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I love to make excuses not to do something. It’s easy. When I think of something new I’d like to try, I get all excited and then I Google it only to find that somebody else has already done it. So I tell myself it’s been done, no reason to make something that’s already been made, right?

No.

You’re right. It probably has been made.

You know what else was already made?

The phone.

That didn’t stop Apple from making it into something that blew our freaking minds.

The thermostat.

But that didn’t stop the people at Nest from taking something so boring and mundane and making it into something awesome.

(P.S. As I’m writing this, I’m changing the thermostat with my iPhone while sitting at my computer. This is the future!!!)

No. The point isn’t to make something that already been made. The point is that it’s ALL been made. So you may as well make it better.

Are you gonna piss people off? Probably. It comes along with shaking stuff up. That’s okay. They’ll get over it.

It already exists?

Work Blog, Chris Creed blog,

Make it better.

Make it work better, make it look better, make it BE better.

 

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I’m reading Into The Wild by Jon Krakauer. For those who haven’t read Krakauer, he is such a good storyteller. He has a way of drawing you in and keeping you there. Even when I do manage to put it down, it sticks with me, haunting my mind in the best way.

Into The Wild is a true account of a young man’s tragic journey. Hitchhiking across the country to Alaska where he wandered into the wild…. alone.

It’s made me think about the difference between being fearless and being brave.

Being brave REQUIRES fear. Without fear, bravery would be lost.

Don’t be fearless. Fear is good. It lets us know when we’re close to something awesome. It also lets us know when we’re close to something dangerous. Fear is good.

Describing yourself as FEARLESS means you have no fear.

Describing yourself as BRAVE means that you know fear… you just don’t care. You know what you have to do and you do it. You face down the void. You go into the wild.

Don’t be fearless. Be Brave.
Brave

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The crowd waits in anticipation.

Well, we assumed so. From behind the curtain, you can’t see the crowd.

It may be a full house tonight.

But I’m not sure… We’ll see soon enough.

I was a trumpet major. I have been on the other side of a curtain more times than I can count. Before every performance there was a moment, right before the curtain opened, when you feel totally safe. Totally protected in the bubble of your friends and colleagues. Knowing that there is still time to relax, to settle in, and be free. But when the curtain opens, a whole new feeling emerges…

No more hiding.

No more practice.

The curtain is open. It’s time to perform.

When you’re making stuff, there comes a time to finally share it. In that moment, a very real fear will hit you. Something that you’ve poured your heart and soul into is about to be in front of the world. No more hiding it.

Do not stop here!! This is when the real art happens. That moment where you straddle safe and dangerous. Where there’s no more hiding behind your tools or process. This is what everyone has shown up to see. You can’t stop here.

TheCurtain

The curtain is open. It’s time to perform.

 

Question:
How do you respond to this feeling?

How awesome would it feel if you totally brought the house down with what you made?

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“I now walk into the wild.”
-Jon Krakauer, Into the Wild

Creativity is personal. It requires something of us that we all crave in our soul. To stand on the edge. To look into the void. To fear the unknown and thrive on the struggle.

This is when we are alive. This is when art can be allowed to happen.

Not when we’re comfortable. But when we’re lost.

We’re wandering through the wilderness. The only way to survive is to make your own way.

 

Find-Your-Wilderness
But first, We must get lost.

Happy Friday!

Chris

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It’s incredibly difficult to make something new. Something that is yours.

The only thing more difficult… is sharing it.

You have to share it, or it doesn’t exist. Art made but not shared isn’t art.

When I say “Make Stuff” I don’t mean “Stop Here.”…Yes, make all the things. Cause all revolutions. Against all odds, make something incredible. But also, tell me about it.

Art is about standing up and saying:

“I made this. Here it is.”

That’s art. It’s not enough just to make it. You have to show it.  And if you chose not to, you can’t get mad if somebody else beats you to it. (#beenthere)

Happy Thursday, guys!

Chris

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