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LM: #286: Flux capture
Nothing is ever finished.
A book is outdated the moment it’s printed. The tech improves before a product is shipped.
The universe is in a constant state of change. Your bananas go bad, a hole wears through your favorite socks, your go-to cereal gets discontinued, and the rotation of the earth is slowing as galaxies grow farther apart.
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So to finish a creative project is an unnatural act. Your thoughts, skills, tastes, and the nature of the matter you’re trying to wrangle change. There are a thousand decisions you could’ve made differently, and the moment before you ship they leap out in high relief.
Whenever I “finish” a project, the moment Doc plugged those wires together in Back to the Future comes to mind.
Your challenge as a creator is to grab the loose ends, pull against resistance, and bring them together for just long enough to proclaim, “it is done!”
Then hope lightning strikes.
Aphorism: “In story, we concentrate on that moment…in which a character takes an action expecting a useful reaction from his world, but instead the effect of his action is to provoke forces of antagonism.” —Robert McKee
Book: This is Strategy (Amazon) is Seth Godin’s new guide to making better plans and thinking strategically in a complex world.
Best,
David
P.S. One form of resistance keeping you from finishing is The Finisher’s Paradox.
