Mind The Gap

Mind The Gap

When we set out to make creative work most of what we create in the beginning will be pretty mediocre. This isn't something we like to admit but we all know this is true. For some it's such a scary realization that we don't even start. We are all terrified of being amateurs but are drawn to creative work because we have good taste. Ira Glass articulated this perfectly in his interview for Current TV.

“Nobody tells people who are beginners… and I really wish somebody had told this to me… is that all of us who do creative work, we get into it, and we get into it because we have good taste. But it’s like there’s a gap… that for the first couple of years you’re making stuff, what you’re making isn’t so good – it’s not that great. It’s trying to be good, it has ambition to be good but it’s not quite that good. But your taste – the thing that got you into the game, your taste is still killer! And your taste is good enough that you can tell that what you’re making is kind of a disappointment to you. A lot of people never get past that phase, a lot of people at that point they quit. "

Culture, YouTube and Social media have unfortunately put this idea in our heads that we can buy our way through the gap. Examples might include a new 100 megapixel camera, the latest workout technology, an updated editing software or the latest electric guitar amp. We think if we can just acquire these new technologies our work will improve, the public will praise us for being up to date and we will be accepted by the creative community.

Deep down we know this isn't true. The only way to close the gap is by putting in reps, shipping bad work and moving on. Back to Ira:

"The thing that I would just like to say to you with all my heart is that most everybody I know who does interesting creative work, they went through a phase of years where they had really good taste, they could tell what they were making wasn’t as good as they wanted it to be. They knew it fell short. It didn’t have this special thing that we wanted it to have. And the thing that I would say to you is everybody goes through that. And for you to go through it, if you’re going through it right now, if you’re just getting out of that phase is you gotta know it’s totally normal, and the most important possible thing you can do is do a lot of work. Do a huge volume of work. Put yourself on a deadline so that every week or every month you know you’re going to finish one story. Because it’s only by going through an actual volume of work, that you’re actually going to catch up and close that gap. And the work that you’re making will be as good as you’re ambitions. It takes a while, it’s gonna take you a while, it’s normal to take a while. And you just have to fight your way through that.”

Don't worry about the latest piece of gear or technology. Make a commitment to learning, putting out work consistently and wear your amateurism on your sleeve while sharing what you love.