The Power of Creativity \(Book 1\): Learning How to Build Lasting Habits, Face Your Fears and Change Your Life pdfdrive com

Create Alone and in Company
Learning what your craft or your audience demands is an art form.
When  you’re  first  acquiring  a  creative  skill,  start  with  the  fundamentals.
Although  you  won’t  have  much  to  show  for  your  hard  work  at  first,  build
privately  on  each  of  your  hard-earned  lessons  over  time.  Keep  track  of  your
progress so at least you can see how much you’ve come on and avoid reaching
for the salt first.
As  you  become  more  accomplished  at  your  chosen  craft,  don’t  give  up  on
learning more of what your craft demands.

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Like  the  meditator  who  discovers  the  intricacies  of  his  or  her  breath  by
focusing  on  it  each  day,  your  work  will  reveal  more  to  you  over  the  weeks,
months and years.
It’s  a  lifelong  practise,  and  it’s  one  that  separates  the  amateur  from  the
professional and the professional from the creative master.
Consider  what  your  audience  wants  too.  When  you’re  ready,  show  them  a
minimum  viable  idea  and  ask  for  critical  feedback  and  if  they’re  prepared  to
support  you.  Then,  use  their  critical  feedback  or  financial  backing  to  improve
your craft or ideas.
Of  course,  sometimes  you  don’t  need  to  worry  about  having  a  minimum
viable idea.
If you’re pursuing a passion project or a private creative work, by all means,
do  what  you  will.  Or  if  your  focus  is  an  abstract  project  that  you  believe  is
pushing your chosen discipline forwards, then don’t concern yourself with what
others want.
History is full of instances when an inspired artist gave his or her audience
something  so  shocking  or  original  that  they  didn’t  know  how  to  react.  When
Wolfgang  Amadeus  Mozart  first  released  his  music,  his  peers  and  audience
lamented his composition was too rich in ideas, artful and difficult to understand.
Today, we could call these people Philistines but those moments are rare!
Remember, though, unless you’ve bought into the myth of the lone, starving
artist,  getting  a  minimum  viable  product  or  idea  will  help  you  test  your
assumptions and avoid wasting your limited time and creative energy.
The effort will help you learn more about your craft, faster.
So unless you’re happy to create alone and in obscurity, trace the connection
between what your audience wants and what you’ve created.
When you see a divide, bridge it.