Why Steve Jobs never asked before Creating (#MythOfNormal)
(Picture: Segagman via Creative Commons)
Steve Jobs and I. We never met, I never even interacted with him. He never consulted me on his creative work – the imac, ipad, ipod and iphone.
And we’re lucky he didn’t. Jobs imagination and vision transformed electronics, and in many ways shaped a generation. He was someone who thought differently. He went places no one had gone or even wanted to go, and began a revolution. And he once quoted the statement below as a maxim for both his and Apple’s work:
“I skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it has been.” – Wayne Gretzky
I’m always surprised when creative people ask their audience for inspiration. I have heard stories and seen examples of successful published authors asking both publishers and their own audience questions like “What subjects are selling well?”, “What do you want to hear about?”, “What’s popular now?”.
The reason I’m surprised is that it is, in fact, not creative in any way.There’s no innovation there. No imagination.
And let’s face it, the motive behind it is always success and achievement. Never being true to your passion or divine identity.
Now the creative impulse is one we all share. It’s part of our divine identity. Every single major advancement in history, came from the creative side of our identity. Explorers imagining new journeys, beyond where others had gone before. Scientists imagining new combinations of chemicals, to form medicines. Others coming up with theories which changed history. And people like Steve Jobs with the iphone, ipad and ipod.
All from the creative side. All people brave enough to go where others hadn’t been before.
You see, to be a creative is to be an explorer. To be courageous, to go places others haven’t been before – and take others with you.
This is what I’m interested in.
When I create, I’m not interested in what’s popular. I’m interested in what God is speaking to me about right now. (you can tweet that here)
If that happens to be popular now, so be it. But what’s really important is what’s stirring up inside my soul. What my heart is speaking to me about. As a writer and a leader I want to take others forward. I’m not only interested in what’s happening now, I’m interested in taking others forward. In using my gifts, my talents to serve others and move them forward, help them grow.
That, after all, is what gifts are given for. To help others on their journey. To be poured out for the good of the world.
And to take people forward involves taking risks. Because to take others into a new place, means having to be creative. And as we’ve seen, creativity is all about bravery.
Can you imagine if Steve Jobs had waited to find out if all the Apple customers like me wanted a unique, new form of MP3 player before inventing the ipod? Or if he consulted customers about tablets before the ipad?
He didn’t, is the answer. No one was sure either of those creations would take off. There was little or no market research beforehand.
Steve Jobs took the lead. He was bold and courageous. And he created markets which barely existed, and revolutionised others which did.Because he didn’t wait for approval, or fear rejection. He didn’t follow the so-called ‘rules’.
He created.
Steven King didn’t survey readers for thoughts on what should go in his first book. He simply wrote it down and shared it with the world.
He created. He was bold.
We should never be afraid to create. Let’s not wait for approval or to see whether people will want what we create, or whether we can guarantee success.Truth is, you can never guarantee success. And at some point, you will be rejected. You will fail.
Steve Jobs failed. He was sacked by his own company in the mid-1980’s. But like any good failure, it was only the catalyst for a new beginning. And, in fact, he said himself that it freed him to be more creative again, to imagine a new tomorrow – and began the path which led him back to Apple, and so to the imac, ipod, iphone and ipad.
No matter what happens, may we never be afraid to take a step of faith. Never be too fearful to imagine a new tomorrow.
As Steve Jobs himself says in the ‘Think Different’ advert below:
“The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do”
So watch the video below and listen to the words. Let yourself be inspired.
And then follow in the footsteps of God, the divine creative.
Go and create.
Do you agree or disagree with me? Why?
Do you wait for permission before creating?
Are you willing to go places no one has gone before?
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I think people get so embroiled in asking for direction that they forget they have the ability to create wonderful things all on their own. Maybe it’s generational and folks not knowing how to think for themselves, I don’t know, but I try to tell my children, “Just dream, try, and use your imagination.” Nice post!
Thanks Elyse, agree with you completely. Thanks for commenting & for the encouragement too. 🙂
The reason I love this era of Indie writers is they are breaking the rules. if they imagine it, they can write it and share it. They aren’t constrained by an editors agenda or anyone’s agenda. They succeed or fail on their own terms.
No need to add to this. Absolutely spot on. Thanks for the comment Onisha.
*BAM* Hit the spot again!
Jobs was so different because of his willingness to do what others were to scared to do. Imagine if all of us work with our fears instead of against them …. we would all be our own kind of genius.
It’s non of our business what others think about what we do, it’s there business. We just have to push through and do the work. Our purpose in life isn’t to cave into other people’s desires, it’s to do work we feel is right.
Great post James… keep it up… I know you will 🙂
Absolutely agree Devani – Jobs wasn’t afraid to fail, and dared to follow his own path. May we all do the same. Normal is a myth!
Thanks for the comment and encouragement Devani – excited how this topic is developing. 🙂
Yes! And always glad to support! 🙂
Breaking rules has been around a long time. Knowing HOW and WHEN to break the rules is the key. I’ve tried to instill a sense of wonder and curiosity in my children and my grandchildren. There is no reason to be lead down the path. Create your own path. See something new in your own eyes. Use your mind, your imagination. Otherwise, be content to stare at the screen, whether it is blank or not.
Spot on Bob – it’s knowing how and when to break the rules which is key, and we must create our own path. Great comment and totally agree. Thanks for sharing Bob!
It only took a three minute conversation with a lit agent to know what they tend to expect. I refused to write a teen romance vampires and all. I wanted something real, something people could relate to, and in the process, I created a story with characters people loved as though they’re living and breathing. I love that hockey quote from Gretzky. When I hear a new song, well written and well performed, I have to wonder, how did they think that up being that we have heard trillions of songs? Where do they come up with those sounds, those lyrics? They just created.
I believe the same can be achieved in writing. The wonderful aspect about writing is that we each have a different voice and the people who go to influence our characters are different than anyone else’s group. The world has read trillions of novels, but we can still create a one of a kind story.
Terrific post
Thanks for commenting Javier, and for being so honest about your experience. And well done on being brave enough to be you. Thanks for being willing to create.
Really appreciate this take on creating….I believe most authors write, not to sell books, but because they have no choice but to unleash the creativity within through words.
Absolutely Tara, couldn’t agree more. Thanks for commenting, appreciate it!
James, this is a great encouragement to us all to unleash our latent creativity without being shackled by expectations from others, or fears of people approval (or not, as the case may be) and to be bold and brave in the telling. Maybe some creatives/authors try to ascertain what their audience desires because they feel they need to produce/write what people want to read. Yet there is a fine line between awareness of our target audience and how to write for them, and being so tied down by public opinion that we feel constrained and in danger of losing our creative spark and inspiration altogether.
As Christian writers, we work with the individual gifts and talents which God has placed within each one of us, and by co-operating with Holy Spirit’s leading and guiding too. Sometimes that may feel constraining, but it’s essential to heed what God is specifically asking of us and follow the path He has put us on. In doing so, it may not look or feel like another’s anointing because the plan for our lives is unique. But it will have all the necessary equipping we need, by His grace, to do our best to His praise and glory.
I tend to immediately think less of someone when they ask me what to write about. This is because I write so specifically about a sphere of topics that I am driven to communicate on. Perhaps my response is unfair, but it still feels unnatural to take others’ guidance on what to write.