There’s a well-known saying that goes like this:
Read shit and
you’ll think shit and
you’ll create shit.
Now if you aspire to shit then that’s what you should do.
But I have a funny feeling you don’t.
There’s no doubt you get better when you surround yourself with great things and great people. And that holds true in whatever field you’re in. Talent rubs off. Just like in sport – the more you play with better players, the better you become. For writers, painters, architects, designers, the same applies. This could be why galleries and museums are always so crowded with people. In the UK, more people now visit art galleries and museums on the weekend than go to football matches. Maybe that’s why the British creative economy is doing so well whereas the last time the UK won the World Cup was 1966.
I know some people claim to do their best thinking on the toilet but I’m sure that’s got more to do with relaxation than it has to do with bodily functions.
Whatever we do, we’re always looking for inspiration. And inspiration, as I’ve said, can come from anywhere. But when we’re looking at other creative work we need it to be great; greatness is what spurs us on.
It’s also why we have to seek out inspiring creative environments to work. We constantly need to be pushed, challenged, even frightened into making our work better. There’s no shame in admitting this.
It’s said Jack Kerouac wrote his novel On the Road on a roll of toilet paper.*
* It was actually a roll of Teletype paper, but never mind…
It changed the course of the modern novel.
Toilet paper or not, it certainly wasn’t crap.