In the Voice of Another, Creating

I wrote recently about a letter writing exercise which involves writing letters to a hero or someone who has had a big influence on you, and then writing the reply to yourself as though you are that person. Here is one I wrote to myself recently:

Experience has taught me not to compromise. My best work has been the projects where I was working out at the boundaries, making what I wanted to make without an eye on commercial potential. You need to dig into yourself to find your absolute space of self-belief: the still voice inside that is pushing you to do your best work. Believe in that voice, follow the muse, and say what has to be said, do what has to be done. At this stage, the audience is secondary, not something to focus on.

I have learnt also that a core audience that believes in you, no matter how small that group of people is, will be the audience that propels your life’s work forwards. 

When you have found a way to work that works for you, that is comfortable – stop and find a way to unravel it. The best work comes from experimentation, out beyond the familiar. Try new things, work with people who will push your boundaries.

Don’t judge your work in the moment. Hold on to all that you create and allow some distance before returning to judge it. Especially hold on to the things that look like crazy, unworkable, bad ideas. You will be surprised by the things that you thought were not that good when you created them.

And finally, don’t overwork things. Sometimes the first take is the best one.

True to the advice, I parked this piece of writing for a few days. Then when I returned to it, I heeded the advice and have been changing the ways in which I work.