77. I didn’t talk much when I left the theater after seeing Hamilton, the musical. All I know is, I was a changed woman. “What the heck just happened?” was all I could muster.
In a matter of hours, I had watched Lin-Manuel Miranda unhinge an institution and change the way stories were told. It’s not just that he didn’t follow the rules—it was more like he didn’t know there were rules to follow.
It blindsided me. Pre-Hamilton, I didn’t even realize my creativity was waning. Post-Hamilton, I woke up. I discovered that I missed being rapt, fascinated, intrigued. The musical knocked me out of my creative doldrums. It reminded me that feeling awe is at the core of originality. I get goose bumps just thinking about it.
Hamilton moved me to action. All of a sudden I was writing raps and performing them in public, ordering the U.S. Constitution from Amazon and visiting Mount Vernon. The show was like a master class in how someone’s passion can ignite imagination in others.
Don’t risk becoming a dud. Get out of your head, away from your computer, and let the unexpected change you.