The Train-Wreck Cut
George Lucas’s first cut of Star Wars was a train wreck.
Slow and bloated.
The first studio screenings were not well received.
Even his friends (Steven Spielberg, Brian De Palma) were baffled.
Lucas had been obsessed with Star Wars for years. This was his creative vision. His baby.
And it was shit.
The Curse of the Creative Ego
That’s the curse of the creative ego.
We obsess over every detail.
We convince ourselves: no one else will care as much as we do.
This is control freak mode.
A creative-ego-fuelled delusion.
It strangles the genius out of our projects.
The Butcher
Lucas was in the shit. The studio was not happy.
In desperation, Lucas had no option but to ask for help.
He handed Star Wars to his wife, Marcia Lucas. She was an editor.
She wasn’t blinded by emotional baggage.
And she butchered it.
She killed Lucas’s darlings.
She cut scenes George thought were untouchable.
She tightened pacing.
When she and her team were done, the movie became the version of Star Wars we all know today.
Here’s the paradox: George Lucas is remembered as a genius.
But the real genius was getting out of his own way and letting go of his perfectionism.
Catastrophising Narratives
This is the part most creatives never get.
The more importance we place on a project, the more controlling and perfectionistic we become.
It’s just another creative project.
It’s just another startup
It’s just another article.
It’s just another book.
Our creative egos spin catastrophising narratives:
If this project flops, I’m finished.
If this doesn’t work, I’ll be forced to get a real job. (*shudders*)
These thoughts aren’t facts: just catastrophising that keeps us stuck in our comfort zone.
Cling too tightly, and our ego turns it into a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Here’s the paradox:
By trying to avoid failure, we micromanage and overthink our project, which ultimately leads to its failure.
We are the architects of our own creative downfall.
Control Freaks
Addicted to certainty. Obsessed with micromanaging because we don’t trust anyone else to do it right.
So we spread ourselves too thin, strangle the life out of our projects, and burn out.
Our egos love planning and research.
It feels productive and good, but 90% of it is procrastination in disguise.
We overthink and overcomplicate our projects.
In trying to control every tiny detail, we sabotage everything.
Control is an illusion.
The only thing we can actually control is our own creative ego…but that’s another story for another day.
Getting Out of Our Own Way
I’m yet to meet a creative person who didn’t get in their own way… myself included.
You have to let go.
Otherwise, you bury your creative truth.
Great work doesn’t come from control.
Control is one of the most toxic elements of our creative egos.
It’s so insidious that it has ruined many creative careers.
It’s why so many creative geniuses have lost their careers to one-hit-wonder syndrome.
And why many never found the success their talent and original visions justified.
It’s a creative headfuck.
The Paradox of Letting Go
Lucas was convinced he’d lose Star Wars by letting go.
But letting go saved it.
Your creative ego is a control freak.
So is mine.
We need to transcend our creative egos.
We have to surrender to our true creative self or risk smothering our truth.
3 Ways to Get Out of Your Own Way
Kill a Darling Today
Pick one thing in your current project you’re clinging to and cut it. Watch how the work breathes without it.
Outsource Your Weakness
List the 4 biggest parts of your project (marketing, creation, distribution, etc.). Circle your strength. Outsource or delegate the rest. Stop spreading yourself thin.
Ship Before You’re Ready
Set a deadline and release your work at 80% done. Non-attachment means trusting it will evolve in the wild, not in your head.
Aim for 3/5 and not 5/5