The power of starting projects that might fail
The creative process can only begin once you accept uncertainty. Because there is no guarantee your project will succeed. In fact, odds are your project will get no where near the level of success you want it to.
But that’s okay. Because every block-buster movie, best-selling novel, and hit song started in the same way… as an uncertain bet that was more likely to fail than succeed.
That’s why you have to get comfortable starting projects that might fail. As Naval Ravikant says, “If there’s no uncertainty, there’s no upside.”
Failure isn’t what you think it is.
Most people fear failure because they’re using the wrong definition of success.
First, it’s crucial to understand that “failure” only exists in relationship to your definition of success. So, to make the creative process easier, change your definition of success.
My definition of success in a creative project - specifically screenwriting, as that’s my mode of expression - is this:
Did I write the movie script I set out to write?
This might seem overly simple. But it’s powerful because it forces me to go back to the original creative spark that inspired my wife and I (we write together) to write the movie in the first place. A movie that aligns with our judgment and taste, and which no one else can copy.
If we did indeed write the movie we were super excited to write when we got the idea, then we succeeded. If we were steered off course and wrote a different movie (whether in tone, genre, or something else), then we failed.
You can do the same for whatever you’re creating. You can…
Redefine success so it’s under your control.
Notice how the definition of success above is entirely within our control. We can’t control if someone buys the movie, or if it gets made, or which actor wants to star in it, or any of the other thousands of variables that go into the business of Hollywood.
But we can control the kind of movie we write. And if we fail, it’s because as some point we made a choice to write something other than what inspired us in the first place.
People will give you all sorts of feedback on your project that will push it in different directions. And it’s up to you to choose what feedback to incorporate and what feedback to ignore.
If you aren’t carefully, the people giving you feedback can push you away from the creative idea you started with.
This happened with the first movie script we wrote. Early on, Tara and I had a massive celebrity name who was considering attaching herself to our movie.
But, her taste was much different than ours. And she started giving notes the pushed the project in a direction that neither Tara or I wanted. We tried to implement her notes, but we found that our writing was getting worse because we were fighting our natural instincts for the project.
In the end, we delivered a script that we both loved - the script we set out to write. The celebrity passed on the project and didn’t come on as a producer. And that’s okay, because the script is still great. And because it’s great, it’s still alive in the market (Netflix is considering it right now, in fact).
Now, what if instead of sticking to our vision, we did sacrifice our definition of “success” to write the movie the celebrity wanted. And let’s say she came on board and helped get the movie made. Is that a success?
How can it be when it’s not our movie anymore? It’s not the movie we set out to write. Sure, it may open doors and generate more opportunities, but we’d be known for a work we don’t like and never intended to create. Even worse, we’d be attracting the wrong people with the work. Even if you “win” this way, you still lose.
So don’t get caught up in “failure.” Instead, change your definition of success so it’s under your control. Then start creating.
The more you create, the more upside you have.
Now that you’ve learned how to eliminate “failure,” and instead put it under your control, all that’s left is upside. And the more you create, the more upside you have.
Tara and I talk a lot about throwing more darts at the board. For example, having ten, high-quality scripts in the market at one time is better than have one. Right now, Tara and I have two active movie scripts, and two “archived” TV pilots.
The more scripts in the market, the greater exposure we have to good things happening (aka luck). You’ve just got to be patient as the work goes out into the world and works for you.
It’s the hardest at the beginning. When you’re working on your first project, it can be very frustrating knowing you don’t have anything out there working for you. But once you start shipping, your projects start bringing luck to you while you’re busy working on your next project.
Now, it takes time to do great work. If you try and move too fast, quality suffers. And there’s no point in putting out anything less than great work because the market is so competitive. You have to find the balance between moving as quick as you can without sacrificing quality.
That’s where artificial intelligence helps. In the early stages, AI lets you move faster, testing ideas to see which ones resonate. It can draft outlines, build simple prototypes, and get you 50% of the way there.
But it will not get you ALL the way there. The final 10% - the difference between good and great - you have to do yourself.
The projects that change your life usually start as uncertain bets. Define success on your own terms, embrace the risk, and start building.
Start now.