You're Just One Cog in the Machine
Perhaps only entrepreneurs beat those in the creative industry when it comes to historical revisionism. That of consciously misremembering then proudly regaling what they went through to get them to where they are today. In their retelling, the hours and weekends they worked are longer, the battles and fights they had, bloodier and the people that helped them along the way, fewer. The bedraggled solitary creative making their way with only their ingenuity, inspiration and determination as their guide is a history too often told. But the truth is a much less riveting story and one with many more people in it.
Anyone who’s anyone in the creative industry has been dragged up by others. Even those creative prodigies born with magic eyes, ears or fingers have relied on other people’s head, hearts and boots up the backside. The fact is, only psychopaths and sadists go it alone. You need an ego the size of the Amazon to believe that much in yourself and the self-discipline of a mountain goat to make your own way up.
The fact is, only psychopaths and sadists go it alone. You need an ego the size of the Amazon to believe that much in yourself.
Us other mere creative mortals need and entirely rely on the support, the opinions, the critique, the fine-tuning, the shredding and editing from teammates, family members and patient partners.
Anyone who thinks Jaws was Spielberg’s doing left the cinema before the credits rolled. Anyone who thinks Hirst pickled his own shark is vastly overestimating his biological expertise and preserving skills.
Your cog is just one, in whatever creative machine you’re creaking forward. Ok, ok, if you’re a lone wolf in your own creative career - an illustrator, photographer, author, designer - relied upon for your individual skill, eye or voice, you may rightfully claim your cog to be the most significant, but it still needs others. Others to not just provide momentum but inspiration too. The influence and ideas to get your flywheel turning in the first place. Which brings us nicely onto our second Happy Thought of the week.
Give Your Ideas Away
Every creative being in history has not just relied on the support of others, but their ideas too. Jim Jarmusch’s quote“Nothing is original. Steal from anywhere that resonates with inspiration or fuels imagination” was basically stolen from Jean Luc-Goddard’s “It’s not about where you take ideas from. It’s where you take them too.” Which, in turn, was stolen from T.S Elliots “Talent Borrows. Genius Steals”. We’re all just standing on the shoulders of others’ ideas, consciously or unconsciously nabbing inspiration where we find it. Building on what’s come before or simply aping the work of others.
So, when it comes to, seemingly, having ideas of your own, better to not concern yourself with the precious practice of credit taking. Of storing it up and waiting for the moment to let it, and you, shine. Your brain, and the world as a whole, is a better place with said ideas let loose. Get them out of your head. Even better, into someone else’s. Don’t let them gather dust or at worst fester. If you don’t know what to do with that kernel of a thought, give it away.Let someone else tend to it, fertilise it and allow it to blossom. Be creatively content in the knowledge your thoughts are out there doing their thing whether your name is against it or not.
As Paul Arden says in his wonderful book ‘It’s Not How Good You Are. It’s How Good You want to Be.’; “Give away everything you know and more will come back to you”.
So back to our cogs.
Particularly now, in a world of WFH, it is easy to feel isolated, to feel your little cog is critical and its sole-grinding-screeches deafening. But accept it’s not. It’s not the be all and end all. Lock it into the others.And lean into the comfort found in knowing you’re not alone.
Article appeared in Creative Review
Top image: Shutterstock
