Inside your brain there’s a creativity censor. With finger poised above the ‘Bleep’ button, he’s constantly protecting you from ideas that he deems useless, or worse: foolish. He knows what every boss wants, what every friend thinks of you, what strangers see when they look at you. He knows what’s best for you and the best way to get it.
On more than one occasion I’ve seen this censor, singlehandedly, dull brilliance and turn a symphony into an energy sapping drone.
Why would the censor do this? Because he’s protecting you! Give him a free rein and you will comfortably reside in the Status Quo. You won’t look like a fool, you won’t push the envelope, you won’t feel uncomfortable.
Your creativity and the potential for great ideas will also come to a screeching halt.
Ideas build upon ideas – yours and others. They are stepping-stones. Remove one and things might be okay…might. Remove two or three and you’re constrained to walking on one plane.
So, what can you do?
You need to teach yourself to not listen to the censor, but instead to listen to the ideas. When you hear the “BLEEP!” you need to ignore it. Instead, write the idea down and play with it. See where it leads. Nowhere? That’s okay! But, the very act of acknowledging that idea has now given you a stepping stone to another idea, and another, and….
Don’t get me wrong. There is still a time and place to listen to the censor. But, when you’re trying to come up with ideas, looking for new possibilities, exploring the unknown, your imagination is your friend, your light. Work together with your ideas!
This is exemplified beautifully in this blog post over at Thoughts on Theater. I’m going to end this piece with a quote directly from her post, as it’s a wonderful read (as is her entire blog). It’s about Academy Award winning screenwriter, Robert Pirosh. He was a copywriter that wanted to become a Hollywood screenwriter. Here’s how he finally landed his dream job:
(Pirosh) sent the following note to all of the major studios, received a slew of interview requests, and finally accepted an offer as a junior writer at MGM. From there he went on to win an Academy Award and write for some of the best and brightest (including the Marx Brothers). Just another testament to the fact that you should not water yourself down in order to obtain the dream job. Do not censor the you that just might land you the gig.
Dear Sir:
I like words. I like fat buttery words, such as ooze, turpitude, glutinous, toady. I like solemn, angular, creaky words, such as straitlaced, cantankerous, pecunious, valedictory. I like spurious, black-is-white words, such as mortician, liquidate, tonsorial, demi-monde. I like suave “V” words, such as Svengali, svelte, bravura, verve. I like crunchy, brittle, crackly words, such as splinter, grapple, jostle, crusty. I like sullen, crabbed, scowling words, such as skulk, glower, scabby, churl. I like Oh-Heavens, my-gracious, land’s-sake words, such as tricksy, tucker, genteel, horrid. I like elegant, flowery words, such as estivate, peregrinate, elysium, halcyon. I like wormy, squirmy, mealy words, such as crawl, blubber, squeal, drip. I like sniggly, chuckling words, such as cowlick, gurgle, bubble and burp.
I like the word screenwriter better than copywriter, so I decided to quit my job in a New York advertising agency and try my luck in Hollywood, but before taking the plunge I went to Europe for a year of study, contemplation and horsing around.
I have just returned and I still like words.
May I have a few with you?
Robert Pirosh
385 Madison Avenue, Room 610
New York Eldorado 5-6024
