Melissa makes a fool of herself! In this episode I riff on two stories of somewhat humbling recent experiences that have everything to do with the gap we always feel between what we’re capable of, and what we want to create. And the secret to getting from the former to the latter.
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I had two uncomfortable experiences almost back to back in the past week, which got me thinking about making crap.
In the first case, I riff on how hard impossible it is to judge your creative work accurately when you’re in the middle of it.
In the second case, I riff on a fundamental truth about creative output that nobody wants to think about: Nobody wants to make crap, but you need crap to fertilize the good stuff.
It all has to do with being a beginner, the gap between where you want to be and where you are (always!), making a fool of yourself, and performing improv. Looping gets involved, too.
Have a listen, and let me know what you think!
Resources Mentioned in this Episode
Ira Glass’s talk on the gap:
Ira Glass on Storytelling from David Shiyang Liu on Vimeo. (See Ira’s full-length video (~5 mins) on YouTube.)
My Imperfectionist Manifesto mini-poster
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Now go get creating!
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Great podcast Melissa. I’m in the midst of making a bunch of crap, so your podcast is perfect timing for me. In my art I keep coming up against the same issues: lack of value changes and shape definition. So I decided to go back to basics, drawing simple shapes and using value to define these shapes. It has been quite humbling to see the crap that I’m drawing, but the more I do each day, the more improvement I see which gives me a spark of encouragement to keep going. Thank you for sharing your stories of trying something new and the encouragement you give to keep going.
Yay! I’m glad this episode resonated for you, Karen! Keep cranking out crap and fertilizing the good stuff! 🙂