Everything has already been done before, right!?
It’s no longer possible to be creative. And stand out with a unique idea or an original piece of content, right!?
Wrong, say Spanish painter Pablo Picasso and American music producer Rick Rubin.
Here are some of their ideas on creativity that I really like:
1. Not everything has been done before
We live in an always on, hyper-connected world. Where thousands of ideas are shared every single minute. And Google and ChatGPT have an endless supply of answers to our questions.
Of course, this gives us the feeling that anything we can think of, has already been done before.
This however, simply isn’t true.
Picasso famously said that good artists copy and great artists steal. With that he mostly meant that great artist are able to create something that is completely their own.
It’s not entirely new. It’s authentically them.
Creative people are able to combine the familiar in unfamiliar ways. They don’t need a blank canvas. They just use a different lens.
2. Keep a childlike wonder
“Every child is an artist,” Picasso said, “The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.”
I don’t think he referred to the never ending stream of artworks that is brought home after school or day care…
Instead, Picasso spoke about childlike wonder.
Young children are curious. To them every day is an adventure. Everything is new. Anything is possible.
“We’ve already tried that,” is not in their vocabulary.
Also, they couldn’t care less about what other people think. Or want.
Young children live in the moment. They are present. Which allows them to pick up signals that others around them may be missing.
3. Keep showing up
If you want to be creative, you need to put in the work.
Picasso produced tens of thousands of artworks. Rubin said: “Inspiration comes through work – not before it.”
And this is the hard part… When we’re finally ready to create something, we want it to be perfect. And we want others to appreciate us for it.
However, this holds us back. The chase for perfection and originality, gets in our way. Or, fully block us. So, we end up creating nothing.
Which is a shame. Because more content isn’t the same as more quality content. I sometimes feel we’re drowning in mediocracy.
We could use some fresh perspectives.
We need subject matter experts like yourself, to mix their expertise, their experience, their perceptions and sensibilities – and create something authentically them.
No need for you to care too much about the results. Although social media may give you another impression, life is not a popularity contest.
According to Rubin it’s most important that you create something that “resonates with your inner frequency.”
“If something lights you up, moves you, or makes your curious – that’s your creative direction.”
Hope this helps you create something amazing!
This Spark was published as Nudge #047 on April 15, 2025.
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