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Your Ideas are Not Precious
Art is the execution of ideas, not having ideas
The hard truth about any creative endeavor is that a good idea is essential, but not sufficient, to bring something to life.
Many aspiring writers, painters, musicians, and filmmakers never become artists because they are stuck waiting for the right idea or are obsessed with a single idea. They cannot move forward until the ideal idea is perfectly realized.
Having an idea for a thing is intoxicating. It’s one of life’s great pleasures. But having an idea is not the same as doing the thing. The difference between the amateur and the professional is that the amateur simultaneously takes ideas too seriously and doesn’t take them seriously enough.
Taking ideas too seriously
Ideas are everywhere. In the moment, it’s almost impossible to tell if an idea is good or not. Ideas need time to percolate, to ferment in the stew of your experiences, memories, and knowledge. Ideas change as they collide with other ideas.
Amateurs tend to latch too tightly onto one idea, scared to share it lest someone else “steal” it, and…
