The Beatles Weren't Genuises...

Tuning to some classic Led Zeppelin now and catching some respite from a very, very busy week.

An impatient client decided against our advice of waiting and is jumping headfirst into a new project, we turned a client down for being a poor paymaster (well, they didn't even pay at all) and we made some strides in various areas as we look to turn prospects into paying clients.

In addition to all that, we've been putting the shoulder into some serious copywriting for a government portal. Considering that the entire world will be looking at this portal as a leading reference source for Islamic Finance, makes it very gratifying and quite an honour.

We feel good that such a big client (I can't say who...not yet) trusts us for this mammoth job. And it says something about our competence and capability too.

Today, I want to talk to you about creative genius. It's excerpts I found very interesting and I bet you will too.

The fact is either everyone is a genius or no one is. And the Beatles with their impish, rock and roll style of the 60's is the best example of that.

Check this out...The Beatles too had their mental blocks; were lost for ideas and went through the same hum drum situations that we face daily.

During one of their brainstorm sessions, they actually recorded their thoughts and ideas. It was amazing. Here was the fab four, scratching their heads and scraping rock bottom for ideas not just on music, but what should the band do next! They were lost!

This is an excerpt taken from Ken McCarthy's System Seminar newsletter...

"Their manager Brian Epstein had passed away just a year and a half earlier and they were feeling direction-less. They had given their last performance before a paying audience, a year before that.

"Should we go back on tour?" "Yes, let's do our first performance in Arabia."

"What's so amazing about this is that this is the BEATLES! hey were world famous and beloved and all they had to do was announce they were going to show up somewhere to play - no other advertising - and the place would be mobbed.A marketer's dream.

But even with all those advantages, they weren't sure what to do.
Remember that the next time you feel stuck."

The creative lesson here is...there is no genius or all of us are geniuses. The difference is hard work. You'll be surprised that a lot of the stuff the Beatles played in private was err...well not that great. What them great was hard work in refining those songs.

So as another "genius" said, it's 1% inspiration, 99% perspiration. The man was spot on. Now nuggets like that is what makes genius. Thanks Albert (Einstein).

Btw...the beatles first so called big gig was in Hamburg, Germany (no, it wasn't England, as the UK didn't know them yet). They had to play 'live' sets for about 7-8 hours straight for 7 days a week. If that's not work, I don't know what is.

Trust me, I used to play in a band and after a two hour jamming session, you're already knackered. Imagine four times that. Pengsanlah!

In creativity, there is a lot of work that goes into things. But most people tend to forget that, remembering only the moments of brilliance.

If you want to succeed in the creative business or possibly any business for that matter, be prepared to work. If you do that, the brilliant moments and the just rewards will come.

Carpe Diem!