The Beatles are the number one selling music act, one of most influential bands of all time - they might know a thing or two about creativity.
In January 1969, the Beatles gathered to record a new album. The only problem? They didn't have any new songs to record yet. Over three weeks, they created and recorded an entire album's worth of songs, initmately chronicled from 100's of hours of footage in the newly released "Get Back" documentary. Here are 3 lessons in creativity I learned from it:
It's OK to make junk
Consume with creation in mind
Creating is hard
If you don't feel creative, or are stuck in your creative process, these lessons might help.
Lesson 1: It's OK to make junk (it's even part of the process)
Believe it or not, every note The Beatles played was a masterpiece.
As The Beatles worked to develop songs, there was a lot of experimentation. They played chords and mumbled melodies to see if they lead anywhere. They played developing songs in different styles to see what worked. Experiments can succeed or fail. "Get Back" showed that a lot of these experiments failed...a LOT didn't make it into the recording studio. But as The Beatles experimented together, you never hear them criticize creative attempts. Instead their sessions are like a musical improv game of "yes, and.."
So it's ok to make junk - creativity is about creation. Don't let concerns about quality stifle creation. Experimentation is good. Getting the bad stuff out is part of the process of finding the good stuff.
Lesson 2: Consume with creation in mind.
During breaks, The Beatles are constantly talking about what they've read in the news and watched on television the previous night.
Inspiration can come from anywhere, if your mind is open to it. A waltz on TV inspires George to write "I, Me, Mine". During the 3 weeks, The Beatles constantly play covers of classic songs they enjoy and you can see them draw inspiration from these.
It is easy to see throughout the documentary that The Beatles have their antennae out, constantly thinking "this is interesting...how can we use this?"
Lesson 3: Creation is hard.
Recording the album was not easy for The Beatles.
"Get Back" captures a lot of The Beatles' creative tension. After their first week together, The Beatles almost break up (spoilers...they eventually did). Paul consistently says he wishes the group had a better process, that they could be methodical in developing their songs...and this is after a decade of playing and creating music together!
It's reassuring to know that even the greatest creatives find creativity hard at times.
The only sure creative methodology is to accept this fact, and commit to consistently moving forward on the path of creation. Be open to outside influences, and don't stifle your creativity by harshly judging your output before it is formed.