Your ideas aren't yours
Take pride in the antenna & shovel, not the diamond
I’m not an evolutionary biologist.
I’m not even sure I could answer a Jeopardy question about the topic. But I’m about to act like I know what I’m talking about (you’ll get used to it):
There are many theories on how humans evolved, but the two most important factors are our ability to communicate and our ability to solve problems.
Over the course of centuries, our ability to communicate improved, evolving from simple sounds to languages, then to written languages, and eventually leading to the invention of the printing press.
Now, through the sheer ability to communicate more effectively, we can learn from individuals who lived several hundred years ago. We can use the perspective of someone living in 200 BCE to solve problems occurring in 2023.
And yet, there are still problems…
The Source
Rick Rubin’s "The Creative Act" was the first book I read three times in a row. As someone who has always struggled to articulate how my brain works, while simultaneously believing that its workings were unique and special, this book found me at a time that I really needed it.
In the book, Rubin delves deeply into the creative process, emphasizing that we are all artists and creatives. Taking a different route home from work? Choosing a different exercise because the treadmills are occupied? Adding chicken nuggets to your fettuccine alfredo? These are all creative acts. But at their core, they're manifestations of your brain solving problems. Every idea you have is geared towards solving a problem.
Rubin pontificates about where ideas come from, highlighting movements like “Bauhaus architecture, abstract expressionism, and French New Wave cinema”. They all emerged like waves, inspired by something and eventually either fading away or evolving.
Tangent: Have you ever had an idea that you didn’t act on, only to see it materialize elsewhere?
In today's algorithm-driven world, it's tempting to attribute this to platforms like Amazon eavesdropping on our thoughts. Rubin, however, offers a different perspective: no one is stealing ideas.
These ideas aren’t truly yours.
They are available to everyone.
Your Antenna & Your Shovel
These ideas, or “the source”, are accessible to everyone. However, not everyone possesses the awareness or the tools to transform these ideas into tangible outcomes. Your antenna represents your awareness – the connections you make daily. Rick explains it beautifully:
“Most of the time, we are gathering data from the world through our five senses. With the information being transmitted on higher frequencies, we channel energetic material that can't be physically grasped. It defies logic, much like an electron being in two places at once. This elusive energy is invaluable, yet so few are receptive to it.”
This intangible frequency Rick describes isn't magical, even if it's imperceptible. Observe any child at play: they're constantly reshaping the world around them. Whether they're pretending to be superheroes or animals, or even putting ketchup on their tacos, there's no barrier between their ideas and actions. No internal voice saying, “This will look silly.” Sadly, this child-like wonder with which we once viewed the world has been suppressed in many of us, causing our antennas to lose their sensitivity. Don't let that happen.
Recognizing inspiration is just the first step. Once you've done that, you must act. Cultivating your "shovel" enables you to act on these ideas. While everyone might have access to the source, your ability to unearth the gem is what sets you apart – not the idea itself. If you don’t act on it, someone else will.
The Ego of an Idea
When you think of the iPhone, Steve Jobs instantly comes to mind. I often stumble upon the original iPhone keynote on my YouTube feed, and I'm always struck by the audience's astonishment when he demonstrates how to zoom into a photo. Now, every toddler at Olive Garden can do it effortlessly.
Steve Jobs and Apple addressed numerous challenges with the iPhone's invention. However, those challenges would have been tackled eventually, even without them.
The same holds true for any solution you've ever devised that felt unique or special. That challenge would have been addressed even without your intervention. Your idea wasn’t truly yours; you merely had the awareness and skills to address it at that moment.
As someone who took immense pride in my ideation capabilities, this realization was both challenging and enlightening. I shouldn't take credit for my ideas. Instead, I should value my antenna and my ability to act.
“We begin with everything:
everything seen,
everything done,
everything thought,
everything felt,
everything imagined,
everything forgotten,
and everything that rests unspoken and unthought within us.”
Rick Rubin, "The Creative Act
In the vast realm of creativity, it's not the uniqueness of our ideas that defines us, but our ability to recognize, nurture, and act upon them. As we navigate the world, let's remember that our true strength lies not in the originality of our thoughts but in our capacity to bring them to life.