Author Archives: David Wahl

Selling yourself: change the story not the core

March 1, 2007 By in Marketing 2 Comments

Seth Godin, one of the few marketing experts worth paying attention to, posted a brief blog entry today about a segment of the population he calls Noisy People. These are the people who actually talk about things, comment in blogs and evangelize the things they like. He points out, correctly in my opinion, that attracting the Noisy People can cut you off from the mainstream.

Here’s his conclusion:

So, if you want to reach the masses, you’ll need to realize that changing your story (but not your essence) is part of the deal. It’ll disappoint your noisy people, no doubt about it. But if you’re authentic in the core of what you offer, they’ll forgive you. The challenge is in creating a product or service or platform that can sustain both stories.

I think you’ll recognize in that statement a justification for what creative people call “selling out”. Most creative people are so terrible at marketing that they neglect it entirely, so they never even appeal to the noisy people. How many people do you know who have been fortunate enough to make the choice about whether to sell out or not?

Ivory tower creative types, the kind that no one actually knows about because the art they create has never been seen, think that their creations should be sold only on its artistic merits.  Instead of thinking that the core is the most important aspect of what they create, they feel the core is the only important part.

Think about the story of what you create. Use the story. Tell the story. If the story is interesting enough, it will get repeated by the Noisy People. Then, if you are extremely lucky, you will be able to choose whether or not to sell out to the mainstream.

Exercise to unstick creative blocks – What would never work?

February 28, 2007 By in Creativity, David Theory 2 Comments

Mick NapierA few years ago, I attended a sketch comedy workshop in Chicago with all the living Second City directors. Mick Napier, of the Annoyance Theater, told us about an exercise that I not only remember, but use constantly. While they were writing their show, he sent the players home with the challenge, “Write at sketch you would never see on the Second City stage.”

Most of what he got back was unusable, but one sketch was so shocking and funny they had to use it. The premise was a group of men were robbing a bank when they heard a noise from offstage. One of them looked out the window and said, “Oh no, the jig is up, it’s Superman.” Then, Superman rolled out on stage in a wheelchair.

This was in the mid-90s, Christopher Reeve had just had his accident, so the concept was even more shocking then than it is now. The sketch continued with the thieves reacting to Superman as if he weren’t in a wheelchair. He gets their guns away from them and eventually leads them off to the police station.

They didn’t use the sketch as it stood, they had Superman sing a song about what was going on inside his head to win the audience over, but it was one of the stronger sketches in the show.

Now, when I’m asked to brainstorm about something, I always ask myself, what would never work? What would our company never make? What would I never say? What would never sell to consumers?

Whatever your creative endeavor, let your mind wander across the line into the unacceptable and the impossible Even if you don’t come up with something that is directly usable, it will help you define exactly what you can do. Sometimes you don’t know where the line is until you cross it.

The next time you’re stuck for an idea, ask yourself, “What would never work?”

In his book, Improvise, Mick gives one of the best pieces of artistic advice you can get. He says it in the context of improvisational acting, but it applies to anything. “Do something. Anything.”

Where do you get your ideas? Part four – David Lynch

February 28, 2007 By in Quotes 3 Comments

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From Film Threat:

“I really believe there’s, like, an ocean of ideas. And all of the ideas are sitting there. They bob up from time to time and come into your conscious mind and you know them. When a good idea bobs up, it really smacks you. It’s like a piece of electricity and you see the whole thing and you feel it and you know what to do. It all comes with the idea.”

I finished Catching the Big Fish: Meditation, Consciousness and Creativity David Lynch’s book on creativity. Except for the occasional evangelizing for Transcendental Meditation, it’s a good, short read.

Fiction the size of a napkin

February 27, 2007 By in Writing Leave a comment

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Esquire Magazine sent out 250 napkins to fiction writers and asked them to write a story on it and send it back. Over a hundred were returned and Esquire posted the results on their site. Not only the text of the stories, but scans of the actual napkins. An interesting limitation to put on creativity, definitely worth reading.

Click here for the article

Increasing creativity: 5 tips to appear smarter while actually making yourself stupider

February 27, 2007 By in Creativity, David Theory, Genius Leave a comment

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If you ask most people whether they would rather look smart to the world or actually be smart and have no one know it, I think a majority would choose to look smart. So, here are five thing that you can do that will make you seem smart to other people while actually reducing your IQ, knowledge base and creativity.

1. Specialize

Mentally challenged people are helped to get by in the world by being taught a single skill that they do very well. It can be something as simple as taking out the garbage or running a cash register, but once they learn it people accept them in situations they wouldn’t before. Studies have shown that if you do one thing well, people will put up with you not being able to do other things.

Think of the stereotype of the absent-minded professor. A person so lost in their own limited academic world (Of Physics or History or Shakespearean Sonnets) that they can’t be expected to remember a phone number or where they parked their car. So, if you want to seem smarter, spend all your time studying only one thing. Don’t bother trying to relate it to other area of interests or to actual life, just memorize facts.

That way when you do something that seems less than smart, your friends can say, “Oh, he’s always so lost in thought about the trickster narratives of the Native Americans, it’s no wonder he can’t add numbers, comb his hair or hold down a job.”

It’s also a great way to stop other people from boring you when they start talking about what interests them. You can cut off the interaction by pointing out that what they’re saying is outside your area of expertise.

Of course, the only way to have a new thought about a topic is to try to relate it to other topics. But, we don’t care about that. We just want to look smart.

2. Perfect the Disapproving Grunt And Sigh

This is great in any conversation where you feel uncomfortable with the topic. Instead of admitting that you don’t know anything about it or asking questions for clarification, just grunt and sigh. That way the other people will feel that you are smarter than they are and have dismissed what they are talking about as trivial.

You not only seem better than they are, but you have also made them feel stupid and prevented them from teaching you something new.

3. Only Use Words You Are Sure You Know How To Spell And Pronounce

Nothing makes you looks more like an idiot than fumbling language. Stick to what you know! People will argue that tapes and books can teach you new words, but you still risk a terrible mistake.

Learning new words can broaden your thinking and amplify your ability to communicate. However, doing so will open you up to appearing stupid, so you should stick with words you are 100% positive of pronunciation and meaning. Even if it takes you an entire extra sentence to explain a concept that one word would have clarified instantly, it’s totally worth it.

4. If You Haven’t Done It, It’s Not Worth Doing

This is great for not having to appear stupid while trying new things.  If someone suggests you try something new, travel to a new location or learn a new skill, just have pat reasons for explaining why it isn’t worth doing. Good general answers include “I can’t waste my time with that” and “I’ve read about that and what we already do is far better”. If you want to appear smart, never try a new type of food, go to a new store or learn to dance in front of other people. Either do the activity by yourself until you become proficient or don’t try anything new at all.

5. Notice Other People’s Mistakes And Call Attention To Them

If you make fun of someone for their mistakes, it obviously means it’s a mistake that you don’t make. So, pointing out everyone’s mistakes to them will make you look more perfect. Now, remember this list is about people thinking that you’re smart, not people liking you. Using this step will make people like you less, but they will think you’re a smart jerk instead of a stupid jerk.

Also, this will bring you less contact with other people, which means that your exposure to new ideas, stories and opinions is limited. But, you are so smart it doesn’t matter.
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Feel free to take these tricks and use them to get ahead in the world. When you’re done with that, do the exact opposite and actually get smarter and more creative.

The Two Faces of Creativity – Orson and Ed

February 26, 2007 By in Creativity, David Theory Leave a comment

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People often tell me that they have trouble getting started on a project or they have trouble finishing it. I have come up with a system for working through both problems. This is not based on science or years of research. It’s just something that works for me.

When I go through my creative process, I have noticed two impulses which push against one another. These impulses were completely beyond my control forces of nature. I was their slave. Well one way to control something is to name it.

I named one “Orson Welles” and the other “Ed Wood“. Orson and Ed for short. These are not based too specifically on actual biographical facts about the two directors, but more the spirit they embody.

Orson is quality over quantity oriented and can’t stand to see a finished product that is anything less than perfect. Orson has trouble with process and abandons projects or has them taken away from him before they’re finished. He would rather quit than see anything mediocre come from his efforts.

Ed loves process. In fact, he smiles the whole time he’s working. He hates to do things again. Reshoot a scene? He has already done it. Who cares if the tombstone moved? We got the shot lets move on. Once the product is finished, it’s great! I made it, so it’s great!

I think that most of my trouble with creating comes from trying to balance Orson and Ed. You can’t be 100% either one and be a successful and happy creative person. I used to be far more Orson than Ed, but years of doing improvisational acting has made my Ed side stronger.

Here are some things than I have noticed about them working together. Let Ed write your first drafts. Hide them from Orson if you have to. Orson can approve the initial idea, but let Ed run with it. Orson will be happy to rewrite for you when it comes time to do it.

There always comes a time when it’s finished. Of course, if you leave it up to Orson, it isn’t done until it’s perfect. (Meaning it will never be finished.) Eventually, you have to let Ed take control and release it. It should be easy for Ed, after all, once he’s finished he can start work on the next project. That’s hard if you spend most of your time as an Orson. You have to take the credit and the blame for what you produce.

Don’t try and spend all your time as an Ed or you end up writing crappy self-published horror novels filled with terrible grammar.

Don’t spend all your time as Orson or you’ll never do anything except pat yourself on the back for being a undiscovered genius.

Remember, let Orson listen to feedback, but let Ed read the bad reviews. Life is easier that way.

Make your own happiness

February 26, 2007 By in Happiness Leave a comment

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Wayne Coyne, lead singer of the Flaming Lips,on NPR’s Morning Edition describes how he feels humans have the power to make their own moments of happiness.

I believe this is something all of us can do: Try to be happy with the context of the life we are actually living. Happiness is not a situation to be longed for or a convergence of lucky happenstance. Through the power of our own minds, we can help ourselves.

Link to story

Random Idea Generators For Writers

February 26, 2007 By in Uncategorized Leave a comment

Seventh Sanctum provides a series of idea generators. Most of them were designed for use in fantasy role-playing games, but they also have a section specifically for writers. Now, you probably won’t use anything you get directly out of one of these generators, but there’s a lot to start you thinking.

They have one that basically gives you a Hollywood pitch by envisioning an existing story in a new form. Example result:

The story of Gulliver’s Travels being about a group of hackers.

Another gives you an entire story. Example:

This is a documentary-style story with an emphasis on defeat and the oddities of the human condition. The story is about a cartographer. It takes place in a ghost town on a desert world of magic. The story begins with a discovery. The issue of abortion plays a major role in the story.

Lets not forget characters:

The striking, bloodthirsty police chief who is a complete fraud.

Take a look at all of them, a great way to get your thoughts churning.

Increasing Creativity: 5 Tips On How To Trick Your Brain Into Taking A Fresh Look At The World

February 25, 2007 By in Creativity 2 Comments

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1. The George Costanza Method

Named for the life choice that George Costanza made in Season Five of Seinfeld. His life wasn’t what he wanted it to be and no matter how hard he tried doing the “right” things to get it to where he wanted, he got nowhere. So, he decided to start doing the opposite of what he instinctively felt would lead to the results he wanted. If doing what you think should work isn’t working, do the opposite. Spend some time doing the exact opposite of what you usually do. Obviously, this won’t work in every situation, but in the context of creativity the stakes are low. If you’re designing a cover for a heavy metal band, try making it look like a hallmark card. The best part, if doing the opposite doesn’t work, you can always stop doing it.

2. Change Your Commute

Most of what you do in a day is so ingrained in you that you don’t actually think about it. For a lot of people the best example of this is their commute. They go into a trance-like state as soon as they get on the road and when they get work, they couldn’t answer a single question about the trip. In fact, I know a lot of people who have left the house on a Saturday morning with the driving somewhere fun and then ended up at their work feeling slightly embarrassed. (I’ll admit it, I’ve done this myself.) This one is easy. Even if it takes a little longer or is more inconvenient, change your path to work for a few days. Drive down fresh streets, stop at different stop lights. You’ll be amazed at all you notice and you might just discover a faster route.

3. Calling Things By The Wrong Name

This is an improvisation warmup invented, as far as I know, by Keith Johnstone. This exercise is loud and funny looking, so you’ll want some privacy. The best place to do this is in a room you’re familiar with, maybe an office or living room. Take a few minutes to just point at objects in the room and say the wrong name for them. If you point at a lamp, call it a giraffe. If you point at a book, call it a salad. If you start to get uncomfortable just keep going. Some people report that this actually makes them lightheaded. A usual side-effect is that everything seems brighter and your awareness of your surroundings is increased.

4. Write WIth the Wrong Hand

This is another method that seems stupid and simple, but can yield amazing results. If you are right-handed, write about your problem or area of exploration with your left hand. If you are left-handed, do it with your right. This makes your conscious mind have to think about the process of writing applies the opposite side of your brain to the problem.  This one is especially good if you buy into the whole right-brain/left-brain dichotomy.

5. Listen to a Radio Talk Show That Pisses You Off

Sometimes you just need to light the fire of passion underneath yourself. That can be hard when you aren’t passionate about what you’re working on. So, whether it’s Rush Limbaugh, Al Franken or the guys on Car Talk, find something that really makes you angry to listen to while you’re working . Cursing at the radio helps to physicalize the passion.

Sound Smart When You Talk About Music

February 25, 2007 By in Music Leave a comment

WFMU’s Beware of the Blog has all the mp3s from a 1959 album that gives the correct pronunciations of classical composers, music terms, opera titles and musician’s names. Learning the vocabulary makes it much easier to enjoy and talk about classical music without sounding like a rube. Also, you can get all snotty and irritated when you her people mispronounce them. So, it’s win/win.

Now, if they would just post a guide to philosophers we’d certainly hear a lot more discussion of people like Sartre, Nietzsche and Heraclitus. I know that Weird Al would like to work a reference to Sartre into his next album but he’s not sure if it actually rhymes with "fart".