The movie, Yesterday, explored an alternative reality where the whole world has forgotten The Beatles except for one lonely singer-song writer. In the movie, the singer, Ed Sheeran, challenges main character, Jack, to a 10-minute song writing contest. Ed Sheeran writes and sings an easy-listening pop tune. Jack then sits down at the piano and belts out The Beatles classic, “The Long and Winding Road.”
In the Peter Jackson documentary miniseries, The Beatles: Get Back, there was a scene where Paul McCartney started singing “The Long and Winding Road”. Except it wasn’t the perfectly formed masterpiece. It was nascent tune with some ever-changing lyrics and a catchy melody. There wasn’t a second verse. It didn’t even have a song title.
This juxtaposition exposes just one of many creativity lies – that a creative work can and should arrive beautifully packaged and tied in a bow. It is this lie that Yesterday explores with interesting consequences.
Busting three other creativity lies will help you to overcome any creative dread and allow you to welcome your own inherent creativity, an essential stepping stone to embrace your awesomeness.
Here are three creativity lies The Beatles quietly prove wrong…
1) Creativity Lie 1 – Creativity is Only for the Chosen Few
You may think that watching the most influential band of the 20th century build musical classics together actually upholds the myth that creativity is for the chosen few but it busts that creativity lie wide apart.
In the 468 minutes of The Beatles: Get Back, creativity in real time is revealed…and it ain’t pretty. There are tunes that go nowhere, songs that have never been heard before or since, long periods of silence and a ton frustration. George Harrison even left the band for a few days.
The Beatles were the top of their game by the time of this documentary was filmed in 1969 and even they found the creative process time-consuming, irritating and extraordinarily challenging. Read that again. The Beatles found being creative relentlessly hard going.
If creativity is difficult for The Beatles, then us mere mortals are allowed to find it near-impossible. But that doesn’t mean it is out of our reach. Creativity is a what makes us human. It allows us to meet ourselves once again. For those brave or foolish enough to try, it is there for the taking.
Creative Truth 1: Creativity is in us all.
2) Creativity Lie 2 – You Must Keep At It
The Beatles were well aware of the one month deadline to complete their creative project. With a 21stcentury lens you would have thought that this would mean they would work night and day to get it done in time.
However, for the most part John, Paul, George and Ringo kept to normal working hours and there was little discussion about working late nights or weekends. Breaking for lunch each day was also a given as were occasional drinks at the end of a long week. George Harrison wrote ‘I Me Mine’ after watching a random television show one leisurely evening.
Maybe it was the era, maybe it was the group of people, maybe it was something else entirely but there was an inherent belief that creativity cannot be hastened by working 24/7.
And the results speak for themselves. In that brief time period The Beatles managed to write or develop dozens of songs including “Let It Be”, “Something” and the eponymous “Get Back”.
Creative Truth 2: Take a break.
3) Creativity Lie 3 – Your Creation Should Be Released to the World
By the time The Beatles were writing these songs they had nothing to prove. They could have sung their back catalogue or even the phone book and their fans would have been happy. They were creating for creativity’s sake.
This is reflected in the light and almost dismissive discussions with various executives and managers about how their creative work would be packaged and released into the world. They weren’t sure if their music would turn into an album, movie, live show or all three. And for the live show there were all sorts of ideas thrown about for the form it would take including playing at an orphanage, on a boat or at an ancient amphitheater in Tripoli (yes, really!).
When you are in the middle of the creative process don’t worry about whether or not it will ever see the light of day. Just create. Leave the rest until you are finished. You will know what to do.
Creative Truth 3: Keep the creation and publication separate.
The Truth About Creativity
The Beatles: Get Back documentary miniseries is mesmerizing but it is definitely not for everyone. It is more a scenic train ride than a circus performance.
It is an unapologetically protracted and rare opportunity to watch creativity happen in real time. Due to its immediacy, it reveals three creativity lies The Beatles quietly prove wrong – that creativity is only for the chosen few, that you must keep at it and that your creation should be released into the world.
The key truth to take away is that creativity is an awesome honor bestowed upon all of us. May you take up the creative mantel and make, design, produce or craft that creative project that has been itching to be realized.
It will be harder, slower and take more time than you expect but it will be worth it. Much like what happens when you start walking down a long and winding road.
Creativity is an important facet of being human and living life to the fullest as discussed in Embrace Your Awesomeness. Check out my 10th book in ebook or print form on any good online bookstore.
Leave a Reply