A certain part of my work in pro wrestling has to do with creative things, mostly of the visual kind. The definition of ‘creativity’ can sometimes get blurry, but according to really smart people, it’s about influences, borrowing ideas, and putting in the effort.
This blog post is not about pro wrestling. But if creative work fascinates you, tag along 🙂
Your past is your future
I’m in awe of creative people. The type of creativity I’m naturally drawn to includes things like personal expression, unusual ideas, having a point, and finally, having the experience and skill to render all that into reality.
As a kid, I was always drawing pictures. I lost myself in comic book pages and emulated the linework for hours, not going to bed or having to be reminded to eat. Recognizing how different styles resonated and obsessively trying to copy the work was super exciting.
I would place a lamp under a glass table and trace the panels, just to find out what each line meant. When getting to the core of it, it’s amazing how a single line, or its absence, can make a difference.
In retrospect, they were lessons in form, composition, light and shadow, and of course, visual storytelling. Photos are about all of those things, and putting that pencil on paper is no different than when I now use a digital pen.
Influences above and below
Years ago, a friend’s band was in the midst of writing songs for an album, and he sent me demo tracks from rehearsals. The first one had almost an identical guitar riff from a band called Machine Head. Track number three opened with a drum intro, which very much reminded me of another Machine Head song.
I first thought it was a rib, but I told him to go listen to the Machine Head songs. Five minutes later, he called me back, and he was fuming. I won’t quote him here because of the profanity, but he couldn’t believe it. Four people in the band, and not even the slightest idea they had pretty much copied someone else’s work.
I think we’re influenced by all the things we’ve ever seen, heard, experienced, felt, read, and the conversations we’ve had.
You might be well aware of your influences, but other times, they operate at an unconscious level. I don’t think they need to be in your own respective niche, either. You might have admired architecture that influenced your photography, listened to music that affected your illustration work, or read novels influencing your visual storytelling.
It’s important to be mindful of the quality of your influences, too. It might be a good idea to keep the principle of “Garbage in, garbage out” in mind.
Feedback is also an influence. Reading complements or critique can lead you away from your own voice. If you’re influenced by them, you’re essentially following their voice, and not your own.
I believe everything is affecting everything.
You are not original
David Bowie once said, “The only art I’ll ever study is stuff that I can steal from.” Think of that statement what you will, but I think Mr. Bowie did pretty OK for himself.
The crude reality of ‘creating’ is that you’re not special, your ideas are far from original, and nobody gives a shit about your work. If you can come to terms with those principles and still keep going, then maybe something good will come out of it.
You came up with an idea? Most likely, it’s nothing new, and not even yours. You wrote a song? Everybody knows the song sucks. You made a picture? Nobody gives a shit. Good luck holding on to your ego along the way.
But you keep going, and you don’t know how to stop. The idea about ideas is mixing them and giving it your own flavor. Through repetition and exploration, the reward can be finding your own voice.
Wandering, but not without a cause
I advocate for the saying, “Make time to waste time”. The mindful gurus out there emphasize the importance of occasionally being bored, doing nothing. That’s not for me, though. My version is simply doing something that requires little to no focus at all.
I get loads of ideas while taking long walks. 20-30 minutes in, my mind starts solving problems. For you, it might be washing dishes or shoveling snow. Find that thing and let your mind wander.
It’s impossible to have this if you’re bombarding your brain with social media feeds 24/7. I love to avoid social media as much as I possibly can.
This wandering of the mind is something that prepares you for what’s coming next. You’re creating room in your mind for ideas and charging your mental battery for execution and focus.
This does not only apply to creative work. Those moments can bring answers to various other things that might be bothering you at a given time.
When that lightning strikes, you can’t miss it. I’m always writing down everything on my phone so I won’t forget it. I later return to the notes and see if there’s anything I can use.
Restrictions for more freedom
Often, when I go into a project, I like to avoid seeing what others are doing. I deliberately try not to be influenced, because those influences could serve as restrictions for my own ideas. This approach might, or might not, serve me well.
You can use restrictions as valuable tools. Around 2011-2013, when learning photography, I would sometimes set the back panel of my camera to black and white. With no colors, it forced me to only see light, shadow, and form. The bare essentials, and new ways of seeing the world.
Nor did I use zoom lenses. I either needed to get close, back up, or change my lens. People accustomed to camera work are familiar with this. Not having the freedom to take the easy way, you gotta slow down, think, and figure out what you need.
Too many options won’t help you. If you’re shopping for a t-shirt and faced with 15 color combinations, your mind goes “Wait, I don’t know what to do.”
The heavy lifting
The work is left to be done. The repetition, the exploration, the thinking, the process, the doing. You hit walls, you have frustrations, and occasional moments of progress.
I think your working environment should fit your personal vibe. Some folks are able to work in a noisy environment, whereas I’m the opposite. I need to block as many distractions as I can. Music helps me get deeper into it, preferably something with a repetitive beat and no lyrics.
Don’t be too concerned about steering away from your initial idea, either. Doing the work could lead you to something much more interesting, as long as you leave your mind open.
Personally, I’ve been stuck in my ways for a long time. When you have to produce something under time constraints, your mind takes the things you know best and just puts something together.
I have a love-hate relationship with schedules and deadlines. Forcing yourself to do something specific when it’s clearly not the right moment for it, won’t bring optimal results. The bright side of it is that you’re getting the thing done.
It’s not necessary to always put 100% into it, nor could anyone ever do that, either. ‘Perfect’ is the enemy of ‘good’. Your 70% input could be 100% of what your audience is looking for (if that’s what you’re after).
Sometimes, you stumble upon a flow state of mind, losing yourself in your work and creating a bunch of stuff in record time. When working on t-shirt designs for my Etsy store, I averaged 15-20 designs per hour. No beeps, no distractions. Just music and a continuous flow of whatever is coming out of you.
Same salad, different dressing
Design, photos, illustration, videos… It’s all one and the same stream. Each one supports the other. For you, it might be carpentry, knitting work, writing stories, or something you haven’t discovered yet. The possibilities are endless.
Find the thing that’s drawing you to work hard on something that isn’t work. Take bits from here and there, mix it up and enjoy the process. You should never stop doing those things.
One of my favorite bands, Madball, has a song titled ’Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop’. While the song is not about doing creative work, that title is what I want you to remember from reading this page.
Keep creating, whatever that may be for you.