Accidental Creative

Liars, Posers and Thieves

I’ll often start my talks with this statement:

"I’m convinced that this world is full of liars, posers and thieves - and many of them are in this room."

We are liars because:
- we’re living out lies that were spoken to us at some point in our lives…or…
- we’re betraying who we are and how we’re wired so that we can be "more like how we should be."

We are posers because:
- we are "positioning" ourselves to show only what we think others want to see…or
- we are fabricating and exaggerating in order to gain others’ approval.

We are thieves because:
- when we refuse to be who we really are, everyone else is robbed of something unique that we have to contribute…and…
- we are robbing ourselves of the thrill of being engaged in something that brings us to life.

When we are free to be, live and engage this world as we’re wired to do, all of these artificial prison bars disappear.

We can still do work for the client - even if it’s not exactly how we would want it - because we’re not defined by our work.

We can cease the never-ending striving for "the next thing" because we can be fully engaged here-and-now. (Which…by the way…often leads to bigger and better things. Shh!)

We can say what we mean and mean what we say because we are actually speaking with integrity.

It takes determination to fight for your freedom, but on the other side there is full engagement and creativity not accessible to those who are bound by artificial and illusory prisons.

Expectantly So…

I recently wrote an article for How Magazine on "expectation escalation ." As we’ve discussed often with AC Members , it’s critical that we understand what’s happening beneath the hood of our creative process. One of the silent and stealthy assassins of creativity is unchecked expectations.

Great Expectations [How Magazine]

EVENT: Jacksonville, FL

Thanks to all of my new friends in Jacksonville for a great weekend. This was my first opportunity to get together with a group of college-aged and twenty-somethings and talk about living life with a creative ethic. I was changed by what I encountered. There were some big dreams and bold visions - wow!

(By the way…that whole "Southern hospitality" thing is real. They arranged for me to stay in an amazing condo right on the beach. This was my view from bed each morning. Again - wow!)

 

M dot Coolness

So…about a year ago I received an e-mail from a film-maker. He told me how much he enjoyed the AC podcast and that he was going to take the challenge "cover bands don’t change the world" seriously. He said that was pouring his own money and all of his time into making an innovative animation piece and planned to enter it in the film festivals. I checked out his work and was amazed.

Last night I was flying back from Florida and cracked open the latest issue of WIRED magazine. I was delighted/overjoyed/jumping-out-of-my-seat when I saw a feature piece on M dot Strange and his work "We Are The Strange." He is gaining a HUGE internet following - rightly so - and has practically invented a new form of animation. He calls it Str8nime and you can read about it in this month’s WIRED.

M dot Strange has overcome critics, paved a new way and is finding form for the art that’s in his mind - even if it means inventing new ways to do it. Go for it, man. Congrats.

LINK >>  Strange + 8-Bit + Anime = Str8nime. Learn DIY Filmmaking from M dot Strange [WIRED]