Vacuums Suck
Beautiful Idiots Proverb No7: “Vacuums suck.”
There are countless ways to approach a problem. Everyone has their own process that works for them. I tend to like to keep to myself when I work - it’s easier for me to shut myself in and think about what I’m trying to accomplish for a really long time and then eventually just plow through it from start to finish, all on my own if possible. The isolation allows me an opportunity to fully realize my vision without distraction and I usually take pride in trying to make something that feels pure, something that came from nothing.
Here’s the catch. The things I really love to do - play music with people, make movies, tell jokes and stories, entertain - they’re all collaborative arts. They’re almost always made better by involving more people. I think this is because involving other people in your creative process means bringing in new perspectives. When you have more to pull from, you can create something much more interesting. It’s like having more colors to paint with. On top of that, I’ve found it usually feels better to accomplish something with a team. You have people you can share your joy with, and who doesn’t want that!
Now take that collaboration a step further, from a business perspective. Having more people involved means having more people that feel ownership of the thing you made, which means having more people that invested in the success of that thing. I think I’ve said this here before, but if I make a song by myself and I share it, I’m only sharing it to my circle. If I make a song with five other people, all six of us will most likely share it with all the people we know… six times as many circles.
I say all this to say the result of working in a vacuum is probably going to be you presenting your finished work to… you. Unless you really truly are only doing this for yourself (in which case, more power to you) you might end up disappointed playing to empty rooms. It could really do you a lot of good to involve yourself in a community. You start to establish an exchange of energy - you give of yourself and you get back when people appreciate your efforts - which could help you sustain and continue to create. So, I’m not saying vacuums don’t get the job done, I’m just saying it’s good to remember that vacuums suck.
-J.P.