Creative Types Know Just to Let it Be
"Painting With A Twist." Maybe you've heard of it. It's not for me, but I think it's not a bad business idea. It's a place where people can go to drink wine while getting micro painting lessons. The employee's usually tease that their customers - who aren't artists at all, and are the type of people who usually complain that they "can't draw a straight line" and "please don't laugh at this" - do amazingly... with a "little" wine in them.
There's something in that, though. I believe that when you give things up to chance, don't try to control things so rigidly, and let mistakes happen, you've created art! Wither it's music, writing, art, business, science... don't micro manage, don't boss or force. Let things happen organically. That's how that one amazingly talented kid you might know does it, you just don't realize it. There's a time and place for bossiness and control, but not when it comes to creating, at least not always. In my experience it takes a lot of practice and time to gain skills, and you know what that means? It means making a lot of mistakes. And making a lot of mistakes means letting it go and getting over it.
Which lead me back to comparing the cliched laid back, sensitive artist to the bossy, smart, chic business person you see in movies. Everyone loves that business person. They're clever, rich, and powerful. They're who we all wish we were, and some of us try to be. But I'm here to tell you, they're not all that. They're fun in romantic comedies, and if you know them irl, to trash over coffee with mutual friends. And if you do know them in real life, I hope you don't work for them, even though you probably do, because they're kind of a bitch. Remember, they knows how to get things done. If you slip up and you get caught? Pick up the want ad's on your way home. They might be imperfect, but no one lets them live with that knowledge anymore. But they do know it. Because if anything falls out of their control, it's the end of the world. It might be small and silly, a mud drop on expensive, designer, lizard skin shoes. But that can ruin their day.
Now take the artist. Probably smokes pot and drinks a lot. Sleeps all morning. Sleeps all afternoon. Parties all night. Or else never leaves their home, where they're probably smoking, drinking, and sleeping, but actually they're just working on something secret that they had an amazing dream about. That artist, do you know why we think they're always stoned or drunk? Because if you rear end their car they may get mad, but they won't fight you. They may actually apologize to you even though you both know it was your fault. Because I think instinctively, I think creative types understand that beautiful things happen when you don't want them to. I think creative types know that to err is to be human.
Don't get me wrong. First of all, I don't drink much, I've never smoked pot - I don't even actually know what it smells like. But I'm a non-bossy creative type. I've met a lot of laid back business types, and I know a lot of bossy artists. But the point I'm trying to make (rather badly) is that there's a time and place to be bossy and lazy in turns. Some people need to be less serious, and others can stand to be a little more serious.
There's something in that, though. I believe that when you give things up to chance, don't try to control things so rigidly, and let mistakes happen, you've created art! Wither it's music, writing, art, business, science... don't micro manage, don't boss or force. Let things happen organically. That's how that one amazingly talented kid you might know does it, you just don't realize it. There's a time and place for bossiness and control, but not when it comes to creating, at least not always. In my experience it takes a lot of practice and time to gain skills, and you know what that means? It means making a lot of mistakes. And making a lot of mistakes means letting it go and getting over it.
Which lead me back to comparing the cliched laid back, sensitive artist to the bossy, smart, chic business person you see in movies. Everyone loves that business person. They're clever, rich, and powerful. They're who we all wish we were, and some of us try to be. But I'm here to tell you, they're not all that. They're fun in romantic comedies, and if you know them irl, to trash over coffee with mutual friends. And if you do know them in real life, I hope you don't work for them, even though you probably do, because they're kind of a bitch. Remember, they knows how to get things done. If you slip up and you get caught? Pick up the want ad's on your way home. They might be imperfect, but no one lets them live with that knowledge anymore. But they do know it. Because if anything falls out of their control, it's the end of the world. It might be small and silly, a mud drop on expensive, designer, lizard skin shoes. But that can ruin their day.
Now take the artist. Probably smokes pot and drinks a lot. Sleeps all morning. Sleeps all afternoon. Parties all night. Or else never leaves their home, where they're probably smoking, drinking, and sleeping, but actually they're just working on something secret that they had an amazing dream about. That artist, do you know why we think they're always stoned or drunk? Because if you rear end their car they may get mad, but they won't fight you. They may actually apologize to you even though you both know it was your fault. Because I think instinctively, I think creative types understand that beautiful things happen when you don't want them to. I think creative types know that to err is to be human.
Don't get me wrong. First of all, I don't drink much, I've never smoked pot - I don't even actually know what it smells like. But I'm a non-bossy creative type. I've met a lot of laid back business types, and I know a lot of bossy artists. But the point I'm trying to make (rather badly) is that there's a time and place to be bossy and lazy in turns. Some people need to be less serious, and others can stand to be a little more serious.