The Dope Inspiration
Back in 2010, Scott Myers featured an interview with Ira Glass of “This American Life” (NPR) fame. It was a series of four videos, one of which was particularly inspirational for those (like me) involved in creative work. It speaks to the very essence of creativity, how if we give ourselves over to it, and do the work — lots of it, as Glass suggests — magic can happen. I also believe that Ira Glass' message isn't only limited to the creative industry. It can be applied to everyone who starts out in a new environment and is willing to improve.
One of the reasons I decided to start “Dope People” was because I was exhausted with working for other agencies and not getting the credit for some amazing concepts or having unique ideas I really believed in pushed aside just because a key decision maker just didn’t have the vision to pursue it. There was no opportunity for growth, just frustration and stagnation.
I still come back to this message (visualized beautifully and inventively by David Sax in the video below) when I need motivation — I hope this came to you at the right time and motivates you to pursue your dreams as much as it did (and still does) for me.
Transcribed here:
“Nobody tells people who are beginners — and I really wish somebody had told this to me — is that all of us who do creative work … we get into it because we have good taste. But it’s like there’s a gap, that for the first couple years that you’re making stuff, what you’re making isn’t so good, ok? It’s not that great. It’s really not that great. It’s trying to be good, it has ambition to be good, but it’s not quite that good. But your taste — the thing that got you into the game — your taste is still killer, and your taste is good enough that you can tell that what you’re making is kind of a disappointment to you, you know what I mean?
A lot of people never get past that phase. A lot of people at that point, they quit.
And the thing I would just like say to you, with all my heart, is that most everybody I know who does interesting creative work, they went through a phase of years where they had really good taste and they could tell what they were making wasn’t as good as they wanted it to be — they knew it fell short, it didn’t have the special thing that we wanted it to have.
And the thing I would say to you is everybody goes through that. And for you to go through it, if you’re going through it right now, if you’re just getting out of that phase — you gotta know it’s totally normal.
And the most important possible thing you can do is do a lot of work — do a huge volume of work. Put yourself on a deadline so that every week, or every month, you know you’re going to finish one story. Because it’s only by actually going through a volume of work that you are actually going to catch up and close that gap. And the work you’re making will be as good as your ambitions.
It takes a while, it’s gonna take you a while — it’s normal to take a while. And you just have to fight your way through that, okay?”
―Ira Glass
