5 Ways to Be More Creative Now
It doesn't matter if you are an improviser, a stand-up, an actor or a writer -- we all are looking to be more creative. And if you are looking to be more creative one of the best things you can do is find a way to collaborate with others.
Thank God I have been brainwashed by improv, which I have been teaching and performing for the last 30 years. Everything I learned about creativity I stole from improv, and because of it, my brain is wired to collaborate when the opportunity arises. And you know what? When I work with others, I always get better results and it's a lot more fun.
That's my number one tip for being creative, but it's not the only thing you can do. So here are five things that can help you become more creative:
1. ABC: Always Be Collaborating
Even if you are working on something that will ultimately be performed by only one person, it’s still important to collaborate with others to get the best results. I don't care if you are working on a one-person show, writing a memoir, or writing a sketch, nothing will speed up the creative process faster than getting input from other people you respect and trust.
I think a lot of creatives can be overprotected of their work be afraid to take feedback, because it feels like criticism. But it’s not – it’s collaborating. That’s how I approach all my creative projects. Whenever I start something, I think, “How can collaborate with someone on this?” When I do stand-up, I have a coach who helps me with my material. When I write this blog, my wife, Lauren, edits it and gives me suggestions. When I do a one-person show, I get a director. When I have a TV or film audition, I work with a on-camera coach. It's all a form of collaboration, and thanks to my years of improvising, I cannot think a better way to do it.
2. You have to fail more than you succeed
One thing I have learned doing improv is that when you’re doing something creative, you fail far more then you succeed. That's how it works.
You don't have to like failing, you just have to accept that it’s part of the process. When you can do this, you will start to look at failing as way to get closer to succeeding.
When I’ve done stand-up, I’ve done gigs where I have driven for three hours just to end up bombing miserably. I don't know any stand-up who hasn't. It's a right of passage.
I’ve heard both improvisers and stand-ups say you learn more when you bomb than when you kill. Today, when I fail on stage, (as I still do and will continue to do), I am kinder and gentler with myself than I was in the past, and I remind myself that it’s just part of the process and I am getting better.
3. Take the Pressure Off
Pressure comes in many forms: It could be a self-imposed deadline, it could be trying to be the funniest one in a show on any given night, it could be because you want to please your parents who are in the audience. But nothing kills creativity faster than putting pressure on yourself.
When I am performing, I am at my best when I am relaxed. That’s probably why I’m my funniest when I’m hanging out with my friends instead of on stage.
I love what comedy legend Bill Murray says: “The more relaxed you are, the better you are at everything: The better you are with your loved ones, the better you are with your enemies, the better you are at your job, the better you are with yourself.”
3. Compare and Despair
After about seven years doing improv, a lot of people I started out started to become famous. When I compared myself to them the fun stopped.
Comparing yourself to other people is the meanest thing you can do to yourself. It's a subtle form of beating yourself up without leaving any finger prints. Nothing will poison your creative juices faster than comparing yourself to others.
If writing makes your soul sing, write. If singing makes your soul sing, sing. Don't compare yourself to Stephen King or Taylor Swift. Your soul doesn't give a shit that you’re not a New York Times best selling author or on the Billboard Top Ten. All that it cares it that you are doing it.
4. Love the F#@king Process.
If you don't love the creative process, you will not survive in a creative art form. Every project I do, I have an expectation that this project is the one will make me rich and famous – which is a bad idea. As you can figure out, it hasn’t happened yet. Yes, it’s good to goals and a vision for your career. But remember that you do not have control over the results. The opposite of this is loving the process. If you want to really let yourself be as creative as possible, stop worrying about the results. Just fall in love with the process, and have fun making whatever you are making. It works every time.
5. Talent is overrated
I hate hearing stories about someone who became an overnight success or about a person was discovered by an agent by just waiting tables and now they are a star in this summer's blockbuster movie. I don't find that inspiring; it’s discouraging.
Yes, it makes a good story in People magazine, but it's not true 99% of the time. It's a myth that does more harm than good.
I am inspired by the people I knew starting out in improv whom I thought weren't very talented but who ended up being really successful, because I feel if they could do it, so can I. That is called hope, and if you are a creative person, it’s something you can never have enough of.
You the man. Happy Easter.