I ran across Ignore Everybody and 39 Other Keys To Creativity by Hugh MacLeod as I was perusing Amazon’s best of the year for 2009. The book had a different feel to it than other books I have read recently so I picked it up. This book did not disappoint.
Most of the ideas are not necessarily groundbreaking which I think the author readily admits. (Hugh’s final chapter is titled “None of This Is Rocket Science”.) What struck me while I was reading this book was just how straightforward and honest the book was as well as how much it reeked of common sense. I use the words “common sense” lightly because sometimes we just ignore common sense and our better judgment and end up regretting it later and our common sense ends up not being so common anymore.
One concept that I had never thought about and really found interesting in this book is the idea of keeping your day job. We often talk and hear about the business maverick who quits it all and works to achieve their dream against all odds. Hugh dismisses that theory by encouraging people to keep a 9-5er. He calls it the sex & cash theory:
The creative person has two kinds of jobs: One is the sexy, creative kind. Second is the kind that pays the bills. Sometimes the task at hand covers both bases, but not often.
I appreciate the concept because sometimes we feel that owning a business or doing something creative means never doing something outside of our passion. Hugh’s own work experience still puts him in a realm that he is familiar with but sometimes he works on projects that aren’t something that he would choose.
The other reason I think that this idea is useful is that for some being a solopreneur or working by yourself isn’t the best for our creativity. One of my favorite things about working in corporate America was the camaraderie and friendships that you build while working with a team. You can certainly build that yourself but your passion may not lead you in that direction. I am an “E” on the Myers-Briggs type personality test, with “E” representing extrovert. I feed of the energy of the people around me so this concept does hold some weight although I will say that I don’t know that keeping your day job is always an option with running something on the side. I can, however, see many instances where it would work.
As a business owner I think you will appreciate some of Hugh’s other insights as well. For instance the fact that we all have our own personal Mount Everest to climb it’s just a matter of starting your journey. The idea that creativity is uncomfortable at first particularly because we are worried that we will be judged for trying. There are tons of ideas that business owners will resonate with and find inspiration in.
This book is about getting in touch with your personal style of creativity, being bold and sensible when it comes to working at it and understanding that the journey is yours and yours alone to make.  In this day and age, this book is a must read amidst the journey of reconnecting ourselves to who we truly are.
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