One of the questions I run into a lot, either internally or externally, for me or for other people, is what if you run out of ideas?
It’s kind of a scary thought. What if I use something and don’t do it justice and now that idea is gone, and I don’t have anything to follow it up with? Like “aw damn, I fucked it and now the game’s over.”
But I haven’t run out of ideas, and I think that’s from a combination of factors. First, there’s inspiration everywhere. I absorb art like crazy, I watch sports and suck in all sorts of stories from wherever I come across them. And that’s a flaming badge of support for having interesting people around you who have a bunch of different careers, because they feed you stories left right and center that you can use and repackage, and they come with a pre-installed subject matter expert.
The second reason is that there are SO MANY bad ideas out in the world. There are bad ideas with great execution, great ideas with horrendous execution, and everything in between. That gives me an overwhelming sense of freedom. I can put out something that’s mediocre and save myself, or take something mid and build it well beyond what it started as. (Shout out to editing). I would have to try pretty hard to make something that isn’t enjoyed by at least one person as long as I follow my gut and give it my voice.
And here’s a third reason. Embarrassment isn’t that big of a deal. I’ve played a few different sports, and I’ve failed way more than I’ve succeeded, and I learn more from the crashes than the wins. Cliché. C’est la vie. It’s true anyway. Laugh it off, learn the lesson, maybe get some PT and see the chiro, then make something better next time. No problem. My first piece, game, comp, cake is my worst one, and the others after that are better and better and better.
So here’s a bold statement. I’m not going to run out of ideas. They might suck sometimes, they might be hard to get down, but I won’t run out.
— Kaegan
Kaegan the Writer 