Not Every Project Will be a Wild Success, but it Can be One Person’s Favorite
Not every creative project will be a raving success.
In fact, several will fail terribly along the way.
We’ve all been there.
You start with the best intentions for a creative project.
Then it just falls flat.
Shawn Levy knows exactly what that feels like.
A “Guaranteed” Home Run
Shawn has been a prolific director since the late 90s.
If you haven't heard of Shawn, you may have heard of some of his work. Little projects like:
Night at the Museum
Free Guy
The Adam Project
Stranger Things
In 2014, Shawn released a film he had been eager to make for years. It was a film about loss and family from the book of the same name — "This is Where I Leave You."
With a stacked cast—Jason Bateman, Tina Fey, Jane Fonda, Adam Driver, Corey Stoll, Kathryn Hahn (to name a few)—the film seemed like a homerun on paper. But the box office numbers came back far lower than expected.
Success is in the Eye of the Beholder
Soon after, Shawn was scheduled to be on a panel with the film's lead, Jason Bateman. Disappointed by the film's performance, Shawn was feeling low.
But then Jason told Shawn, "We made someone's favorite movie."
Had the movie failed in one way?
Yes.
But did it have the potential for success in many others?
Also Yes.
This one idea helped Shawn move past the numbers and go on to produce and direct some of the most popular movie and television properties of the last several years.
Make It Anyway
When we make something creatively, we need to let that thing out into the world and see what happens.
Release it and move on.
Even if it doesn't set the world on fire, you can learn from the experience and keep moving.
“This is Where I Leave You” didn’t resonate as a film with everyone, but I can assure you it did with someone.
There is value in simply bringing joy to the world in some small way.
Go forth and…
Make someone's favorite design.
Make someone's favorite art.
Make someone's favorite building.
Make someone's favorite movie.
A LinkedIn Writing SideNote
An announcement of sorts. 😁
Speaking of my own struggles with the creative process:
Earlier in the year, I started a daily blogging habit.
After a month or so it fizzled out as I started to lose focus on the writing. I was too wrapped up in the final product every day to just write. I made the process too complicated.
Case in point:
I would write something.
Then edit it.
Then make an Instagram carousel.
Then edit it all together in a package.
Then publish.
The process seemed to take hours instead of minutes and I decided to let it go.
A second wind
But just after my last birthday, I started writing daily in public again. This time, I settled on writing a single self-development idea for creatives every day on LinkedIn. No fluff, just stories and ideas to help and inspire you in your creative life.
It’s still a challenge, but it leans into one key difference—my passion for writing.
I love designing content on the internet that looks cool, but I love writing even more.
All this is to say that if you like the creative ramblings from the newsletter each week, I invite you to join me every morning at 8am ET on LinkedIn as I post new ideas, stories, and questions on self-development for you to ponder.
Spoiler Alert: This week’s story about Shawn Levy started as a LinkedIn post.
Be sure to connect and participate in the comments.
I look forward to discussing them with you! 😎
Recent Finds
SmartLess — Interview with Shawn Levy (Podcast) | The inspiration for this week’s post. A heartwarming and fascinating interview with Shawn Levy, the director/producer of things like Night at the Museum, Free Guy, The Adam Project, and Stranger Things. Highly recommended for any of my fellow film nerds out there or those who wish to be inspired.
Kobe Bryant — Rest at the end (Reel) | Simple and clear advice from one of the all time greats. Don’t rest until you’ve gone through the trials and reached the end of what you set out to do.
Ran Segall — Big, Medium, Small is the way (Reel) | A nerdy design tip for you here. In the world of creating work that will be consumed by the eye, a quick way to create dynamism is to include something big, something medium, and something small. I agree with Ran that it works basically every time. Even in architecture where you can walk around in a space, visual hierarchy can be one of the most powerful tools in your arsenal.
Quote of the Week
“Give yourself permission to be inadequate. And then get to work. You can’t be good at something unless you’re willing to be PFFT at it first.”
— Louis (Played by Mark Ruffalo in “The Adam Project”)
That's all for now.
Stay creative, my friends—and have a great week!
