This is the final blog assignment, although I still have a few blogs from previous weeks to complete. I am supposed to make my own creative manifesto. Throughout this course, I have been reading the writings of many different creative artists and their tips for leading a creative life. Some of these tips I have found very useful, and some I have found not so useful. Using these writers as my influence, I will now compile a list of what I believe to be 10 tips to live and live creatively.
1. Don't worry bout the haytaz- There are always going to be haters, or people who try to discourage whatever it is that you are doing. Every famous artists or successful person has gone through life having people tell them what they can and cannot do, and only the people who ignore all of the negativity are the ones who become successful. This can be hard to do, but letting people convince you that you are nothing will get you nowhere.
2. Immerse yourself in other people's work- Influences are one of the essential ingredients to creativity. No one has ever simply became good at what they do by doing it: they have learned from what others do. If you read interviews with musicians or directors they will spend a large chunk of the interview discussing their influences and how much of an impact they have had on them. These influences are what shape our creative personality.
3. Take influence from other disciplines- As a musician and producer, I do not simply take influences from other musicians and producers- i take influence from directors, writers, politicians, philosophers, etc. Martin Scorsese once said that the main influence on Raging Bull was the album London Calling by British punk rock band The Clash. The feel and the themes behind this album are not really related to those of Raging Bull, but the emotions evoked by the album influenced Marty in a certain way that helped him make one of his best films.
4. Steal from other artists- There is really no such thing as pure creation. Artists must steal bits and pieces of other artists work in order to make something unique. Quentin Tarantino steals full sequences of shots from some of his favorite movies to create his own films, but he does it in a unique way that makes his films his own. I remember reading an interview with the band MGMT where they stated that they stole many of the basslines on their newest album from another album by one of their favorite artists. They were shy in admiting to this blatant plagiarism, but by only stealing part of the song and changing the rest of it, they made some great, original songs.
5. Take advantage of your weaknesses- I am stealing this tip from the reading "Freak Factor" because I think it is a very important tip. Instead of hiding from your weaknesses, I think that it is important to take advantage of them. The best example is Rudolph, who uses his bright red nose, which the other reindeer saw as a defect, to lead santa's sleigh through the fog (its amazing the themes that can be found in children's storys)
6. Try new things- I think it is important to try things that you never thought you would be interested in. There are many times where I'll give a band a chance that seems like a band I wouldn't normally listen to. Many times these bands will turn out to be some of my favorite artists. The same goes for many films that seem to not be my style, but turn out to be movies that I really enjoy. These new experiences can give you a different outlook on things and change your creative style for the better.
7. Work Hard- This seems so obvious, yet sometimes its the hardest thing to do. No artist has ever gotten to where they are without hard work and extreme devotion, its as simple as that. If you want to be good at something, you have to work hard every day at it. This is something that we are taught from Kindergarten through college, and it was just as true as a child as it is now.
8. Collaborate- It is important to collaborate with other people who have similar, and dissimilar, interests. By bouncing ideas off of each other, you can get a new perspective on what it is that you are doing. The collaboration of John and Paul is what made the Beatles the greatest band to ever live, and the exchange of ideas between the Coen Brothers is what makes their films so unique and enjoyable.
9. Take Breaks- This suggestion was proposed in one of the readings at the beginning of the quarter. I think it is important to take a break from whatever it is that you are doing in order to change perspectives. Sometimes if you are stuck on something, its best to go out for a run, and try to clear your mind. By doing this, the answer will often just come to you since you are no longer think so intensively about it.
10. Hang out with diverse groups of people- This was another suggestion in one of the previous readings. I think it is important to diversify the people that you spend time with. If you hang out with a small group of friends with similar perspectives, then you are only getting that perspective, instead of seeing the points of view of a wide range of people.
So at the conclusion of this class, these are the ten creative commandments that I will try to live my life by, and I hope that anyone reading will use these suggestions in their own life.
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