THE BEST WORK IS CREATED FROM IMPULSES
…our impulses are too strong for our judgement sometimes
-Thomas Hardy, Tess of the D’Urbervilles
In his book Linchpin, Seth Godin talks about the two parts of the brain. It’s not the left and right hemisphere, which most people associate with that phrase, but rather “resistance and daemon.” Daemon is a Greek term, and the Romans referred to it as a “genius.” Godin talks about how each of us has genius inside us, and I agree with him, but I’m going to pair daemon with impulse.
When I look back on what I consider my best creative work, I began to notice a pattern. All these projects were created from impulse. In every situation, there was an impulse that took over my whole body to the point that I couldn’t sit around and think about that impulse, but instead, I had to take action on that impulse. This book was an impulse.
The problem is that I only wait for these huge impulses before I act. It’s not because I don’t have any other impulses; trust me I have PLENTY…if you’re an ENFP you know, it’s because I allow resistance to wash those impulses away.
If you are in the creative business, the resistance is someone you need to befriend. The resistance is the nay-sayers, the people in the crowd laughing and pointing, the judgmental faces greeted with creative ideas. These are people adhering to the social norms and programmed to follow the herd and live a simple, boring life. These are obstacles you have to be okay with to be a creative person. From my experience, the impulses lead to a way more exciting life than resistance does.
Read:
Linchpin by Seth Godin – this is a MUST for creatives who want to get their work out to the world.
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