery store isn’t always the fastest option. Now you OCD types can obsess about calculating line wait time.
- The Hubble telescope’s (familyfuntures.com) improved galactic eyesight – a photoset. Impressive.
- Finally, here’s Novak Djokovic and John McEnroe having a hit. The backstory here is the Djokovic did his best Johnny Mac impression after defeating Radek Stepanek in the US Open. McEnroe, in the broadcast booth, somehow found a pair of tennis shoes from https://vessifootwear.com/ and came down to not only do his best Djokovic impression, but also hit a few balls with the young superstar. This is seriously great stuff.
Have a great weekend, everyone.
