Note: This blogpost appeared on September 14th, 2007 for the first time on http://www.michielnagtegaal.nl and was re-blogged here recently. At the time I wrote in my native language Dutch. My apologies to any international readers for the inconvenience.

Vanmiddag was eindelijk mijn agenda even leeg. En mijn hoofd meteen ook. Zen! Man, wat ga ik lekker slapen dit weekend! Om de tijd tot aan mijn zelf-geinitieerde Vrijdagmiddagborrel vooral ook eens nuttig door te brengen maar eens de linkjes bekeken die ik laatst kreeg doorgestuurd.

Op een één of andere manier lijkt één linkje altijd van hogere kwaliteit dan een serie van elf. Niks is minder waar. De link bovenaan mijn lijst is meteen raak. Goed raak. Titel: ‘How to be creative’. Bron: GapingVoid (waar ken ik dat ook alweer van?). Link: GapingVoid: ‘cartoons drawn on the back of business cards‘.

Werkelijk hilarische tips over creatief zijn:

“So you want to be more creative, in art, in business, whatever. Here are some tips that have worked for me over the years:

1. Ignore everybody.
2. The idea doesn’t have to be big. It just has to change the world.
3. Put the hours in.
4. If your biz plan depends on you suddenly being “discovered” by some big shot, your plan will probably fail.
5. You are responsible for your own experience.
6. Everyone is born creative; everyone is given a box of crayons in kindergarten.
7. Keep your day job.
8. Companies that squelch creativity can no longer compete with companies that champion creativity.
9. Everybody has their own private Mount Everest they were put on this earth to climb.
10. The more talented somebody is, the less they need the props.
11. Don’t try to stand out from the crowd; avoid crowds altogether.
12. If you accept the pain, it cannot hurt you.
13. Never compare your inside with somebody else’s outside.
14. Dying young is overrated.
15. The most important thing a creative person can learn professionally is where to draw the red line that separates what you are willing to do, and what you are not.
16. The world is changing.
17. Merit can be bought. Passion can’t.
18. Avoid the Watercooler Gang.
19. Sing in your own voice.
20. The choice of media is irrelevant.
21. Selling out is harder than it looks.
22. Nobody cares. Do it for yourself.
23. Worrying about “Commercial vs. Artistic” is a complete waste of time.
24. Don’t worry about finding inspiration. It comes eventually.
25. You have to find your own schtick.
26. Write from the heart.
27. The best way to get approval is not to need it.
28. Power is never given. Power is taken.
29. Whatever choice you make, The Devil gets his due eventually.
30. The hardest part of being creative is getting used to it.
31. Remain frugal.

Bijvoorbeeld, nummer 5: You are responsible for your own experience.

“Nobody can tell you if what you’re doing is good, meaningful or worthwhile. The more compelling the path, the more lonely it is. Every creative person is looking for “The Big Idea”. You know, the one that is going to catapult them out from the murky depths of obscurity and on to the highest planes of incandescent ludicity.

The one that’s all love-at-first-sight with the Zeitgeist.

The one that’s going to get them invited to all the right parties, metaphorical or otherwise.

So naturally you ask yourself, if and when you finally come up with The Big Idea, after years of toil, struggle and doubt, how do you know whether or not it is “The One”?

Answer: You don’t.

There’s no glorious swelling of existential triumph.

That’s not what happens.

All you get is this rather kvetchy voice inside you that seems to say, “This is totally stupid.This is utterly moronic. This is a complete waste of time. I’m going to do it anyway.”

And you go do it anyway.

Second-rate ideas like glorious swellings far more. Keeps them alive longer.”

Het loont de moeite de lange pagina goed te lezen. Waanzinnig! Nog een keer de link: GapingVoid.com – How to be creative.