One suggestion David Rendall makes in his essay is that we
should choose situations where we can play to our own strengths, rather than
always choosing to adapt or conform. I wholeheartedly believe this is true, and
I have already taken steps to incorporate this way of thinking into my own
creative process. For instance, in my high-school biology class we were split
into groups to make informative videos about assigned topics in biology. I
helped write and record parody versions of popular classic rock songs, changing
the lyrics to illustrate biological concepts. We got a very good grade on the
project, but, most importantly, I felt very creatively satisfied with the way
it turned out. By playing to my strengths, I was able to shine, and so this
suggestion has definitely held true for me.
There is, however, another point of Rendall’s that I do not
completely ascribe to. This suggestion states that we should not both fix our
weaknesses and build our strengths. While I understand why he makes this
point—we should focus on our specific talents rather than trying to be the best
at everything—I still believe that it is important to focus at least a little
on both. For instance, I love (and excel in) music, and I absolutely despise
(and do poorly in) math. There are certain areas of math that greatly influence
the creation and capturing of sound, and, while I would rather not stumble
through complicated math problems, it will ultimately benefit me greatly to
have at least a rudimentary knowledge of the concepts.
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One of my own major weaknesses in the creative processes is
my desire to get projects done as quickly as possible. For instance, as a
musician, I tend to write many of my songs in very, very short periods of time.
I feel the need to rush any musical or lyrical idea I come up with into
fruition, rather than letting it gestate or develop. Essentially, I am
instinctive rather than methodical, and sometimes this approach creates
less-than-stellar results. I tend not to develop musical ideas as much as they
can be, preferring to leave many of my songs as simple sketches or concepts
without much development. This is not only true of my music, but also of the
writing I have done in creating short screenplays and comedic sketches. In many
different aspects of my own creative process, I am a rush-job creator rather
than a careful one.
But this weakness is not necessarily a handicap; it is
definitely something I can see myself building upon. I can learn a lot by
collaborating with others who are more focused on attention to detail, and my
own drive to look at the big picture or greater idea behind the work can keep
their own focus in perspective. In addition, this means that I can also work on
sudden or last-minute projects, and hopefully add something of value to them by
coming up with spur-of-the-moment ideas.
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