Written by: Dr. Ron Alexander, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
Many highly creative artists recognize that, despite their expertise and mastery, they still have much to learn when pursuing their creative passions.
They eagerly embrace what Buddhists call “beginner’s mind” — a willingness to approach what is familiar with a fresh perspective, as if they knew nothing. They enjoy building knowledge and skills and being inspired by other artists to take new risks with their creative endeavors. They’re not afraid to find themselves at the beginning of a learning curve. Highly creative artists patiently undertake the necessary research and learning before formulating a plan for their new creative endeavors or transformation.
If you commit to maintaining your learning curve, despite doubts or becoming impatient, you’ll strengthen your foundation for change and your ability to tap into your core creativity.
George Harrison picked up a sitar on the set of the Beatles movie, Help!, tried playing it, and committed to lessons on this difficult-to-master instrument that has three times as many strings as a guitar. Harrison played the sitar on songs like “Norwegian Wood,” and inspired many other artists to use the instrument in their recordings, too — all because his was willing to follow his curiosity and embrace a spirit of exploration. He wasn’t daunted by having to start at the beginning of a learning curve and work hard.
It’s that same level of curiosity and exploration that can inspire great success.
One of my favorite examples of persistently pursuing one’s passion is that of a client of mine I’ll call James. I first started working with James when he’d recently graduated from college and signed on to be an assistant to a B movie producer. James aspired to be a screenwriter and producer. His boss turned out to be very difficult to work with and a poor mentor, leaving James very disappointed in how little he was learning. Frustrated and depressed, James saw little hope in continuing to pursue a career in film.
As I listened to him, I could see James was at the beginning of a learning curve and needed to pay his dues by sticking it out at his job — but I also recognized that he was deeply dedicated to his ultimate goal and wasn’t sure how to move forward. He’d taken others’ advice to land an entry level job in the business and learn all he could, only to now feel trapped.
After going over his options with me, James committed to taking some classes in psychology, which he was interested in and which he felt would help him to create believable, multidimensional characters. He also recognized that what he was learning could help him not just with his writing but in interpersonal and business relationships. The action of starting classes made him feel far less helpless.
Simultaneously, James asked friends if they knew of anyone who had experience screenwriting and was willing to team up with a beginner. Through them, James found a writing partner who loved her day job but also enjoyed writing screenplays at night and on the weekends. This partner had achieved some success with writing scripts for episodic television, and had a lot of advice to share with him. Writing with his partner kept James feeling connected to his goal even when he was having a particularly challenging time dealing with his boss and the boring details of his day job.
Over the next year or two, James became so driven that, after work, he kept up his psychology classes, took some screenwriting seminars and workshops, worked with his writing partner, and participated in script analysis readings for several talent agencies to better understand the elements of a good script. Then, when his screenplay was finally complete, James’s more seasoned writing partner used her connections to show the screenplay to some studio executives. The next thing they knew, a studio had optioned the screenplay. In fact, they were so impressed that they asked James to produce the movie.
His film was a brilliant success, and James was able to quit his day job and focus on writing and producing.
Not many people are willing to work as hard as James, but his rapid success goes to show that even if it feels as if the learning curve is very steep, your willingness to be patient and dedicated to your passion can take you where you want to go.
If it feels as if you’ll be stuck in your day job forever, think twice before quitting and putting enormous pressure on yourself. Think instead about following in James’s footsteps while practicing patience. Put yourself on a dual track, continuing to work but having a clear set of goals that will help you progress in your artistic pursuit or toward furthering your career.
Dr. Ron Alexander, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Ronald A. Alexander, Ph.D., is the author of the new book, Core Creativity: The Mindful Way to Unlock Your Creative Self (Rowman & Littlefield, June 21, 2022), upon which this article is based. He is a mind-body psychotherapist, an international trainer, and creativity, business, and leadership coach. He has private psychotherapy and executive coaching practice in Santa Monica, California. He’s the executive director of the OpenMind® Training Program, which offers personal and professional training programs in mindfulness-based therapies, transformational leadership, and meditation. He is also the author of the highly acclaimed book, Wise Mind, Open Mind: Finding Purpose and Meaning in Times of Crisis, Loss, and Change (2008).
Learn more at CoreCreativity.
