{"id":1609,"date":"2014-05-28T00:19:16","date_gmt":"2014-05-28T08:19:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.jaeminyi.com\/?p=1609"},"modified":"2018-04-16T17:04:23","modified_gmt":"2018-04-17T01:04:23","slug":"7-lessons-on-creativity-from-our-7-day-vine-challenge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jaeminyi.com\/7-lessons-on-creativity-from-our-7-day-vine-challenge\/","title":{"rendered":"7 Lessons on Creativity from Our 7 Day Vine Challenge"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>My back was giving out from hours of helicopter thrusting. Catherine was getting whiplash from twerking so hard. Eric was covered in pancake flour.<\/p>\n<p>And this was only Day 1 of 7. We had 6 more days of this madness ahead of us.<\/p>\n<p>What in the hell did we sign up for??<\/p>\n<p>Well, 24 hours prior, the three of us were binging on Vines (those addictive, 6 second looping videos) when we had a great idea: why don&#8217;t we challenge ourselves to post our own Vines every day for 7 days?<\/p>\n<p>Seemed easy enough. Vines were only 6 seconds long. It was only for a week. How hard could it be?<\/p>\n<p>Well, for this recovering perfectionist, I was pretty scared. My <a href=\"https:\/\/jaeminyi.com\/month-of-awesomeness-my-28-day-music-challenge\/\">last creative challenge<\/a> almost killed me. And I was afraid of doing this with close friends. What if that controlling perfectionist within me reared it&#8217;s ugly head and turned this fun project into a stressful nightmare?<\/p>\n<p>But my excitement outweighed my fears, so we did it. And it was an AMAZING experience. Seriously, one of the most memorable weeks of my 9 months in Kauai &#8211; and that&#8217;s saying a LOT!<\/p>\n<p>We laughed &#8217;til it hurt. We lost a lot of sleep. We pushed our boundaries. We created countless memories.  We made a ton of Vines &#8211; a few we were even proud of!<\/p>\n<p>And we learned a lot. About ourselves. About each other. And about creativity.<\/p>\n<p>So without further ado, let me share some Vines and some lessons with you&#8230;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"vine-embed\" src=\"https:\/\/vine.co\/v\/MOzPtAxzWjg\/embed\/simple\" width=\"479\" height=\"479\" frameborder=\"0\" align=\"middle\"><\/iframe><script src=\"\/\/platform.vine.co\/static\/scripts\/embed.js\" async=\"\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><br \/>\n&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h4>1) Creative challenges are extremely EFFECTIVE!<\/h4>\n<p>You wanna get good at Vine (or writing or finger painting or fill-in-the-blank-here)? <\/p>\n<p>Challenge yourself to create and PUBLISH something every day for a week. Or a few weeks. <\/p>\n<p>By completely immersing yourself in this world, you&#8217;ll grow at an alarming rate. You&#8217;ll be living, sleeping, breathing ideas, 24\/7. You&#8217;ll ingrain the habit of creating every day. <\/p>\n<p>You&#8217;ll push past your fear of getting your work (and yourself) out there. You&#8217;ll build a momentum that&#8217;ll have a life of its own long after the creative challenge is over. <\/p>\n<p>It&#8217;s pretty damn incredible. <\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<br \/>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"vine-embed\" src=\"https:\/\/vine.co\/v\/MOJTTAqZUqE\/embed\/simple\" width=\"479\" height=\"479\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe><script src=\"\/\/platform.vine.co\/static\/scripts\/embed.js\" async=\"\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><br \/>\n&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h4>2) \u2026but they&#8217;re also soul crushing.<\/h4>\n<p>When you let ONE thing take over your entire life, you&#8217;re gonna have to make some sacrifices. <\/p>\n<p>Like sleep. Hobbies. Time with loved ones. And did I mention sleep?<\/p>\n<p>The threat of a daily deadline can be motivating, but it can also be incredibly stressful and exhausting.<\/p>\n<p>If you&#8217;re gonna do this, err on the side of caution and pick a doable timeframe. One week is a great start. It&#8217;s enough time to jumpstart your creative habit. Get the juices flowing.<\/p>\n<p>Remember, you can always do another, longer challenge later!<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<br \/>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"vine-embed\" src=\"https:\/\/vine.co\/v\/MOvK1YtEUXj\/embed\/simple\" width=\"479\" height=\"479\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe><script src=\"\/\/platform.vine.co\/static\/scripts\/embed.js\" async=\"\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><br \/>\n&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h4>3) Getting your work OUT THERE is more important than the work itself!<\/h4>\n<p>The most important creative muscle you&#8217;ll ever work is getting over your FEAR of putting yourself out there. Of expressing yourself. Of showing your work to the world. <\/p>\n<p>No creative endeavor is complete until you release it into the wild. <\/p>\n<p>If you only keep your work to yourself, you&#8217;ll never give it your all. You&#8217;ll never get any feedback. You&#8217;ll never let it mingle with the world. <\/p>\n<p>And most importantly, you&#8217;ll never actually FINISH a project. Every project will forever be a &#8220;work in progress&#8221;. <\/p>\n<p>And if you never finish, you can never move onto the next, better piece. And the next. And the next. <\/p>\n<p>That&#8217;s how your work gets better. That&#8217;s the only way. <\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<br \/>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"vine-embed\" src=\"https:\/\/vine.co\/v\/MOFVr1eHOuv\/embed\/simple\" width=\"479\" height=\"479\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe><script src=\"\/\/platform.vine.co\/static\/scripts\/embed.js\" async=\"\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><br \/>\n&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h4>4) Creative teamwork is way more fun than grabbing drinks!<\/h4>\n<p>Once you become an &#8220;adult&#8221;, hanging with friends can feel a little one-dimensional. Grabbing drinks. Happy hours. Catch-up dinners.<\/p>\n<p>Try this instead: create something together!<\/p>\n<p>Stop &#8220;catching up&#8221; and start PLAYING. Like when we were kids. I guarantee you&#8217;ll get to know your friends in a whole different way.<\/p>\n<p>And the bond you build when CREATING together is truly special.<\/p>\n<p>We spent the whole 7 days laughing our asses off. Popcorning ideas back and forth. Getting past obstacles as a team. And encouraging each other to step up in ways we didn&#8217;t even know were possible.<\/p>\n<p>We didn&#8217;t miss those happy hours one bit.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<br \/>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"vine-embed\" src=\"https:\/\/vine.co\/v\/MeWvKxvEUVO\/embed\/simple\" width=\"479\" height=\"479\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe><script src=\"\/\/platform.vine.co\/static\/scripts\/embed.js\" async=\"\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><br \/>\n&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h4>5) Let your subconscious do the work!<\/h4>\n<p>It&#8217;s better to feed your creative habit a little bit every day instead of BINGING every once in a while. <\/p>\n<p>Not only is it less stressful, less intimidating, and more fun, but you give your subconscious a chance to do some work! <\/p>\n<p>Let me explain: when you create every single day, you start to build a momentum. Your creativity moves to the forefront of your mind. It seeps out into the rest of your life. <\/p>\n<p>Everything becomes inspiration for your creativity. You see everything through creativity colored lenses. <\/p>\n<p>And when you get to this point, your subconscious starts to kick in. You&#8217;ll suddenly have the solution for that problem you couldn&#8217;t solve. Ideas will pop into your head out of nowhere. GOOD ideas. Ideas you couldn&#8217;t have forced if you tried. <\/p>\n<p>And best of all, this will all happen while you&#8217;re sleeping. Or stuck in traffic. Or daydreaming at work. <\/p>\n<p>Your subconscious will get shit done while you&#8217;re being USELESS. You&#8217;ll be doubling your creative output without lifting a finger! Talk about multi-tasking. <\/p>\n<p>It&#8217;s the perfect solution for the lazy asshole in all of us. <\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<br \/>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"vine-embed\" src=\"https:\/\/vine.co\/v\/MeKghBQqtq9\/embed\/simple\" width=\"479\" height=\"479\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe><script src=\"\/\/platform.vine.co\/static\/scripts\/embed.js\" async=\"\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><br \/>\n&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h4>6) Find that magic balance between PUSHING yourself and ENJOYING yourself.<\/h4>\n<p>When you&#8217;re creating, it&#8217;s all too easy to tip too far in one direction or the other.<\/p>\n<p>To focus completely on quality but forget to have a good time. Or have fun goofing off but not actually push yourself to grow.<\/p>\n<p>But if you can ride that balance between the two, something magic happens.<\/p>\n<p>You enter a state of flow. Time melts away. You&#8217;re pushing your boundaries. But it&#8217;s thrilling, not overwhelming.<\/p>\n<p>You get swept away in a wave of energy and you couldn&#8217;t stop it if you tried.<\/p>\n<p>This state of flow is what we&#8217;re all searching for as creatives. Where we lose ourselves completely. There is no separation between us and our work. Creating is just happening, seemingly of its own volition!<\/p>\n<p>Finding that balance between ENJOYMENT and EFFORT is where you&#8217;ll create your best work. And where you&#8217;ll fall in love with creating.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<br \/>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"vine-embed\" src=\"https:\/\/vine.co\/v\/Me1JOa0ivll\/embed\/simple\" width=\"479\" height=\"479\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe><script src=\"\/\/platform.vine.co\/static\/scripts\/embed.js\" async=\"\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><br \/>\n&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h4>7) Focus on the JOY OF CREATION, not on IMPRESSING OTHERS.<\/h4>\n<p>When I sit down to create something, the first thought that usually pops up is, &#8220;What will others think?&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Ignore it.<\/p>\n<p>Focusing on creating for OTHERS is absolutely toxic. It&#8217;ll shut you down.<\/p>\n<p>Creativity will become a source of stress. A prison. Slowly but surely, it&#8217;ll extinguish that original excitement you had for creating. <a href=\"https:\/\/jaeminyi.com\/creativity\/\">Trust me on this.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Instead, use the pure JOY of creation as your compass.<\/p>\n<p>Let it guide you. Make it your top priority. And instead of closing doors, it&#8217;ll OPEN them.<\/p>\n<p>You&#8217;ll want to create more. Naturally. Without any effort.<\/p>\n<p>You&#8217;ll feel yourself drawn to creating instead of having to force yourself. It&#8217;ll naturally seep its way into the rest of your life.<\/p>\n<p>The more you tap into this joy, the more you make it your focus, the more it&#8217;ll grow. The more fun you&#8217;ll have.<\/p>\n<p>And the more you&#8217;ll want to create. Naturally. Without forcing yourself.<\/p>\n<p>It&#8217;ll draw you in. And seep into the rest of your life.<\/p>\n<p>For example, our Vine Challenge ended weeks ago. But because we focused on enjoying ourselves, we STILL do creative things together all the time. Spontaneously. For no reason.<\/p>\n<p>Freestyle song sessions. Ridiculous photo shoots. Snapchat dance choreography, like this one:<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"\/\/instagram.com\/p\/oBAQBALcNA\/embed\/\" width=\"479\" height=\"440\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Creating has become a natural part of how we interact. Why would we stop when it brings us so much joy?<\/p>\n<p>So, focus on that joy.<\/p>\n<p>It&#8217;s the gift that keeps on giving. Even well after you&#8217;re done whiplash twerking.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><em>&#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211;<br \/>\n<em><br \/>\nWow. This is my first blog post in a loooong time (like over a year). I&#8217;ve missed this!<\/p>\n<p>Ironically, blogging became one of those things that ended up stressing me out instead of bringing me joy. Just like what I did <a href=\"https:\/\/jaeminyi.com\/creativity\/\">with filmmaking<\/a>. So I decided to take a hiatus until I could come back to it for the right reasons.<\/p>\n<p>And funny enough, the lessons in this post played a huge part in helping me fall back in love with writing.<\/p>\n<p>I challenged myself to post something before the end of the month. I made &#8220;publishing&#8221; more important than writing the &#8220;perfect&#8221; post. I did a little bit everyday and let my subconscious play. And I rode that magic balance of flow. <\/p>\n<p>But most importantly, I focused on the joy of writing above all else.<\/p>\n<p>And because of that, this was the most fun I&#8217;ve had writing in YEARS. I seriously can&#8217;t wait to write more tomorrow. I&#8217;m looking forward to it instead of dreading it.<\/p>\n<p>So, no promises, but you may be hearing more from me on a regular basis.<\/p>\n<p>And just in time too.<\/p>\n<p>Because I&#8217;m on my last week of an amazing, unforgettable, 9 month stint in Kauai. And I CANNOT wait to write more about it.<\/p>\n<p>Stay tuned&#8230;<br \/>\n<\/em><br \/>\n&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>My back was giving out from hours of helicopter thrusting. Catherine was getting whiplash from twerking so hard. Eric was covered in pancake flour.<\/p>\n<p>And this was only Day 1 of 7. We had 6 more days of this madness ahead of us.<\/p>\n<p>What in the hell did we sign up for??<\/p>\n<p>Well, 24 hours prior, the three of us were binging on Vines (those addictive, 6 second looping videos) when we had a great idea: why don&#8217;t we challenge ourselves to post our own Vines every day for 7 days?<\/p>\n<p>Seemed easy enough. Vines were only 6 seconds long. It was only for a week. How hard could it be?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1721,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":""},"categories":[31,7,4],"tags":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/jaeminyi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/7DayVineChallenge-lg.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p79mZF-pX","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jaeminyi.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1609"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jaeminyi.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jaeminyi.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jaeminyi.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jaeminyi.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1609"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.jaeminyi.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1609\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2506,"href":"https:\/\/www.jaeminyi.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1609\/revisions\/2506"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jaeminyi.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1721"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jaeminyi.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1609"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jaeminyi.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1609"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jaeminyi.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1609"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}