Modern creators do the opposite though.
They stubbornly insist on originality, which they hold as their highest virtue — even when it comes at the expense of quality.
Imitate, then Innovate is my motto for improving at any skill.
Thread:
Modern creators do the opposite though.
They stubbornly insist on originality, which they hold as their highest virtue — even when it comes at the expense of quality.
Look at Quentin Tarantino. When people think of him, they see a singular talent for making original movies.
But he's famous for building upon scenes from other movies, and once said: “I steal from every single movie ever made.”
Directors watch movies not just to be entertained, but also to see how they’re made.
Watching helps them develop their own mental Pinterest board of ideas to borrow and build upon in their own work.
To create Star Wars, he built upon the teachings of Joseph Cambell. In order to align the story with motifs that’d reverberated through so many human cultures, Lucas re-wrote his draft of Star Wars to align it with Cambell’s work.
The etymology of the word “imitate” is one of my favorites. During the time of Shakespeare, the word “ape” meant both “primate” and “imitate.”
Maybe the etymology indicates that knowledge of imitation is core to who we are.
The transmission of technique and tacit knowledge, both of which are best learned through imitation, was lost in the process.
The more you’re drawn to learning the skill on YouTube, the more you’ll benefit from imitative learning. “YouTube skills” are usually hard to describe in words.
Nobody learns to dance by reading a textbook.
At first, students resist.
In response, the coach tells them to listen for friction. “Do you hear that resistance? It’s the whisper of your unique style.”
Through imitation, we discover our voice.
It’s what Kobe Bryant was doing when he studied and adopted the moves of history’s greatest basketball players.
In fact, Kobe once said: “I seriously have stolen all my moves from the greatest players.”
https://t.co/i4aOqVW3FJ
Bryson DeChambeau might be the most innovative athlete in the world right now.
— David Perell (@david_perell) September 20, 2020
He just won his first major championship and is changing how golf is played at the highest levels. People call him "The Mad Scientist of Golf." Here's what you can learn from him.
THREAD
Concepts like repression, instinctual drives, the unconscious mind, and the symbolism of dreams are rooted in Nietzche’s work.
Today, patterns of blind imitation are most evident in the design industry where it seems like every Fortune 500 company is using the same caricature drawings.
The platforms incentivize a homogenous creative style.
Twitter rewards short sentences and bold, aggressive statements. YouTube rewards fast-paced and high-energy videos that are nothing like your average movie.
1) Find people you admire and deconstruct their style.
2) Remember that pursuing originality too directly can paralyze you creatively.
3) Pursue loftier ends than originality — such as usefulness, beauty, or quality.
Ideas that aren't mentioned in the thread:
∙ What I learned from Leonardo da Vinci
∙ The two kinds of imitation
∙ Lessons from @patrickc and Stripe
https://t.co/U2wEO4aHDi
I'll teach you the basics of online writing and help you implement the "Imitate, then Innovate" method.
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