4 ms·
And I'm sure it WILL be replaceable because we are increasingly surrounding ourselves with these uniform ways of doing things. The tension between creativity a
by apo 9y ago
And I'm sure it WILL be replaceable because we are increasingly surrounding ourselves with these uniform ways of doing things.
The tension between creativity and conventions is fascinating.
I recently read a book about writing (ostensibly editing) called The Story Grid:
https://storygrid.com/ https://storygrid.com/
Here's a video summary:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3-dw9cIx2o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3-dw9cIx2o
It argues that the most important thing for an author to understand is the genre they're working in because the genre gives the author conventions. Violate any of them and you're setting yourself up for failure.
The best authors find creative, non-obvious ways to innovate conventions while still adhering to them.
Although some will view this advice as sucking the creativity out of the writing process, the author argues it does exactly the opposite.
Frustrated authors find the idea of genres and conventions stifling. These are the ones who abandon conventions altogether. They are punished by pouring heart and soul into a work that doesn't sell and which they themselves often know doesn't work but can't explain why.
- mushishi 9y agoI'm currently reading "Story: Style, Structure, Substance, and the Principles of Screenwriting" https://mckeestory.com/ https://mckeestory.com/ I think it agrees on your point.
- davnicwil 9y agoI like this idea. I think a good analogy is creativity being like a raw force, and a set of rules and conventions giving it direction so that it can be focused into a jet that can be pointed at a specific place and be really useful, rather than just spraying randomly around and probably not being all that useful. I think a great example of this philosophy in music, is Jack White with the White Stripes. He held to a very rigid set of rules which resulted in very simple, straightforward songs. What was great about that was that it gave him a platform at live shows to perform amazing virtuoso solo stuff on top. The platform, with its simple rules and structure, allowed him to perform those solos. Had he come on stage and just randomly started playing solos from start to finish, it wouldn't have the same effect and would probably just be quite aimless and noisy. It's true in software too. When building a web app tools like webpack et al exist to solve boring, routine problems in a standard way that you don't have to spend much time worrying about (webpack config issues jokes aside) so that you can focus all your creativity on what actually matters and what is interesting and unique - what your app does!