My Next Guest Needs no Introduction
But maybe you do.
I’ve spent most of my life believing you were born an artist, or you were not. That some amongst us were gifted with an innate ability to draw, paint, sing, craft and create, divined since birth as one of the chosen few.
What a load of crap.
Creativity is a muscle, and like all muscles, with enough focus and commitment, can be grown into something profound. No, we can’t all be Michelangelo, Bukowski or Patty Jenkins, but every single one of us can be a creator.
I was thinking about all this in the context of watching David Letterman and Barack Obama on Netflix ( Letterman’s new show My Next Guest Needs No Introduction ), experiencing genius unfettered. One of the overlooked aspects in the rise of Netflix, HBO, Amazon Studios, etc., hidden amongst the stories on expansive budgets and a battle for business supremacy, is that creators are being given license to be their true creative selves, and the results are inspiring.
David Letterman was a master, he redefined late-night comedy, became a legend to those that followed after him and a household name to millions of people around the world. The 45 minutes he spent with the former president made his 22 years on CBS feel like only a beginning, like he’d been held back in his previous life at the Late Show. Ignoring the sadness of seeing someone act presidential in the year 2018 ( miss you Obama ), what the show gave us was a David Letterman that was creative in a new way; curious, heartfelt, vulnerable and it was mesmerizing.
By all accounts, Netflix has been tremendous to creators, backing up the money truck, getting out of the way and letting the creative people work. It would be hard to argue the results, so much of what they've produced has become must watch binging these past few years.
Netflix, HBO, and the others are the home run sized examples of how when given support and an audience, creativity knows no bounds and even old dogs can learn new tricks.
For those of us without a 33-year history in late-night television, a Letterman sized audience or a Netflix deal, there is still so much opportunity to live a creative life. The tools are out there and available, audiences accessible and content consumer appetites so vast there is really no excuse for you not to get to work.
If building an audience and distributing your creativity isn’t your thing, then get to work on nourishing your soul, I guarantee you won’t regret it.
So what would you like to create? What is holding you back?
If you’re looking to see this process unfolding, a friend of mine is embarking on his creative path with the kind of dedication I admire, his name is Darius Bashar, and he takes gorgeous photos, you can find him here.
Lastly, if you are a fan of podcasts and want to hear someone much more accomplished talk about finding your creative self and accepting the work that comes along with this path, there is a gentleman by the name of Brian Koppelman that you must seek out. He wrote the movie Rounders ( love ) and is currently writing and producing the show Billion’s ( watch it ). His podcast is can’t miss listening; you can find that here, or follow him on Twitter here.