Hello hello,
I learned something recently that made me pause and question everything I assumed about creativity. I’m reading a book of interviews that Prince gave throughout his career starting when he was 17 as senior at Central High School in Minneapolis, MN. This is a man that went against the grain (to put it mildly) and was way ahead of his time. AND Prince was a Jehovah’s Witness – he didn’t drink or do drugs or even curse! Why did I attribute at least part of his creative genius with the assistance of mind altering substances? Sure, it was the 70’s and 80’s. I assumed all drug use was ubiquitous among rock stars at the time… and I can understand how that drug use led to the amazing result that was Prince’s music. But, in the absence of that assistance, I have to accept/understand the true reality of Prince’s genius. It actually makes me question my own skepticism of the divine… Absent drugs, all one can conclude is that Prince was divinely gifted…
No one can deny that Prince was prolific. Which reiterates a concept I heard on a podcast recently. The more you create, the more likely something will stick/resonate. This is so obvious across disciplines – we’ve all heard that Thomas Edison and Albert Einstein and [insert old white man here] had 1000 patents rejected before the breakthrough inventions for which we all remember their names. It’s really not about genius and more about volume. The podcast example said they’d released 400 episodes before anyone cared who they were or what they were talking about. This is such a great reminder. While Malcom Gladwell’s theory of 10,000 hours for mastery is under scrutiny, the gist of the message remains: volume is the key to success.
This is annoyingly true for everything. My husband is the best at pointing out that intensity isn’t what matters – you have to focus on consistency. Show up at your workout, write the blog post (insert eye roll emoji), eat the healthy option… It’s never about intensity – it’s always about consistency… which is just a synonym for volume…
Still thinking about this,
Jessica
#courageousconverations #powertoprivilege #blacklivesmatter
PS Today, my 8 year old said he wants to be Prince for Halloween.
Mic drop.
Greatest parenting win ever!