The “Not Creative” Trap

https://robert.bearblog.dev/the-not-creative-trap/

47 27 3 years ago

robert.bearblog.dev

I think it’s important to be pragmatic about the actual value of your work. Quite often it’s zero. So if you get enjoyment, for any reason, out of supplying data to a massive company for free, then that’s a win.

waynesonfire• 3 years ago

It's a hobby. Once a hobby becomes a paid service, it seizes to be a hobby. I don't know how to articulate this concept or why it is. But, I avoid it.

Waterluvian3• 3 years ago

I agree. I put conscious effort into making sure my hobbies never make me money. I know that if they turned into a business they’d stop being fun and at my own pace.

pasquinelli2• 3 years ago

doing what you love for work turns what you love into work.

convolvatron• 3 years ago

sadly, if you want to work with/for other people...its difficult to get them to engage with you for free. I get a lot more interesting work by charging a low hourly and hiding a lot of my hours.

edit: oh yeah, a failure mode - some small business owners are like - hey, cheap labor, why don't you clean my walkin? usually that means the end of the relationship

b112• 3 years ago

seizes to be a hobby

Voice to text typo? You mean "ceases" here?

(Posting in case author is not english native, and needs to know...)

andyonthewings• 3 years ago

The definition of value may includes many things beside money.

A nicely written review on Google Maps brings fulfillment to the writer, the subject (e.g. business) may find the review useful for improvement, other users may also make use of the review for their better plannings.

If you're against Google, or any other mega corps, consider contributing to Openstreetmap, WikiMedia Commons etc. I have a habit of uploading photos (restaurants, foods, shops, tourist attractions) to WikiMedia Commons, organise them in categories and then add them to Openstreetmap nodes as tags.

swatcoder• 3 years ago

But every now and then that inner critic starts playing its soundtrack: "That's not creative, it's a waste of time. You're giving away your work and efforts for free to a multi-billion dollar company."

Do people relate to this? Does this person think everything they do needs to be creative? Are they some kind of toilet bowl artist and interpretive toothbrush performer?

I understand striving to do more of whatever you care about, and being hard on yourself for falling short, but surely you can’t be measuring every action and every moment against that standard?

leroy-is-here• 3 years ago

I can relate to the critic, but not the particular words. I've said to myself, "Why bother writing if I have nothing to say," and, "What's the point of open sourcing this when there's the chance Microsoft just copy/pastes it with no attribution", and other similar thoughts.

green_on_black• 3 years ago

Personally, "even if I have something to say, why bother writing? It's the internet, and people will either ignore, lambast, misconstrue, say ackshually, etc."

I find it much simpler to lurk.

urthor• 3 years ago

Creativity is originality.

Engineering is accuracy/precision.

Financial is efficiency.

Design is connecting to the human experience.

Design is usefulness. Elegance, the appropriateness to the task at hand.

It's about design.

You must make things, all work is essentially about creation. But, nothing is pure creativity.

Even surrealist poets must make things that connect to their readers.

eternalban• 3 years ago

What happend to the inner critic character guy at the beginning? It's such a short piece but somehow he got misplaced somewhere along the line and never got a fair hearing.

Putting the pieces together, it probably went something like this. One fine day as OP was admiring a review he just finished (and we're all guilty of this) he had a secret thought that "aah. this is creative work". That is when our friend, the inner critic came in and started with "That's not creative". Now why would OP's very own inner critic say that?

The issue appears to be OP's lifestyle. He is not living a creative person's lifestyle. Which, alcoholism and poverty and what not aside, is rather glamorous and can be fun. Sure beats working 9 to 5. There is the promise of wild sex, drugs, cool friends, and a chance that some lost future generation may begin venerating you and your creative life.

So neither OP nor his inner critic are really being honest here.

tayistay• 3 years ago

Well if you look at the other blog post titles, this person may have a bright future in the extremely creative field of self-help.

gardenhedge3• 3 years ago

"You're giving away your work and efforts for free to a multi-billion dollar company."

I agree with this. I never fill out feedback forms and rarely leave reviews. Especially if it's a product or service I use once. I've already paid for it. Want something from me? Pay me for it.

LightDub• 3 years ago

What about the recipient of the review? i.e. the company deserving of that review?

Don't get me wrong. I generally agree with you. However, some companies are deserving of any boost you can give them, even if it's within the Google matrix.

wccrawford• 3 years ago

Your review is a drop in the bucket. It helps the company far more than it helps their customers. Unless it's negative, that is.

ad404b8a372f2b92• 3 years ago

Isn't the collective good payment enough for these tasks?

You wouldn't ask to be paid for picking up a piece of litter off the floor.

These companies are a part of society, it's people all the way down who are being helped by this.

gardenhedge3• 3 years ago

Trickle down "help"? haha

While I'm not against picking up litter, I've never picked up litter.

IIAOPSW• 3 years ago

I was expecting a transition into "creative reviews", written from the perspective of some sort of zany character on vacation, such as a half drunk island-hoping writer disillusioned with being in a tourist trap for a week, or a review of an art gallery attic full of hipsters and music the world isn't ready for yet.

The “Not Creative” Trap

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