I’ve been spending much of the summer working on a new show. Most of that time is spent creating new ideas and writing scripts. It’s a long, arduous process.
Sometimes I’ll spend an entire day (or week!) working on a new idea, only to flip through a book and discover that someone else already beat me to it.
Or, I’ll suddenly recall seeing it performed by someone else years ago. It got filed away and forgotten before I convinced myself it was my own idea. Eventually, though, I remember seeing it and abandon it altogether.
It can be very frustrating.
Another good idea? No, unfortunately it’s right here on page 67.
How about this? Nope! Saw it during college back in 2008.
I was having this discussion with my wife recently. I had another idea for the show, only to realize that several people had already done it. As a result, I was hitting my head against a metaphorical brick wall and not making any progress.
“Did those other people invent it?” she asked.
“No, not really.” I said.
“Did they all perform it the same way?”
“No, they performed it in their own styles.”
“Okay, so why don’t you just perform it how Mark Toland would?”
She was absolutely right.
In my quest to be original, I was actually limiting myself too much. I was trying so hard to be different that I wasn’t giving myself a chance to get started.
A lot of people I know talk about flow - the mental state of being completely present and fully immersed in a task - and how much it contributes to their creativity. Basically, you become so involved in what you’re doing that distractions fade away and the creative process becomes second nature.
That’s the goal. That’s what all artists dream of. But how can you get there if you never give yourself a chance to get started?
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