1386: How to Be More Creative by Sydney Jones of I Will Teach You to Be Rich on Creativity & Entrepreneurship

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[00:00:25] Find out more about the new Galaxy Z Flip 6 on samsung.de. This is Optimal Work Daily episode 1386. How to Be More Creative by Sydney Jones with IWillTeachYouToBeRich.com And I am Dan, your host and narrator here on OWD. And today I've got a post from Ramit Sethi's site,

[00:01:13] I Will Teach You to Be Rich, but we're featuring a guest writer there, Sydney Jones. So without any further delay, let's get right into the post as we optimize your life. How to Be More Creative by Sydney Jones with IWillTeachYouToBeRich.com

[00:01:32] Creativity is surrounded in a fog of myths. Just saying the word conjures up images of geniuses scribbling down great ideas with feather pens and moleskin notebooks, or starving artists chipping away at sculptures all day. The truth is, creativity is not about magic,

[00:01:49] and it's not something reserved for the elite or a trait that only naturally creative people have. Turns out, you can learn how to be more creative and consistently produce great work at any time. There's a process, a system, to coming up with brilliant or genius ideas.

[00:02:06] Ramit recently interviewed Brian Koppelman, a renowned filmmaker, producer, and writer who's worked on some of my favorite movies like Rounders, Ocean's 13, and The Illusionist. He also created the popular TV show Billions, which has won many prestigious awards. Brian's creativity has resulted in massive career success,

[00:02:24] and he's spent years perfecting his creative process. We'll show you how to use his best advice to become more creative. Tip number one, don't be afraid to fail. Brian says, quote, Whatever your favorite movie is, at some point during the writing of it,

[00:02:40] the screenwriter felt completely lost, end quote. When you're working on a big creative project, you run the risk that it will be a complete failure. People often forget this because they only see the finished, successful product. But we know that for every movie that gets made,

[00:02:54] there are thousands of movies that don't. If you're afraid to fail, you'll never be able to get that amazing finished product. Even if it takes a few tries to get it right, it's worth it to create something brilliant in the end.

[00:03:05] Tip number two, don't try to get it right on the first try. There are two steps to creating something new. The first step is making the first draft or coming up with something from scratch. The second step is editing that draft into a beautiful finished product.

[00:03:20] If you want to be more creative, you need to be careful not to combine these two steps. Most people do. When you're creating something from scratch, you need to silence your inner critic and just create with as much freedom and passion as possible.

[00:03:34] Then, once you have a first draft, you can go back over it with a critical eye and make it better. If you try to edit it while you create, you're limiting your creativity in a big way. You have to be able to try something new

[00:03:45] and edit it out later if it doesn't work. If you edit it out before you try it, you'll never know if that would have ended up being the perfect addition. Tip number three, accept that the process of creating can be uncomfortable.

[00:03:58] We all have times where we're working on something and we think it's terrible. Brian explains that when he was working on his ESPN documentary on Jimmy Connors, he would come home feeling like he made it worse rather than better. But you have to get up the next day

[00:04:11] and attack it again. Once you realize that this discomfort is part of the process of making something great, you can learn to work through this tough part of the process and become even more creative. Tip number four, limit the amount of time you have.

[00:04:25] You don't need a lot of time to make something great. It's actually a huge advantage if you only have an hour a day to work on your creativity because it forces you to focus and work with intensity. If you give yourself too much time,

[00:04:38] it's too tempting for your mind to wander. By limiting your time, you'll produce more creative work at a faster pace. Brian also advises to, quote, leave yourself a wet edge or a little roadmap for tomorrow at the end of your creative practice, end quote.

[00:04:53] This way, your subconscious will keep working on it and when you come back the next day, you'll be able to hit the ground running. Tip number five, eliminate sources of anxiety. When Brian and his partner David Levien were writing their first screenplay, they were both working full time.

[00:05:08] Brian advises aspiring creators not to quit their jobs because it creates too much pressure. If there's a lot of pressure on you to create something magnificent, it can actually thwart your creative abilities. Instead, focus on eliminating anxiety wherever you can so you can truly focus on your creativity.

[00:05:25] And tip number six, use rejection as a tool. A lot of times when we hear no, it's crushing and it feels like a huge judgment on our work and our character. But Brian points out that you never know what's going on behind closed doors. He says, quote,

[00:05:40] maybe that morning the head of the agency said, hey guys, don't tell anybody, but we can't afford to take on any new clients. So for the next month, you need to pass on everything, end quote. Your work could get passed up because of something internal

[00:05:52] you don't know about, but if you take it personally and give up, you might miss your chance. Rejection can actually be a useful tool to help you look objectively at your work. Take your creativity to the next level. Overall, creativity is a skill

[00:06:07] that you can improve over time. If you follow the tips Brian laid out, you'll be well on your way to being more creative. Once you've honed your creative process, you may want to take it to the next level. Many great creators have started businesses from their work,

[00:06:21] and you could too. You just listened to the post titled How To Be More Creative by Sydney Jones with IWillTeachYouToBeRich.com This show is sponsored by BetterHelp. Do you ever find yourself getting caught up in comparison, seeing the successes of others and wishing your life looked the same?

[00:06:42] If so, then you know how difficult it can be to manage these feelings. Therapy can help you focus on what you want instead of what others have, so you can start living your best life. And therapy is for everyone. Even if you haven't experienced major trauma,

[00:06:57] it's a great place to learn positive coping skills, boundary setting, and personal empowerment, which can have an amazing impact on both your personal and professional life. If you're thinking of starting therapy, give BetterHelp a try. It's entirely online, designed to be convenient, flexible, and suited to your schedule.

[00:07:14] Just fill out a brief questionnaire to get matched with a licensed therapist and switch therapists anytime for no additional charge. Stop comparing and start focusing with BetterHelp. Visit BetterHelp.com slash WorkDaily today to get 10% off your first month. That's BetterHelp, H-E-L-P dot com slash WorkDaily.

[00:07:34] Thank you to Sydney, and let me tell you a little bit about the site that she is contributing to, and that is IWillTeachYouToBeRich.com. And if you've been listening to Optimal Finance Daily for the last few years, you have definitely heard from the founder of the site,

[00:07:48] Ramit Sethi. He's the author of the New York Times bestseller I Will Teach You To Be Rich, and he writes for over one million monthly readers on his site, where he covers things like psychology, personal finance, careers, as well as entrepreneurship. His unusual combination of psychology, analytical testing,

[00:08:05] and an irreverent style led Fortune Magazine to call him a new finance guru on the block. We've only heard great reviews about his book, so that is definitely worth checking out. You can find it on Amazon. And Ramit appears on ABC and PBS quite regularly, and periodically writes

[00:08:21] for the New York Times as well. He studied social influence and persuasion at Stanford and previously co-founded PBWorks, a Silicon Valley collaboration startup. Come by IWillTeachYouToBeRich.com for a lot more content, and thanks to Ramit for giving us permission to narrate his work for years now.

[00:08:39] And that does it for today here on Optimal Work Daily. Hope you enjoyed the post and that you're having a great day out there, and I'll see you back here tomorrow where your optimal life awaits.