{"id":9010,"date":"2024-10-08T20:19:44","date_gmt":"2024-10-09T00:19:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/parmaks.com\/Resources\/never-play-it-safe-7-levers-to-unlock-your-creative-potential\/"},"modified":"2024-10-08T20:19:44","modified_gmt":"2024-10-09T00:19:44","slug":"never-play-it-safe-7-levers-to-unlock-your-creative-potential","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/parmaks.com\/Resources\/never-play-it-safe-7-levers-to-unlock-your-creative-potential\/","title":{"rendered":"Never Play It Safe: 7 Levers to Unlock Your Creative Potential"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Profit<\/a>
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Tim Ferriss and Chase Jarvis in 2011<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The following is a guest post from Chase Jarvis<\/strong> (@chasejarvis<\/a>), the founder of CreativeLive, the world\u2019s largest live-streaming education platform for creatives and entrepreneurs, which was acquired by Fiverr (FVRR: NYSE) in 2021. He is also a master photographer, Emmy-nominated director, and the bestselling author of Creative Calling<\/em>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Chase is the only person ever to be named a Hasselblad Master, Nikon Master, and ASMP Master. He has contributed photography to Pulitzer Prize-winning journalism, and his commercial work has spanned campaigns for Nike, Apple, Red Bull, and others, earning him Forbes<\/em>\u2019 title of \u201cThe Photographer Everyone Wants to Work With.\u201d Chase\u2019s fine-art installations appear in prominent galleries and the collections of high-net-worth individuals alike. Chase was also one of the very first guests of The Tim Ferriss Show <\/em>podcast.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

His new book is Never Play It Safe: A Practical Guide to Freedom, Creativity, and a Life You Love<\/em><\/strong><\/a> and is out today. <\/p>\n

Please enjoy!<\/p>\n

Enter Chase<\/strong> Jarvis\u2026<\/h2>\n

\u201cSecurity is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing.\u201d <\/strong>\u2014 Helen Keller\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

In my mid-twenties, my wife Kate and I were living in a tiny apartment in Seattle. I was working in a ski shop to make ends meet. There were a lot of voices in my head telling me how I had screwed up the familiar patterns of school and job, plus I had a boatload of doubt, no money, and few role models. Even though I whispered to those closest to me that I wanted to be a photographer, I was too scattered\u2014and too scared\u2014to actually pay attention to what I might have to do to make that dream a reality.<\/p>\n

I spent the first few months of that time dabbling, working in the shop, explaining myself to everyone I knew, and trying but failing to hone my craft. My attention was too fractured to get anywhere, but at a certain point, it was do or die. Yes, I had to earn a living, but more importantly, that rare, humble, honest version of myself that sometimes showed up on morning walks or while gazing at golden-orange sunsets had a point: I had to stop f*ing around and making excuses. I had to stop paying so much attention to the toxic voices in my head telling me I\u2019d never make it as a photographer and instead go all in on the next right step that would get me where I wanted to go.<\/p>\n

Those early days were filled with doubt, uncertainty, and countless questions about how to make my dreams a reality. I didn\u2019t know how to make the leap from amateur photographer to full-time artist. I had almost no real-life examples of how to do what I wanted to do. I couldn\u2019t afford the time or money it would have taken to go to art school. But I realized that no one was coming to hand me a guidebook and that if I wanted to succeed, I\u2019d have to forge my own path. Over time, I discovered key principles that helped me transform those doubts into action\u2014tools that reside naturally within us all, that anyone can use to ignite their creative potential and break away from the illusory \u2018safe\u2019 life that our culture wants most of us to live.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In this post, I\u2019m going to share 7 \u2018levers\u2019 that I\u2019ve discovered that can help you unlock your potential. These aren\u2019t vague motivational phrases\u2014they\u2019re practical, actionable tools that will take you from feeling stuck to finding freedom in your creative work and your life. With AI rapidly taking over jobs that machines can easily do, human creativity has become more crucial, and more valuable, than ever. It\u2019s not just about popsicle sticks and glue guns; it\u2019s about cultivating the habit of thinking differently and operating differently, a way of living that keeps you on the unique frontier, ahead of the machines, and in line with a life worth loving.<\/p>\n

Creativity isn\u2019t just a nice-to-have anymore\u2014it\u2019s an essential skill, a must-have that will keep you relevant and thriving in a changing world. Each lever is a tool I personally learned to wield in my journey from being a small-town Seattle artist to working with many of the biggest brands and boldest projects in the world, and I\u2019m going to show you how to use them in your own life.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Lever 1: Constraints\u2014Unlocking Creativity with Limitations<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Early in my career, I discovered that creativity thrives under constraints. Whether it was when I couldn\u2019t afford the best camera gear or later when I intentionally set boundaries on projects\u2014like budget, time, or other easily implemented frameworks\u2014I recognized that limitations forced me to innovate. The results were demonstrably better than when I failed to implement, or ignored, constraints.<\/p>\n

Constraints aren\u2019t obstacles\u2014they are opportunities to think differently, to find solutions you wouldn\u2019t have considered if you had every resource at your disposal. It was during those times of limitation that I learned the most and pushed both my creativity and my life to places I didn\u2019t think they could go.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Actionable Steps to Constrain for Growth:<\/em><\/p>\n

1. 7-Minute Creative Challenge<\/strong>

Set a timer for 7 minutes and complete a creative project within that time frame. <\/strong>Whether it\u2019s writing a short story or sketching something, the goal is to create without overthinking. Embrace imperfection. I do this almost every day in some capacity\u2014journaling for 7 minutes in the morning, capturing 7 images on my phone within my immediate surroundings, or crafting a creative social media post. These quick, deliberate bursts of creativity help me stay sharp, spontaneous, and unafraid of imperfection.<\/p>\n

2. Resource Limitation Challenge<\/strong>

Choose a project and give yourself a constraint.<\/strong> Use one lens for a week or write with only a notebook and pen. By forcing yourself to work within limits, you foster innovation. For me, I was the first high-end professional to lean into the iPhone as a real photographic tool, publishing the world\u2019s first book of iPhone photos and creating the first iPhone app that used photos as the basis for a social network. Another time, I was featured on a top YouTube channel in China, where I was challenged to shoot professional-level images\u2014skateboarding, portraits, street photography\u2014using a camera literally made out of Legos<\/a>. These constraints pushed me creatively in ways I simultaneously loved, but couldn\u2019t have imagined, proving that limits can truly unlock new levels.<\/p>\n

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