So. Obsession.
It’s kind of like a bad habit, minus the bad (hopefully). Something you can’t get enough of. Down it with your morning coffee.
Roll it up and stick it in your pocket. Carry it wherever you go.
So what does it for you?
For me?
I have to make pictures. I can’t help it. Wherever I go it’s in me to do. I draw on everything, anything. I don’t even realise I’m doing it half the time.
And stories. Finding them, creating them. Being inside them. I never seem to get enough.
It’s always been that way.
And I’m ok with that.
THE LIFE, AND POSSIBLE DEATH, OF YOUR OBSESSION.
In the beginning when you saw that band, read that book, watched that film (or whatever it was that did it for you), you had this strong desire to be immersed in it with every breath you took. So you let it fill your mind and feed your soul. You let it take over your days. It was that one thing that you couldn’t shut up about, the one thing that would make your friends eyes glaze over as they nodded their heads and smiled at you.
It may have paved the way to your true passions, unleashed that little bit of crazy within, been the catalyst for your career, (or maybe the one you should go after?)
Or like many things, unfortunately, it got pushed down. It was denied, left behind.
I’m not even sure why but sometimes we think we have to give up the things that give us the greatest pleasure. Like we should feel guilty for getting caught up in such things, finding enjoyment and fulfillment. Or if it takes over our lives we must resist, especially when it feels like it is the only thing that will take the edge off. Like crack.
So we take a pillow and smother it, replace it with the things we think we need, the things we think we should be doing, because somewhere along the line some arsehole told us that obsessing over things was unhealthy. That we need to find balance.
And so maybe you let it fall by the wayside.
But these things, our true obsessions, always seem to have a way of showing back up.
SO WHAT DO YOU DO WITH THAT?
“If you have an idea of what you want to do in your future, you must go at it with almost monastic obsession, be it music, the ballet or just a basic degree. You have to go at it single-mindedly and let nothing get in your way”
Henry Rollins
You work it out. You run with it.
Learn everything there is to know about that thing you just can’t get enough of. Let it consume you. Let it drive you. Seek knowledge, ask questions, use that raw enthusiasm to get lost in it all, like a child with a box of lego.
Be consumed.
Take that gaffer tape and put it over the mouths of all those psychologists cringing and yelling – ‘No, no no – that’s not healthy! Never let the obsession control you! Never let it consume you!’ Scorning you for not finding balance in your life, for actually having something to feel passionate about, like it’s this bad thing.
But if it wasn’t for this, what the hell is there? What would be the point?
If it wasn’t for that thing that drove you above and beyond? What would you be fighting for?
Obsession is the cornerstone of all things entrepreneurial. And all things creative.
What else would make you to go after something with the fight of the dog, work when everyone else sleeps, do what others won’t? How else would you find solutions to seemingly insurmountable problems, create the new, change the world?
When you have something you just can’t let go of you have to fight for it. You have to throw yourself at it. Do all that it takes. Go after it like a demon.
After all, it takes the obsessive tendencies of a villain, a blend of determination, passion and creativity, to succeed. It takes fearlessness and ferocity, to go after what you want, knowing the risks, knowing the consequences and wanting it THAT much despite the dangers. Despite the let downs. Despite the work.
OBSESSIVE CREATIVE MINDSET
“The refusal to rest content, the willingness to risk excess on behalf of one’s obsessions, is what distinguishes artists from entertainers, and what makes some artists adventurers on behalf of us all.”
John Updike
All the best ideas are conceived in the throws of the Obsessive Creative Mindset. Within the minds of those unwilling to give up on their obsessions – anything is possible. For those who pursue what they want with obsessive persistence – inventions are brought to life.
Innovation is the lovechild of obsession and creativity.
For The Obsessed, the risks are worth taking. New frontiers are discovered because new ideas are put into action. A failure is just a redirection, a challenge. There is always another way.
You see, when you have creativity, when you pursue that like a mofo, like it is the most valuable resource in the world, you are essentially unstoppable.
After all, Creativity itself is the the perfect obsession (even more so than revenge). So why not indulge? Why not nurture a love affair between obsession and creativity?
It could be the greatest love story of all time.
And for all those that tell you not to obsess over such things, for those who tell you not to pursue your passion like it is the only thing that matters, well, I’m sure you can get creative in your response to that!
ASK YOURSELF.
Have you ever considered designing your life around what it is you’re obsessed with, if it isn’t already? Have you ever thought that maybe the things you loved the most are the things that you should be pursuing?
What are the things that you obsess over? What are the things you would happily spend the day immersed in? What would you do for free because you love it so much?
And just how fiercely will you pursue your own creativity?
“Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish.”
Steve Jobs.