Legends March to Their Own Drumbeat (5 Ways You Can Pursue Originality)

“I’m thinkin’ maybe we start a cappella” muses Frederick - disheveled hair, big beard, barefoot, ratty T-shirt and shorts.

He traces the air with one finger and raps “If you’re havin’ girl problems, I feel bad for you, son. I got 99 problems but a b*tch ain’t one. Hit me. BAUUUM.”

“Yeah, that’s money” Jay-Z agrees, as he is getting his mustache trimmed.

Frederick Jay Rubin, known as Rick Rubin is a record executive and producer with 8 Grammys, co-founder of Def Jam Recordings, founding of American Recordings, and former co-president of Colombia Records. He was also on Time’s list of the “100 Most Influential People in the World”.

Rick is a legend in the world of music. But what is fascinating about Rick is that, he is not like the others.

His studio in Malibu has no platinum records on the walls, not embellishment of any kind.

He does most of his work lying down with one hand on his Buddha-like belly.

In fact, in a recent interview with Anderson Cooper on 60 Min, he said:

I can’t tell you how he does what he does, but he leans heavily into his feelings and experience with music to help artists deliver their most genuine artform to the world.

Is he divine? I can’t say, but he is definitively original.

The question is, how can we find ours?

BASE PRINCIPLE

Creativity is the path to originality.

WHAT IF?

What if you were able to unlock your creative potential? What if instead of fitting in, you dared to stand out? What if you could be original and not be shunned?

“I’m scared of audiences, I get sh**ty scared. One show in Amsterdam, I was so nervous I escaped out the fire exit. I’ve thrown up a couple of times. Once in Brussels, I projectile-vomited on someone. I just gotta bear it. But I don’t like touring. I have anxiety attacks a lot.”

Fear.

It happens to the best of us. Especially if we care about our work and we want to show up as the best version of ourselves. That quote above? It just happens to be Adele, the megastar artist with 15 Grammys and still she faces the nerves.

Every. Single. Time.

Putting our creative ideas into the world, becoming an original requires that we acknowledge our fears and do it anyway ✊🏽

Here are five ways to unlock your originality.

1/ Embrace your flaws

The Leaning Tower of Pisa. Chances are you immediately have that leaning building appear in your minds eye. Guess what, it wasn’t designed that way. It was a mistake and it was a failure. Say that to the millions of visitors each year! Perfect is boring. Flaws are what makes you unique and interesting. Embrace your flaws and give yourself grace to keep going.

2/ Practice quantity for quality

Picasso’s entire body of work includes countless rugs and prints, 2,800 ceramics, 1,800 paintings, 1,200 sculptures and more than 12,000 drawings. Only a handful of these pieces gave Picasso his success and status as an international art icon. Only when you create a lot, can you find the best works. Dedicate a portion of your time everyday to create. Choose a medium and create as a way to ideate.

3/ Be open to non-linear ideation

Did you know that Martin Luther King Jr.’s iconic “I have a dream” line was partially improvised? He actually hadn’t finished writing his speech and he left room to improvise based on audience reaction. During the speech itself, gospel singer Mahalia Jackson cried out “Tell them about the dream Martin! Tell them about the dream!” That was when King abandoned his script and spoke freely about his vision of America.

If you are stuck, go pick a random book and see if a quote inspires you. Go visit a museum, listen to a song, visit a store you don’t normally go to. When you are open to ideas, ideas will find you.

4/ Admit weaknesses

The fact that you are doing sometime different makes it a harder pill to swallow. Studies have shown that employees who frequently voice concerns and ideas to their superiors are less likely to receive raises and promotions. Isn’t that concerning! To get people on board with your radical ideas, a persuasion technique is to talk about what is bad and then what is good. When Rufus Griscom and Alisa Volkman pitched their parenting magazine and blog network “Babble”, that’s precisely what they did. Shared their problems upfront and then talked about how they’ll use the investment. Investors were charmed and gave them $3.3 million in funding before being acquired by Disney in 2011.

5/ Find a common point of reference

Nikola Tesla and Thomas Edison, both are prolific inventors with tons of radical ideas. One died a pauper and the other an industry giant. One reason, definitely not the only reason was that Edison was able to not just come up with original ideas, he was able to sell them. How did he do that? He found a way to connect his ideas, execute them using what was known. By using existing designs, existing infrastructure, he was able to persuade the masses to adopt his ideas.

An interesting study by Wharton Professor Samir Nurmohamed on motivation found that the same is true when he looked at the edible insect industry. Instead of calling the foods crickets and waxworms, by saying “It’s like eating Pistachios” or “It’s just like shrimp” provoked a sense of curiosity to try those products.

We all have something amazing and unique to share.

That’s how we live up to our potential and truly become an original.
​Live your legend,

Howie Chan

Creator of Legend Letters

​Read my story​

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Sources:

1. Rick Rubin, Russell Simmons: Def Jan’s First 25 Years, NPR Staff, October 9, 2011 - LINK

2. Selling a Crazy Idea: How Radically New Products Can Gain Traction, Knowledge at Wharton Staff, April 1, 2016 - LINK

3. Harvilla, Rob, The Magic of Rick Rubin is in What He Doesn’t Do, The Ringer, June 25, 2020 - LINK

4. Rubin, Rick, The Creative Act: A Way of Being (Book) - LINK

5. Grant, Adam, Originals: How Non-Conformists Move the World (Book) - LINK