I spent many happy hours in Seattle listening to episodes of This American Life on my computer while doing my Old Church Slavonic homework. Ira Glass (the show’s host and executive producer) is a smart, smart man who is very, very good at what he does — something I grudgingly admit even when his show annoys me (because I don’t like morals, thankyouverymuch).
I took heart after watching these two videos (out of a series of four) of him talking about being creative. Although he’s talking about storytelling, three things in particular hold true, I think, for anyone who makes anything. First, it takes time to come up with ideas, most of which you’ll reject. Second, you have to produce a lot of crap to get gold. Third, for a while, you’ll make stuff that doesn’t live up to your standards and you’ll know it (even if you don’t admit it to yourself). When that happens, keep on trucking and the gap between ideals and practice will shrink.
If you’ve got the time and need a little lift and guidance, I really recommend the videos.
…and, yes, I loved doing Old Church Slavonic homework. So. Much. Fun.
Thanks for sharing these videos! Excellent advice.