UNMASKING CREATIVITY:INSIGHTS FROM PERFORMING ARTISTS FOR BUSINESS PROFESSIONALS
We’re all looking to inject more creativity into our lives. Every day people join painting classes, yoga classes, drunk painting yoga classes, in hopes to find the creative spark they once possessed.
As kids, creativity seemed to flow forth from an eternal spring. No assignment required, we simply possessed the ability to sit and draw, play, and imagine alternative worlds full of wonderful creatures.
Yet, inevitably reality comes calling. Bills pile up, the mortgage is due, and sometimes creativity must take a back seat to the responsibilities of the day. But what if we could recapture that spark of joy? What if we could incorporate that bit of madness into our lives?
“Cause you’re only given a little spark of madness, and if you lose that, you’re nothing…Don’t ever lose that cause it keeps you alive.” — Robin William
Follow the Fear
We’ve all heard it time and time again. We must embrace fear and take risks. But what does that mean? How do we know the difference between something stupid and something truly amazing? Are madness and genius really that closely related, or do the words, “Hold my beer,” really precede our downfall?
One of the most beautiful lessons from the world of improv is the idea of “Following the fear.” We all know it, that little uneasy feeling in the pit of our stomach that swells when there’s something we want to say but know we shouldn’t.
In polite society, it is frowned upon to speak out of turn and let out opinions fly. On stage, that very impulse could be a lifesaver, or as Ulla reminds us in The Producers:
“People tell you modesty’s a wirtue
But in the theatre, modesty can hurt you”
The gold standard of all improv from Chicago to LA is, “Yes, and…” This simple approach of accepting an offer from a fellow actor and going with the follow opens up remarkable avenues of creativity. Yet often those alleyways can be blocked by our desire to negate or stop a scene from ever developing.
If you want to bring a little more madness into your life and ride the wave of creativity you have to be willing to explore where those ideas will take you. Sometimes they are fruitful. Often they are not; however, creativity is not a KPI. It’s not measured by sales and receipts.
This means we have to accept failure as a possible outcome. In fact, it’s a likely outcome; however, what is worse writing a horrible first draft or leaving the page blank?
Acting involves embracing uncertainty. Too many teachers preach too much table work and backstory development when in reality nothing beats getting up on your feet and saying the lines, stumbling, falling, and failing just like when we were a toddler learning to walk.
Too often we are strangled by fear and we shut down before the starting gun ever goes off. We may secretly believe we are creative savants, Sherlock Holmes and Leonardo Da Vinci rolled into one if we can just find the time to write that story, film that skit, or upload that video.
Yet, when we sit down to start we find the ideas are not flowing like we believed they should. That’s okay. We must learn to make peace with the silence and wait for the ideas to come.
The best way to know which one told hold on to? Wait for the one that scares you and see where it takes you.
Here’s the thing though, it might not work. It might be, simply, a great concept or a flash of brilliance. Maybe it’s just one stone in a larger picture. But you need to let it breathe, give it time to grow and learn to accept the possibility that it actually sucks.
The greatest strength professional actors face is the ability to face rejection and use it as a stepping stone for growth.
Embrace failure as a valuable learning experience and one necessary for growth.
Sometimes, it’s just one idea in a chain of expressions that leads you to a discovery. And that’s good enough.
The Problem is the Path
Similarly, taking calculated risks can lead to groundbreaking ideas and new opportunities; however, new opportunities and untraveled paths mean roadblocks and setbacks.
In his book “The Obstacle is the Way,” writer Ryan Holiday posits that we need to stop seeing challenges as things to be avoided or feared, but as growth opportunities, guideposts even.
We will always face challenges, obstacles that seem insurmountable, but the fact of the matter is those are the moments that define us. Every salesman and entrepreneur knows that wherever you see duct tape there’s an opportunity.
Every problem is a change to learn and growth. By developing inner resilience and resourcefulness we can use every obstacle to our advantage.
If we alter our mindset and understand that problems are a part of the process, then we can leverage those moments and build upon them.
Furthermore, in the modern technical world we all live in we are no longer paid by the output of work we produce, but by the level of challenges we can solve. Meaning, challenges are no longer looked upon as setbacks, but the very essence of the business world.
It’s no longer just a worldview or a Stoic principle, but a literal reality of personal and working life.
Adapt and Evolve
We do not stop developing, or if we do we’re damned. How many times have we had the thought, “When I graduate I will be done,” or, “When I accomplish X I will be there?”
It’s shortsighted thinking. The goalpost always moves. When you graduated high school there was, perhaps, college or a job. When you graduated college or landed your first job, there were new rules to learn. Then relationships and marriage. Then mortgages and families. Then yardwork and Lord knows what else.
Life is an endless series of challenges we must learn to accept. Personal evolution is not an option. We must always make adjustments.
In rehearsals, the actor learns to make those adjustments. We all come to work with an idea of character in mind, but theatre and film is not an isolated medium.
Good directors want actors to bring interpretations to the table. We want strong grounded choices. Yet, directors also want to put their spin on the character. This isn’t a problem, it’s an opportunity to layer in new ideas. It’s a chance to adapt and allow the work to evolve.
Brilliant as we may be, the work does not end after we memorize the lines. Flexibility is key to the entire process of acting.
We mustn’t stop there. This philosophy should carry over into life. Actors must not only evolve in their approach to acting, but they must also change with time.
Markets change. Tastes change. People change. It’s easy to become stuck in our ways. The older we get the more conservative and routine our lives become.
The world does not stop moving just because we do. Never rest on your laurels, never let the phrase, “That’s not how we used to do it,” be your calling card.
Conclusion
Art does not begin nor end at the stage. Art is meant to inspire, not just be. Brilliant films, stunning plays, and touching performances are all ways we attempt to connect with the world.
Self-expression is how we let others know, “This is who I am.”
It is not limited to paint, canvas, or digital mediums, that spark is not just something reserved for bringing new works to life. It is a state of being that reaches out from within us and tattoos itself all over our faces.
It’s a right we all have. It’s a responsibility we all share, not just to create but to live and make something of the life we are given.
Just create. Be messy. Fail. Start over.