Although research is an important stage in the creative process, it can also hinder creativity. It fills our mind with ideas that have already been done and blocks original thinking. Being well versed in the requirements of a project can help with preparation, but it can also prevent us from taking risks. In her 2015 Harvard University commencement speech [above], actress Natalie Portman encourages graduates to act on their ignorance:
Your inexperience is an asset and will allow you to think in original and unconventional ways. Accept your lack of knowledge and use it as your asset. I know a famous violinist that told me that he can’t compose because he knows too many pieces so when he starts thinking of a note, an existing piece immediately comes to mind. Just starting out, one of your greatest strengths is not knowing how things are suppose to be. You can compose freely because your mind isn’t cluttered with too many pieces and you don’t take for granted the way things are. The only way you know how to do things are your own way.
The next time you have an idea, skip over the preparation and research phase. If you are writing a Western screenplay, don’t binge watch every single Western ever made. Just start writing. By watching what has already been done, your mind will have trouble finding it’s own path to originality. In some cases, it’s better to jump head first into the idea and then come back later on to fact-check details. It is also a lot easier to begin a project if you aren’t intimidated by the amount of work involved. Portman explains that it was due to pure ignorance that she accepted her now iconic role in Black Swan:
People told me that Black Swan was an artistic risk, a scary challenge to try and portray a professional ballet dancer. But it didn’t feel like courage or daring that drew me to it. I was so oblivious to my own limits that I did things that I was woefully unprepared to do. So the very inexperience that in college that made me feel insecure and made me want to play by other’s rules, now was making me actually take risks that I didn’t even realize were risks.
Portman was so confident in her skills that it wasn’t until she actually started preparing for the film that she realized her vast limitations. However, instead of letting it hinder her, it motivated her to work even harder. She adds that if she had known her limitations at the time, she never would have taken the risk. That same blind confidence and hard work lead her to produced her first film A Tale of Love and Darkness. The film is a period piece, completely in Hebrew, and co-stars a child actor. These are all challenges for a film that she should have been terrified of, but handled through belief in herself and hard work.
Research is an important part of the creative process and an idea cannot go to production without it. However, when you are in the beginning phases and experiencing inspirational blocks, try skipping it. The process is there to be a guideline, not a hard and fast rule. Dive into your idea, or as Portman puts it: Dive into your obliviousness. It may turn out to be the greatest project you ever worked on. Ignorance is bliss, but it can also be a creative advantage.
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