Don't Sit on a Great Idea

When you have a creative idea that is a ten out of ten, get it out into the world as fast as humanly possible—because you can bet that someone else in the world just had the same idea as you.

As creatives, we get dozens of ideas. Most are fleeting, average, just okay. We work our creative process knowing that most of our ideas aren’t worth pursuing.

But we pursue these okay ideas anyway because we know that they are the path to the really special ideas.

The ten out of tens.

The ideas that give you a special feeling, like the heavens have either opened up before you or come crashing upon you—or both.

Creative ProcessMark SamplesAugust 19, 2024creative ideas, creative process, Ryan Tedder, OneRepublic, music production, idea urgency, creativity tips, songwriters advice, innovation timing, artistic inspiration, creativity and timing, creative pursuit, music industry insights, idea execution, creativity strategy

Run More Creative Experiments

I once heard Slim Moon say that musicians should act more like comedians. Moon is the musician who founded Kill Rock Stars, the legendary Seattle indie label that released records by Sleater-Kinney, Elliott Smith, and The Decembrists.

But when Moon said musicians should be more like comedians, he didn’t mean that musicians should try to be funnier.

Instead, Moon pointed out that musicians should learn from the process that comedians use to craft the perfect stand-up routine. Comedians workshop every joke, dozens of times in various ways, to see what lands the best in front of a live audience.

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