Inspiration for animation fans, students and professionals
Fighting the irrational fear of lost ideas
One of the key attributes that separates creative professionals from other people is the value they bring to the table with their ideas.
No ideas = no art.
Artists often worry about their ideas in two ways
- They worry someone will steal their ideas.
- They worry they will run out of ideas.
While it’s hard to calm yourself down if you’re particularly vulnerable to either (or both) of these fears, you can reduce your anxiety by admitting that these are largely irrational concerns.
Ideas by themselves aren’t worth that much
I’ve got an idea for a movie.
I’m thinking of a science fiction movie with an intricate storyline, huge battles with spaceships populated by exotic aliens in an epic battle of good versus evil.
What movie am I describing? Star Wars or Battlefield Earth?
One is a critically-acclaimed, genre-defining classic that has become a cultural touchstone. And the other is Battlefield Earth.
The truth is: an idea by itself without at least some execution is nearly worthless.
When thinking about what true creative professionals do with their ideas, one of the key differences is that they take their idea and turn it into something concrete.
It could be a script, a sketch, a storyboard. But in order for an idea to be worth stealing, it has to have some physical form.
It’s so funny when I hear people being so protective of ideas. (People who want me to sign an NDA to tell me the simplest idea.) To me, ideas are worth nothing unless executed. They are just a multiplier. Execution is worth millions. – Derek Sivers
Worrying about someone stealing your script might be a leigitimate concern, but at least then you have copyright law on your side if you have to mount a challenge.
You cannot copyright an idea – only the execution of an idea. Which makes it even more critical to get your ideas into an artifact as soon as you can.
No-one knows where ideas come from
This comes to the heart of the fear of either running out of ideas, or having yours stolen by someone else.
David Lynch is one of the most creative filmmakers in the world. In his book on creativity, Catching the Big Fish, he freely admits he worries about where the next idea will come from.
It’s like fishing. You caught a beautiful fish yesterday, and you’re out today with the same bait, and you’re wondering if you’re going to catch another. – David Lynch
Ideas are unlimited
If you want to have some fun, sit down and make a list of as many things you can think of to decorate a child’s party with.
Go on.
After half a dozen or so items, you probably think you’ve exhausted your ideas. Balloons, streamers, hats, candles, stars, table cloths etc.
But now – narrow the birthday party to a pirate theme. Ironically, adding constraints to the problem, will allow you to come up with a dozen or more new ideas.
Trust your process
One of the things that gives Lynch confidence is his awareness of his process and what works for him. With his method, ideas come gradually.
It would be great if the entire film came all at once. But it comes, for me, in fragments. Soon there are more and more fragments, and the whole thing emerges. – David Lynch
There is evidence to suggest that changing your surroundings can help with creativity. Maybe, like Lynch, it’s a particular diner you visit to drink coffee and think deeply.
It’s important to be aware of what works for you and believe in your process.
There are no new ideas
Everything has been done before, but not by you.
Even using the oldest archetypes can allow you to bring your own unique take on an idea.
Human beings have been telling a fairly limited number of stories over thousands of years, and yet we still find ways to retell ancient tales using modern methods.
Once you understand how irrational the fear of lost ideas is, you can divert your energy into executing your concept.
And then you’ll really have something to worry about.
Related posts
6 Tips for accepting critique like a professional
| Print article | This entry was posted by Phil Willis on April 19, 2011 at 8:13 am, and is filed under Training. Follow any responses to this post through RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback from your own site. |
about 1 year ago
You can’t be “creative” unless you are *creating*.
You don’t need to start “somewhere”, you just need to start! Process is the driver.
The act of *creating* something begets “ideas” / “imagination” / “creativity” / “authenticity” / “originality”.
—
FACT:
The mind needs stimuli / input to form ANY output.
—
The common statement that:
“NOTHING IS ORIGINAL” Or that
“THERE ARE NO NEW IDEAS”
is an oversimplification of this truth, and one that carries a negative connotation at that.
If you had never seen anything before,
if you knew *NOTHING*,
you would simply be unable to comprehend or DO anything.
—
“I can understand why some people might find the notion that “nothing is original” comforting, but in the end I say it’s a crutch.
It’s an invitation to laziness, to turning off your imagination and real thinking, it’s putting up a ceiling that need not be there.”
—
I think many people misinterpret, or selectively intemperate that fabulous quote by Jim Jarmusch on Authenticity.
Link Here:
http://aestheticassembly.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/mark_malazarte-jarmuschquote.jpg
To me, a large part of it simply says that we all draw from the same pot creatively.
That pot being this planet and our lives, comprehension of and experiences while on it.
As fellow human beings many of those experiences and basic comprehensions are shared ones.
Drawing upon ideas from those fundamental experiences isn’t “stealing” simply because others have probably written or expressed something likewise at another point in time, perhaps in a similar way.
It simply reiterates our inter-connectivity as a society and as the same biological creatures.
It’s a huge part of how we relate to and understand one another and how we learn.
Personally, I find that an amazing and encouraging thought.
Yet even with all those shared elements, experiences and ideas, there is still an immense wealth to be explored and expressed as long as you attempt to explore it, and always attempt to build your creations from the ground up, by investing the time and hard work necessary to create something of your very own.
Authenticity > Originality
It is not impossible to create something “original”, something that has never been seen or produced before. But if it were something that no one else could understand or relate to, something “original” just for the sake of it being so, it would be meaningless.
Authenticity is the key to that illusive quality we call ‘originality’ in any artwork.
It is this personal aspect of a work that becomes the underlying point of connection, which (hopefully) can be processed and understood by others.
“Good Art” is that which is able to communicate and connect with other people.
At the end of tha day I think this is the important lesson.
about 1 year ago
Hi Matthew
Thanks for your thoughtful comment.
I think we’re in 100% agreement.
An idea without execution isn’t really worth that much. Which is why it stuns me that some people think that being creative is merely dreaming up ideas.
More than anything I want to encourage as many people to start something.
In my experience, moving from concept to the concrete while you still have the energy is essential.
All the best with your own projects.
–Phil