Mastering Creativity James Clear PDF

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short essays from James Clear on creativity...

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MASTERING CREATIVITY, 1st Edition This guide is free and you are welcome to share it with others.  FromJamesClear:  Formostofmylife,Ididn'tconsidermyselftobeparticularlycreative.Ididn'tplayamusical instrument(orevenknowhowtoreadmusic).Iwasn'tskilledatdrawingorpainting,orreally anythingthatinvolvedthewords“arts”or“crafts.”  Itwasn'tuntilImovedtoScotlandanddecidedtobuyacamerato“takesomepictureswhileI'm overthere”thatIdiscoveredthatcreativitywassomethingthatcouldbedeveloped.Overthe nextyear,Itookmorethan100,000photos.  FastforwardtotodayandIpursuecreativetasksallofthetime.EveryMondayandThursday,I publishanewarticleonJamesClear.comanddisplaycreativityasawriter.Occasionally,I'lladd somehanddrawnimagestothosearticles.And,ofcourse,I'mstillbouncingaroundtheworld takingphotosandtryingtotellcompellingstoriesasaphotographer.  I'mnotsurewhatyourcreativegoalsare,butIamsurethatyoucanmakeprogresstowards them.IwroteMasteringCreativitytosharethelessonsI'velearnedandtoexpressonesimple truthaboutcreativity:youhavebrillianceinsideofyou,butonlyifyoucanfindthegutsandgrit topullitoutofyourself.  Let'sgettoit… 

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10 Things This Guide Will Teach You  1.Howtoovercomethementalblocksthatpreventcreativity. 2.Howtobecreative,evenifit'snotnaturalforyou. 3.Howtomaketimeforcreativeworkifyou'rebusy. 4.Howtheworld'sgreatestartistsapproachthetaskofcreating. 5.Howtomakecreatingaconsistenthabit. 6.Whysmartpeopleshouldcreatethings. 7.Onesimpletrickthatmakesiteasiertobecreative. 8.Howtostaymotivatedoverthelongrun. 9.Whyitisimportanttogeneratealotofworktofindyourcreativity. 10.Andmostimportantly,howtomaketheseideasahabitinreallife. 

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Table of Contents   HowtoFindYourHiddenCreativeGenius 

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HowCreativeGeniusesComeUpWithGreatIdeas 

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HowtoUncoverYourCreativeTalentbyUsingthe“EqualOddsRule” 

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TheMythofCreativeInspiration 

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TheDifferenceBetweenProfessionalsandAmateurs 

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TheWeirdStrategyDr.SeussUsedtoCreateHisGreatestWork 

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HowtoBeMotivatedtoCreateConsistently 

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SmartPeopleShouldCreateThings 

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TheNextStep:WheretoGoFromHere 

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How to Find Your Hidden Creative Genius   ThereisainterestingstoryabouthowPabloPicasso,thefamousSpanishartist,developedthe abilitytoproduceremarkableworkinjustminutes.  Asthestorygoes,Picassowaswalkingthoughthemarketonedaywhenawomanspottedhim. Shestoppedtheartist,pulledoutapieceofpaperandsaid,“Mr.Picasso,Iamafanofyour work.Please,couldyoudoalittledrawingforme?”  Picassosmiledandquicklydrewasmall,butbeautifulpieceofartonthepaper.Then,he handedthepaperbacktohersaying,“Thatwillbeonemilliondollars.”  “ButMr.Picasso,”thewomansaid.“Itonlytookyouthirtysecondstodrawthislittle masterpiece.”  “Mygoodwoman,”Picassosaid,“Ittookmethirtyyearstodrawthatmasterpieceinthirty seconds.”[1]  Picassoisn’ttheonlybrilliantcreativewhoworkedfordecadestomasterhiscraft.Hisjourneyis typicalofmanycreativegeniuses.Evenpeopleofconsiderabletalentrarelyproduceincredible workbeforedecadesofpractice.  Let’stalkaboutwhythatis,andevenmoreimportant,howyoucanrevealyourowncreative genius. 

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How Creative Geniuses Come Up With Great Ideas   In2002,MarkusZusaksatdowntowriteabook.  Hebeganbymappingoutthebeginningandtheendofthestory.Then,hestartedlistingout chapterheadings,pagesofthem.Somemadeitintothefinalstory,manywerecut.  WhenZusakbegantowriteoutthestoryitself,hetriednarratingitfromtheperspectiveof Death.Itdidn’tcomeoutthewayhewanted.  Herewrotethebook,thistimethroughthemaincharacter’seyes.Again,somethingwasoff.  Hetriedwritingitfromanoutsider’sperspective.Stillnogood.  Hetriedpresenttense.Hetriedpasttense.Nothing.Thetextdidn’tflow.  Herevised.Hechanged.Heedited.Byhisownestimation,Zusakrewrotethefirstpartofthe book150to200times.Intheend,hewentbacktohisoriginalchoiceandwroteitfromthe perspectiveofDeath.Thistime—the200thtime—itfeltright.Whenallwassaidanddoneithad takenZusakthreeyearstowritehisnovel.HecalleditTheBookThief.    Inaninterviewafterhisbookwasfinallyreleased,Zusaksaid,“Inthreeyears,Imusthavefailed overathousandtimes,buteachfailurebroughtmeclosertowhatIneededtowrite,andforthat, I’mgrateful.”[2] 

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 Thebookexplodedinpopularity.ItstayedontheNewYorkTimesbestsellerlistforover230 weeks.Itsold8millioncopies.Itwastranslatedinto40languages.Afewyearslater,Hollywood camecallingandturnedTheBookThief intoamajormotionpicture.  

The Simple Secret to Having Good Luck  Weoftenthinkthatblockbustersuccessesareluck.Maybeit’seasiertoexplainsuccessthat way—asachancehappening,afortunateoutlier.Nodoubt,thereisalwayssomeelementofluck involvedineverysuccessstory.  ButMarkusZusakisproofthatifyoureviseyourwork200times—ifyoufind200waysto reinventyourself,togetbetteratyourcraft—thenluckseemstohaveawayoffindingyou.  Howdocreativegeniusescomeupswithgreatideas?Theyworkandeditandrewriteandretry andpullouttheirgeniusthroughsheerforceofwillandperseverance.Theyearnthechanceto beluckybecausetheykeepshowingup.  InherDartmouthCommencementAddress,ShondaRimessharesastrategythatechoesZusak’s   approach…  Dreamsdonotcometruejustbecauseyoudreamthem.It’shardworkthat makesthingshappen.It’shardworkthatcreateschange…  Ditchthedreamandbeadoer,notadreamer.  Maybeyouknowexactlywhatitisyoudreamofbeing,ormaybeyou’re paralyzedbecauseyouhavenoideawhatyourpassionis.Thetruthis,it 

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doesn’tmatter.Youdon’thavetoknow.Youjusthavetokeepmovingforward. Youjusthavetokeepdoingsomething,seizingthenextopportunity,staying opentotryingsomethingnew.Itdoesn’thavetofityourvisionoftheperfect jobortheperfectlife.Perfectisboringanddreamsarenotreal.Just…do.  Soyouthink,“IwishIcouldtravel.”Great.Sellyourcrappycar,buyatickettoBangkok,andgo. Rightnow.I’mserious.Youwanttobeawriter?Awriterissomeonewhowriteseveryday,so startwriting.  

How Creativity Works  Weallhavesometypeofcreativegeniusinsideofus.Theonlywaytoreleaseitistoworkonit.    Nosingleactwilluncovermorecreativepowersthanforcingyourselftocreateconsistently.For MarkusZusakthatmeantwritingandrewriting200times.Foryou,itmightmeansinginga songoverandoveruntilitsoundsright.Orprogrammingapieceofsoftwareuntilallthebugs areout,takingportraitsofyourfriendsuntilthelightingisperfect,orcaringforthecustomers youserveuntilyouknowthembetterthantheyknowthemselves.Youcanmakeanyjobawork ofartifyouputtherightenergyintoit.  Howdocreativegeniusescomeupwithgreatideas?Theyworkhardatit. 

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How to Uncover Your Creative Talent by Using the “Equal Odds Rule”   PaulErdoswasastrangeman.Helivedoutoftwosuitcases,neverlearnedhowtocookhisown meals,workedupto19hoursperday,tookamphetaminesdailyandwashedthemdownwith caffeine,andgaveawaynearlyallofthemoneythatheearned.[3]  Erdoswasalsothemostprolificmathematicianofthe20thcentury.Hewroteorcoauthored over1,500mathematicalarticlesduringhiscareerandpartneredwithover500different collaborators.Asyouwouldexpect,hiscontributionstomathematicsweresignificant.  Erdossolvedavarietyofdifficultproblems.Heworkedoutaprooffortheprimenumber theorem.HeledthedevelopmentofRamseytheory.Hediscoveredtheproofforadifficult mathematicalriddleknownasBertrand’spostulate.Longstoryshort,Erdoswasgood.He workedhistailoffandadvancedthefieldofmathematicsbecauseofit.  Andyet,doyouknowwhatbecameofthevastmajorityofhis1,500articlesandpapers?  Nothing.Theyarelonggone.Forgotten.Tuckedawayinthearchivesofanoldresearchjournal orfiledintoaboxatthebottomofsomemathlover’scloset.AndthatiswhythestoryofPaul ErdosisperhapsthebestexampleofwhatisknownastheEqualOddsRule.  Let’stalkaboutwhatthisrulemeansandhowitcanhelpyouuncoveryourcreativetalent.   

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The Equal Odds Rule  In1977,aHarvardtrainedpsychologistnamedKeithSimonton,developedatheorythathe calledtheEqualOddsRule.  “TheEqualOddsRulesaysthattheaveragepublicationofanyparticularscientistdoesnothave anystatisticallydifferentchanceofhavingmoreofanimpactthananyotherscientist’saverage publication.”[4]Inotherwords,anygivenscientistisequallylikelytocreateagamechanging pieceofworkastheyaretocreatesomethingaveragethatisquicklyforgotten.  Translatedtotheworldatlarge:Youcan’tpredictyourownsuccess.Scientists,artists, inventors,writers,entrepreneurs,andworkersofalltypesareequallylikelytoproduceauseless projectastheyaretoproduceanimportantone.  IfyoubelievetheEqualOddsRule,thenthenaturalconclusionisthatyou’replayinganumbers game.Becauseyoucan’tpredictyoursuccess,thebeststrategyistoproduceasmuchworkas possible,whichwillprovidemoreopportunitiestohitthebullseyeandcreatesomething meaningful.[5]  I’veseentheEqualOddsRuleatplayinmyownworkeachmonth.Iwritenewarticlesevery MondayandThursday.IknowthatifIwriteanewarticleeveryMondayandThursday,then thatwillbeabout8or9articlespermonthonaverage.AndifIwrite8or9articlespermonth, then2or3ofthemwillbedecent.  Which2or3willbewinners?Ihavenoidea.  Afterstickingtothisscheduleforalmosttwoyears,ithasbecomeverycleartomethatIama ratherterriblejudgeofmyownwork.AllIcandoistrymybesteachtime,committodoinga 

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volumeofwork,andtrustifIstickwiththeprocessthensomethingusefulwillfindit’swayfrom    myhandstothekeyboard.   

The Willingness to Create Garbage  PaulErdosknewsomethingthatallgreatcreatorseventuallydiscover:Creativegeniusonly revealsitselfafteryou’veshownupenoughtimestogettheaverageideasoutoftheway.Time aftertime,problemafterproblem,Erdoskeptworkingonhiscraft.1,500paperslater,itturns outhehadsomeprettygoodideas.  Ifyouwanttoextractyourcreativegeniusandmakeadifference,thenembracingideabehind   theEqualOddsRuleisausefulstrategy.Sometimesyou’llcreatesomethinggood.Sometimes you’llcreatesomethinguseless.Butnomatterwhat,youshouldalwaysbecreating.  Ifyouwanttomakeamasterpiece,youhavetobewillingtocreatealittlegarbagealongtheway. 

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The Myth of Creative Inspiration   FranzKafkaisconsideredoneofthemostcreativeandinfluentialwritersofthe20thcentury, butheactuallyspentmostofhistimeworkingasalawyerfortheWorkersAccidentInsurance Institute.HowdidKafkaproducesuchfantasticcreativeworkswhileholdingdownhisdayjob?  Bystickingtoastrictschedule.  Hewouldgotohisjobfrom8:30AMto2:30PM,eatlunchandthentakealongnapuntil7:30 PM,exerciseandeatdinnerwithhisfamilyintheevening,andthenbeginwritingat11PMfora fewhourseachnightbeforegoingtobedanddoingitalloveragain.  Kafkaishardlyuniqueinhiscommitmenttoaschedule.AsMasonCurreynotesinhispopular book,DailyRituals:HowArtistsWork,manyoftheworld’sgreatartistsfollowaconsistent   schedule.  MayaAngelourentedalocalhotelroomandwenttheretowrite.Shearrivedat6:30AM, wroteuntil2PM,andthenwenthometodosomeediting.Sheneversleptatthehotel.  PulitzerPrizewinnerMichaelChabonwritesfivenightsperweekfrom10PMto3AM.  HarukiMurakamiwakesupat4AM,writesforfivehours,andthengoesforarun.  Theworkoftopcreativesisn’tdependentuponmotivationorinspiration,butratheritfollowsa consistentpatternandroutine.It’sthemasteringofdailyhabitsthatleadstocreativesuccess, notsomemythicalsparkofgenius. 

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 Here’swhy… 

Daily Routines  WilliamJames,thefamouspsychologist,isnotedforsayingthathabitsandschedulesare importantbecausethey“freeourmindstoadvancetoreallyinterestingfieldsofaction.”  AnarticleinTheGuardianagreedbysaying,“Ifyouwasteresourcestryingtodecidewhenor   wheretowork,you’llimpedeyourcapacitytodothework.”Andthereareplentyofresearch studiesonwillpowerandmotivationtobackupthatstatement.      Inotherwords,ifyou’reseriousaboutcreatingsomethingcompelling,youneedtostopwaiting formotivationandinspirationtostrikeyouandsimplysetaschedulefordoingworkona consistentbasis.Ofcourse,that’seasytosay,butmuchhardertodoinpractice.  Here’sonewayofthinkingaboutschedulesthatmayhelp…  

Permission to Create Junk  Weightliftingoffersagoodmetaphorforschedulingcreativework.  Ican’tpredictwhetherornotI’llsetaPR(personalrecord)beforeIgotothegym.Infact,there willbemanydayswhenI’llhaveabelowaverageworkout.Eventually,Ifiguredoutthatthose belowaveragedayswerejustpartoftheprocess.Theonlywaytoactuallyliftbiggerweightswas

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tocontinuallyshowupeveryMonday,Wednesday,andFriday—regardlessofwhetherany individualworkoutwasgoodorbad.  Creativeworkisnodifferentthantraininginthegym.Youcan’tselectivelychooseyourbest momentsandonlyworkonthedayswhenyouhavegreatideas.Theonlywaytounveilthegreat ideasinsideofyouistogothroughavolumeofwork,putinyourrepetitions,andshowupover     andoveragain.  Obviously,doingsomethingbelowaverageisneverthegoal.Butyouhavetogiveyourself permissiontogrindthroughtheoccasionaldaysofbelowaverageworkbecauseit’sthepriceyou havetopaytogettoexcellentwork.  Ifyou’reanythinglikeme,youhatecreatingsomethingthatisn’texcellent.It’seasytostart judgingyourworkandconvinceyourselftonotsharesomething,notpublishsomething,and notshipsomethingbecause“thisisn’tgoodenoughyet.”  Butthealternativeisevenworse:ifyoudon’thaveascheduleforcingyoutodeliver,thenit’s reallyeasytoavoiddoingtheworkatall.Theonlywaytobeconsistentenoughtomakea masterpieceistogiveyourselfpermissiontocreatejunkalongtheway.  

The Schedule is the System  Duringaconversationaboutwriting,myfriendSarahPecklookedatmeandsaid,“Alotof   peoplenevergetaroundtowritingbecausetheyarealwayswonderingwhentheyaregoingto writenext.” 

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Youcouldsaythesamethingaboutworkingout,startingabusiness,creatingart,andbuilding mosthabits.Thescheduleisthesystemthatmakesyourgoalsareality.Ifyoudon’tseta   scheduleforyourself,thenyouronlyoptionistorelyonmotivation.  ●

Ifyourworkoutdoesn’thaveatimewhenitusuallyoccurs,theneachdayyou’llwakeup thinking,“IhopeIfeelmotivatedtoexercisetoday.”

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Ifyourbusinessdoesn’thaveasystemformarketing,thenyou’llshowupatwork crossingyourfingersthatyou’llfindawaytogetthewordout(inadditiontoeverything elseyouhavetodo).

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Ifyoudon’thaveatimeblocktowriteeveryweek,thenyou’llfindyourselfsayingthings like,“Ijustneedtofindthewillpowertodoit.”

 Stopwaitingformotivationorinspirationtostrikeyouandsetascheduleforyourhabits. 

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The Difference Between Professionals and Amateurs   Lastsummer,IwasspeakingwithamannamedToddHenry.Toddisasuccessfulauthorand   doesagreatjobofputtingoutvaluableworkonaconsistentbasis.  I,ontheotherhand,doaremarkablejobofputtingoutquestionableworkonaninconsistent basis.IstartedtoexplainthistoTodd…  “Todd,whatdoyouthinkaboutwritingonlywhenyoufeelmotivated?IfeellikeIalwaysdomy bestworkwhenIgetasparkofcreativityorinspiration,butthatonlyhappenseverynowand then.I’mprettymuchonlywritingwhenIfeellikeit,whichmeansI’minconsistent.ButifI writeallthetime,thenI’mnotcreatingmybestwork.”  “That’scool,”Toddreplied.“IonlywritewhenI’mmotivatedtoo.Ijusthappenedtobe motivatedeverydayat8am.”  

The Difference Between Professionals and Amateurs  Itdoesn’tmatterwhatyouaretryingtobecomebetterat,ifyouonlydotheworkwhenyou’re motivated,thenyou’llneverbeconsistentenoughtobecomeaprofessional. 

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Theabilitytoshowupeveryday,sticktotheschedule,anddothework—especiallywhenyou don’tfeellikeit—issovaluablethatitisliterallyallyouneedtobecomebetter99%ofthetime.  I’veseenthisinmyownexperiences…  WhenIdon’tmissworkouts,Igetinthebestshapeofmylife.WhenIwriteeveryweek,I becomeabetterwriter.WhenItravelandtakemycameraouteveryday,Itakebetterphotos.  It’ssimpleandpowerful.Butwhyisitsodifficult?  

The Pain of Being A Pro  Approachingyourgoals—whatevertheyare—withtheattitudeofaprofessionalisn’teasy.In fact,beingaproispainful.  Thesimplefactofthematteristhatmostofthetimeweareinconsistent.Wehavegoalsthatwe wouldliketoachieveanddreamsthatwewouldliketofulfill,butweonlyworktowardsthem occasionally;whenwefeelinspiredormotivatedorwhenlifeallowsustodoso.It’sjusteasier thatway. ...