This is, without a doubt, not entirely a great idea. Which is not to say that it's a bad idea, either, but it's definitely not great. I think. Maybe. What is a great idea, anyways? And isn't greatness kind of subjective? That idea that you think is so great? Yeah, I might just think it's the dumbest thing since sliced bread.
(I know what you're thinking: how can sliced bread be dumb? Isn't that metaphor backwards? Is that even a metaphor? Isn't it more of an analogy? Or is it something else entirely? You know what, I'm not an English teacher, so I won't lecture you on the specifics. You're welcome. The point is that sliced bread really is dumb. Leave it to the human race to complicate something as beautiful and simple as bread. And what are we? Snotty twits? We have to go through the whole trouble of slicing our bread and adorning it in various ways because we CAN'T POSSIBLY EAT IT PLAIN AND UNSLICED?! You bread slicers out there disgust me with your arrogant ways and your holier-than-thou attitude. And yes, I did just write "snotty twits".)
Follow me past the break to see if I can avoid any other tangents (hint: probably not).
(I know what you're thinking: how can sliced bread be dumb? Isn't that metaphor backwards? Is that even a metaphor? Isn't it more of an analogy? Or is it something else entirely? You know what, I'm not an English teacher, so I won't lecture you on the specifics. You're welcome. The point is that sliced bread really is dumb. Leave it to the human race to complicate something as beautiful and simple as bread. And what are we? Snotty twits? We have to go through the whole trouble of slicing our bread and adorning it in various ways because we CAN'T POSSIBLY EAT IT PLAIN AND UNSLICED?! You bread slicers out there disgust me with your arrogant ways and your holier-than-thou attitude. And yes, I did just write "snotty twits".)
Follow me past the break to see if I can avoid any other tangents (hint: probably not).
What do you call the Facebook page for a high school yearbook?
It was a long time ago, when I was but a young lad who spent his days playing and embracing the overall frivolity of life, when it occurred to me that it might be fun to write a self-help book. Believe it or not, this is not a joke. I wrote a silly outline for a silly self-help title called "Twelve Steps to Self-Help". I still have this outline sitting in the "Shit-That-Is-Funny-But-Will-Never-See-The-Light-of-Day" document folder on my computer. I've saved this document all these years because every time I stumble back on to it, it always manages to bring a smile to my face.
And isn't that what all of this is about? The things that amuse us? The things that make us happy? Whether it's a song or a story or a poem or piece of art, there seems to be very little in this world that brings us as much pleasure as creativity. And that's the point of creativity, isn't it? To bring us pleasure and amusement.
However, if creativity is such a fundamental part of human nature, why is it that it can be so damn elusive sometimes? And if it's not being elusive, why does it have to be so damn selective? Just because YOU don't "get" why that last video I made was the most creative and imaginative video in the universe, doesn't mean it's not. It just means you're an idiot. Right? No? WELL HOW IN THE HELL ELSE DO YOU NOT SEE HOW BEAUTIFULLY AWESOME THAT VIDEO WAS?!
… I may or may not be working through some personal issues while I write this.
Okay, look, it all boils down to this: as ridiculous as a self-help book about self-help was (is), there are some irrefutably silly concepts that happily apply to a self-help book about creativity. So as implausible as "Twelve Steps to Self Help" might have been, dammit, I'm gonna yank that sucker into the realm of reality.
Why? Because I need something to write about. And I need to find out why I obsess over creativity the way I do. I want to understand why this is so important to me. As such, this is going to be less of a guide (although I anticipate it being somewhat helpful in that respect) and more of a chronicling of a creative imagination.
And although this is the second installment, it doesn't change the fact that the lesson of this post is clear: starting things is easy. The beginning of the journey is effortless. Jumping off the cliff, technically, is the simple part. Finishing, ending, and hitting the bottom … those things are slightly more complicated.
And isn't that what all of this is about? The things that amuse us? The things that make us happy? Whether it's a song or a story or a poem or piece of art, there seems to be very little in this world that brings us as much pleasure as creativity. And that's the point of creativity, isn't it? To bring us pleasure and amusement.
However, if creativity is such a fundamental part of human nature, why is it that it can be so damn elusive sometimes? And if it's not being elusive, why does it have to be so damn selective? Just because YOU don't "get" why that last video I made was the most creative and imaginative video in the universe, doesn't mean it's not. It just means you're an idiot. Right? No? WELL HOW IN THE HELL ELSE DO YOU NOT SEE HOW BEAUTIFULLY AWESOME THAT VIDEO WAS?!
… I may or may not be working through some personal issues while I write this.
Okay, look, it all boils down to this: as ridiculous as a self-help book about self-help was (is), there are some irrefutably silly concepts that happily apply to a self-help book about creativity. So as implausible as "Twelve Steps to Self Help" might have been, dammit, I'm gonna yank that sucker into the realm of reality.
Why? Because I need something to write about. And I need to find out why I obsess over creativity the way I do. I want to understand why this is so important to me. As such, this is going to be less of a guide (although I anticipate it being somewhat helpful in that respect) and more of a chronicling of a creative imagination.
And although this is the second installment, it doesn't change the fact that the lesson of this post is clear: starting things is easy. The beginning of the journey is effortless. Jumping off the cliff, technically, is the simple part. Finishing, ending, and hitting the bottom … those things are slightly more complicated.
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