Episode 021: The Creative Gap

What we imagine in our head as our masterpiece of art and storytelling sometimes doesn’t appear on the page with all the full glory that we feel it is supposed to have. 

Sometimes that inspires us to start over; a lot of the time, though, it is discouraging. We doubt and fret and even give up. Which of course is the worst “solution” (and I put that in quotes because it is not, in fact, a solution at all!)

This is what is known as the “Creative Gap”, that space between what lives in our minds and what we actually create. It is so frustrating, but in this episode I talk about where this comes from, what audiences feel about it (“Holy shit! Two cakes!”) and what we need to do to combat the emotions that come from realizing the gap exists. (I remember the days of my childhood when I didn’t realizing it, when I just created whatever I wanted and though it was great. So great! …but like opening Pandora’s box, we can’t shut the lid and go back to that magical time, alas). 

I hope this episode gives you some inspiration to write and challenge the brain weasels!

Alchemical Lesson of the Week

“…it’s only by actually going through a volume of work that you are actually going to catch up and close that gap. And the work you’re making will be as good as your ambitions.” ~ Ira Glass

Links

Brainpickings Ira Glass quotes: https://www.brainpickings.org/2014/01/29/ira-glass-success-daniel-sax/

Chris Fox: https://youtu.be/uiNSxrVnaUg 

Show Notes

1. Today’s Alchemical Lesson: There is a creative gap, and there is a way to fix it.


2. Have you heard about the creative gap?
   
   
   
   1. Old concept: it takes time to learn a skill
   
   
   2. Clouded in the arts by the idea of “talent” — sure, talent is a thing, but it’s useless without the skills, and skills take time.
   
   
   3. Beautifully clarified by Ira Glass (quoted)
   
   
   4. Also discussed by genre writer Chris Fox on his vlog (link in notes
   
   
   
   


3. Accept the idea that it exists. Maybe your work is “good enough” or maybe it isn’t, but it takes a while to get it to the point where it reflects what you set out to do.


4. IT IS OKAY TO SUCK RN


5. What to do about it?
   
   
   
   1. You know the answer: write. Write through it, over it, under it.
   
   
   2. Write badly, write awkwardly, write with disappointment in your veins.
   
   
   3. There is no other way to close the gap.
   
   
   
   


6. WRITE.