10 Ways to Stay Creative in Good Times And Bad
Edited by Ben. Turn to ContentPage
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目录
“You have to have done something before you can be said to have done something. The title of artist or architect or musician needs to somehow be earned.”
—Dave Hickey
Lots of people want to be the noun without doing the verb. They want the job title without the work.
Let go of the thing that you’re trying to be (the noun), and focus on the actual work you need to be doing (the verb). Doing the verb will take you someplace further and far more interesting.
Words & phrases
let go of: 放下，释放：停止握住或抓住某物或某人。
She finally let go of her anger and forgave him.
她最终放下了她的愤怒并原谅了他。
If you pick the wrong noun to aspire to, you’ll be stuck with the wrong verb, too. When people use the word “creative” as a job title, it not only falsely divides the world into “creatives” and “non-creatives,” but also implies that the work of a “creative” is “being creative.” But being creative is never an end; it is a means to something else. Creativity is just a tool. Creativity can be used to organize your living room, paint a masterpiece, or design a weapon of mass destruction. If you only aspire to be a “creative,” you might simply spend your time signaling that you are one: wearing designer eyeglasses, typing on your Macbook Pro, and Instagramming photos of yourself in your sun-drenched studio.
Words & phrases
aspire: v.渴望，有志于
Nor do they aspire to such command themselves.
他们自己也不渴望这样的命令。
signaling: n.发信号；打信号
The male riflebird exploits both of these modes of signaling simultaneously in his courtship display.
雄性雷射鸟在求爱时会同时利用这两种信号模式。
sun-drenched:
/ ˈsʌn drentʃt /adj.沐浴在阳光里的；阳光普照的He sat on the terrace of his sun-drenched villa in the South of France.
他坐在他位于法国南部的撒满阳光的别墅阳台上。
Job titles can mess you up. Job titles, if they’re taken too seriously, will make you feel like you need to work in a way that befits the title, not the way that fits the actual work. Job titles can also restrict the kinds of work that you feel like you can do. If you only consider yourself a “painter,” then what happens when you want to try out writing? If you only consider yourself a “filmmaker,” what happens when you want to try sculpting?
Words & phrases
sculpting:
n.雕塑法
v.雕刻；雕塑（sculpt 的现在分词）
He became interested in sculpting and pottery.
他变得对雕刻和制陶感兴趣了。
If you wait for someone to give you a job title before you do the work, you might never get to do the work at all. You can’t wait around for someone to call you an artist before you make art. You’ll never make it.
If and when you finally get to be the noun—when that coveted job title is bestowed upon you by others—don’t stop doing your verb.
Words & phrases
coveted:
/ ˈkʌvətɪd /
adj.垂涎的；梦寐以求的
v.垂涎；渴望（covet 的过去分词形式）；贪图
She coveted his job so openly that their conversations were tense.
她如此公开地对他的工作垂涎三尺，以至两人之间的谈话很紧张。
bestowed: v．
赠予，授予：将某物或某种荣誉、权力等给予某人。
The award was bestowed upon her for her outstanding achievements.
这个奖项是因为她的杰出成就而授予她的。
安置，安顿：将某人或某物放置在某个地方。
He bestowed the books on the top shelf.
他把书放在了顶层的书架上。
Job titles aren’t really for you, they’re for others. Let other people worry about them. Burn your business cards if you have to.
Words & phrases
business card 名片：一张小卡片，上面印有关于某个企业或企业代表的信息，例如姓名和地址。
I handed out my business card to potential clients at the networking event.
在社交活动中，我向潜在客户发放了我的名片。
Forget the nouns altogether. Do the verbs.
“I don’t know what I am. I know that I am not a category. I am not a thing—a noun. I seem to be a verb, an evolutionary process.”
—R. Buckminster Fuller
Words & phrases
evolutionary
/ ˌevəˈluːʃəneri /adj.进化论的，进化的；演变的，逐步发展的An evolutionary inference can then be drawn.
这样就可以得到一个关于进化的推论。
evolutionary process 进化过程：生物种类在时间上的演变和适应过程，包括自然选择、基因突变、遗传漂变等。
The evolutionary process of humans is still ongoing.
人类的进化过程仍在继续。
All children learn about the world through play. “Child’s play” is a term we use to denote things that are easy, but if you actually watch children play, it is anything but easy. “Play is the work of the child,” as Maria Montessori put it. When my children are playing, they are deeply invested in their work. They focus their gazes like laser beams. They scrunch up their faces in concentration. When they can’t get their materials to do what they want them to do, they throw epic tantrums.
Words & phrases
child's play 小菜一碟：非常简单的任务或行为，或者是微不足道的事情。
For him, figuring out the password was child's play.
对他来说，破解密码是小菜一碟。
it is anything but easy: 一点也不简单
gaze:
v.凝视，注视
n.凝视，注视；特定视角，特定角度
His gaze settled on her face.
他的目光落在她脸上。
laser beams 激光束：由激光器发出的一束光线。
The scientists used laser beams to study the properties of the material.
科学家们使用激光束来研究这种材料的性质。
laser:
n.激光（器）
v.使用激光器
She's had laser surgery on her eye.
她做了眼部激光手术。
beams:
n.梁，横梁；光线，光柱；喜色，笑容（beam 的复数）；（Beams）（英）比姆斯（人名）
v.定向发出（无线电信号）；（光，光源）照耀；喜笑颜开，面露喜色（beam 的第三人称单数）
The beams are riddled with woodworm.
这些木梁被蛀虫蛀得都是洞。
scrunch up
/ skrʌntʃ ʌp /把……揉成一团：将某物用手揉成一团或一堆。Never scrunch up or grip the floor with your toes in any of the standing poses.
在任何站姿体式里都不要用脚蜷缩或者紧抠地板。
they throw epicT tantrums 他们会大发脾气
epic:
n.（讲述英雄冒险经历的）叙事诗，史诗；史诗般的书籍（或电影等）；壮举，惊人之举；<非正式>特别耗时费力的事（或活动）
adj.史诗般的；漫长而艰难的；宏大的，壮丽的
Their four-hour match on Centre Court was an epic.
他们在中心球场历时四个小时的比赛是一个壮举。
tantrum:
/ ˈtæntrəm /n．发脾气，发火，暴怒：通常指儿童因为生气、沮丧或受挫而突然大发雷霆的行为。The child threw tantrums when he didn't get what he wanted.
孩子得不到他想要的东西时就会发脾气。
Their best play, however, is acted out with a kind of lightness and detachment from their results. When my son Jules was two, I spent a ton of time watching him draw. I noticed that he cared not one bit about the actual finished drawing (the noun)—all his energy was focused on drawing (the verb). When he’d made the drawing, I could erase it, toss it in the recycling bin, or hang it on the wall. He didn’t really care. He was also medium agnostic: he was just as happy with crayon on paper, marker on a whiteboard, chalk on the driveway, or, in a medium that put his parents’ encouragement to the test, chalk on the outdoor couch cushions. (The drawings were so good my wife decided to embroider them. Again, he was completely indifferent.)
Words & phrases
然而，他们最好的戏剧是用一种轻松和超然的方式表演出来的。
act out 表演，扮演，模仿；直接行动，不加修改地表达（冲动或幻想）；行为不当或不符合社会规范，尤其是为了宣泄痛苦的情绪（如恐惧或挫败感）
The children love to act out their favorite stories.
孩子们喜欢表演他们最喜欢的故事。
detachment: n.客观，超然，冷漠；分遣队，独立小分队；拆卸，分离
She felt a sense of detachment from what was going on.
她对眼前发生的事感到很超然。
agnostic:
n.不可知论者
adj.不可知论的；怀疑的
Ultimately, the pragmaticist may remain agnostic.
最终，实用主义者可能保持怀疑。
chalk:
n.白垩；粉笔；白垩地层；用粉笔划的记号
v.用粉笔写（或画）；用粉笔做记号；用白垩粉擦（桌球杆等）；<英>把（酒钱）记于（某人）账上；获（胜），得（分）；变成白垩状
You may chalk it on the wall.
你可以用粉笔把它记在墙上。
driveway: n.（从建筑物，住房，车库等通往大路的）私人车道
He pulled into the driveway in front of her garage.
他把车开进她家车库前的车道上停在那里。
couch:
n.长沙发，长榻；诊察台
v.表达，措辞；<文>躺下，躺卧；<古>平端（矛或枪）（准备攻击）；用下压及后压晶状体的方式治疗（白内障）；贴线缝绣
We were sitting on the couch in the living room watching TV.
我们那时正坐在起居室的沙发上看电视。
cushions:
n.靠垫；衬垫（cushion 的复数）；酥心糖
v.给……安上垫；加垫褥（cushion 的第三人称单数）
A few cushions formed a makeshift bed.
临时用几个垫子拼了一张床。
embroider
/ ɪmˈbrɔɪdər /
vt.刺绣；装饰；镶边
vi.绣花；刺绣
I will embroider a memory inside.
我会在心里组织一段回忆。
indifferent adj.冷淡的，不关心的；中等的，平庸的；一般的，相当差的；中立的；不分化的
He was mute, distant, and indifferent.
他缄默无言，对人疏远而且冷漠。
Play is the work of the child and it is also the work of the artist. I was once taking a walk in the Mission in San Francisco and stopped to chat with a street painter. When I thanked him for his time and apologized for interrupting his work, he said, “Doesn’t feel like work to me. Feels more like play.”
The great artists are able to retain this sense of playfulness throughout their careers. Art and the artist both suffer most when the artist gets too heavy, too focused on results.
There are some tricks to staying light and getting back to that childlike play state. The writer Kurt Vonnegut wrote a letter to a group of high school students and assigned them this homework: Write a poem and don’t show it to anybody. Tear it up into little pieces and throw them into the trash can. “You will find that you have already been gloriously rewarded for your poem. You have experienced becoming, learned a lot more about what’s inside you, and you have made your soul grow.” That, said Vonnegut, was the whole purpose of making art: “Practicing an art, no matter how well or badly, is a way to make your soul grow, for heaven’s sake.” Vonnegut repeated variations of that advice throughout his life. He would suggest to his daughter Nanette that she should make a piece of art and burn it “as a spiritual exercise.” (There’s something cathartic about burning your work: Artist John Baldessari, disgusted by his previous work, had it all cremated and put in a ceremonial urn.)
Words & phrases
有一些技巧可以让你保持轻松，回到孩子般的玩耍状态。
trash can: 垃圾桶，指用来装放被扔掉的物品的容器
Please throw the empty bottle into the trash can.
请把空瓶子扔进垃圾桶。
gloriously: adv.光荣地；辉煌地；壮观地，壮丽地
The answer is gloriously unclear.
我们无法给出明确的答案。
for heaven's sake 用于使陈述或问题更有力，或表达惊讶、愤怒等情绪
For heaven's sake, can't you be quiet for just one minute?
天哪，你不能安静一分钟吗？
variation
/ ˌveriˈeɪʃ(ə)n /n.变化，变动；变奏曲；变化，变异；（天文）二均差；（数）变分，变差；磁偏角；（芭蕾）单人舞This variation shows up in the trees growth rings.
这种变化表现在树木的年轮中。
cathartic:
/ kəˈθɑːrtɪk /
adj.导泻的；通便的
n.[药] 泻药；[药] 通便药
It was a cathartic experience.
那是一次情感宣泄的体验。
cremated
/ krəˈmeɪtɪd /v.火葬，火化（cremate 的过去式和过去分词）He wants to be cremated, not buried.
他要火葬，不要土葬。
ceremonial
/ ˌserɪˈmoʊniəl /
adj.仪式的，礼节的；（职务）礼仪性的，象征性的
n.仪式，典礼，礼节
He represented the nation on ceremonial occasions.
他在礼仪场合代表着国家。
urn
/ ɜːrn /n.瓮；缸；茶水壶；坟墓；骨灰瓮Afterward, I take the urn with me.
葬礼结束后，我把骨灰盒带走了。
If you’ve lost your playfulness, practice for practice’s sake. You don’t have to go to such dramatic lengths as combustion. Musicians can jam without making a recording. Writers and artists can type or draw out a page and throw it away. Photographers can take photos and immediately delete them.
Words & phrases
practice for practice’s sake. 为练习而练习。
for sth.'s sake 为了……的利益；为了
playfulness: n.玩笑；嬉闹
Many species have evolved clear signals to delineate playfulness.
很多动物进化出了明确表述玩耍的信号。
combustion: n.燃烧；（化学）氧化，（化学）燃烧；骚动
You might say, "Well, gee, why don't we just power our cars with hydrogen placed on an internal combustion chamber."
你可能会说：“好吧，哎呀，为什么我们不把氢气放在汽车内部的燃烧室，来驱动我们的汽车呢。”
jam:
n.果酱；堵塞，拥挤；麻烦，困境；<非正式>爵士乐（摇滚乐）即兴演奏会；卡住，轧住
v.塞满，挤满；卡住，发生故障；压进，塞入；干扰（无线电或电子信号）；（电话系统因很多人同时打电话而）瘫痪；挤伤，压伤；<非正式> 即兴表演；（向击球手）投（内角球）；猛推（身体部位、杠杆等）
We were stuck in a traffic jam.
我们遇上了交通阻塞。
Nothing makes play more fun than some new toys. Seek out unfamiliar tools and materials. Find something new to fiddle with.
Words & phrases
fiddle:
v.（尤指厌烦或紧张地）不停摆弄；<非正式>篡改，伪造；拉小提琴；略微变动；调整
n.<非正式>小提琴；<非正式>欺诈，骗局；<非正式>修理，调整；<非正式>难事；（防止餐具在恶劣天气条件下滚落或滑落的）餐桌缘框
fiddle with:
1．玩弄，摆弄
2．调整，处理
3．篡改，损坏
Don't fiddle with the typewriter.
不要摆弄那架打字机了。
Another trick: When nothing’s fun anymore, try to make the worst thing you can. The ugliest drawing. The crummiest poem. The most obnoxious song. Making intentionally bad art is a ton of fun.
Words & phrases
ugliest: adj.最丑的（ugly 的最高级）
It was one of the year's ugliest contests.
而那场初选，也成了年内最丑陋的竞选之一。
crummiest
/ ˈkrʌmiɪst /丰满的（crummy 的最高级）crummiest poem: 破败的诗
crummy: adj.微不足道的；寒酸的；肮脏的
Most of his songs are pretty crummy.
他的歌曲大多糟糕透顶。
obnoxious
/ əbˈnɑːkʃəs /adj.可憎的，粗鲁无礼的The people at my table were so obnoxious I had to change my seat.
我那桌的人非常讨厌，我只好换了座位。
intentionally: adv.故意地，有意地
She would never intentionally hurt anyone.
她从来不会故意伤害任何人。
Finally, try hanging out with young kids. Play a game of hide-and-go-seek. Finger paint. Build a tower out of blocks and knock it down. Steal whatever works for you. When the writer Lawrence Weschler needs to figure out a structure for one of his pieces, he’ll play with his own set of wooden blocks. “My daughter is not allowed to play with these blocks,” he says. “They are mine.”
Words & phrases
hide-and-go-seek: n.捉迷藏
He would climb up her trunk and swing from her branches and eat apples. And they would play hide-and-go-seek.
男孩总是爬上树干，在树枝扛荡秋千，吃树上的苹果，他们还会一起玩捉迷藏的游戏。
finger paint 手指绘画：一种果冻状的颜料，用手指或手掌涂抹而不是用刷子涂抹的颜料。通常用于幼儿园教室的绘画活动中。
The children had a lot of fun using finger paint to create colorful artwork.
孩子们使用手指绘画创作了很多色彩斑斓的艺术作品。
wooden block 木块：一种由木材制成的块状物，通常用于建筑、手工艺品、儿童玩具等领域。
The children were playing with wooden blocks on the floor.
孩子们在地板上玩木块。
wooden: adj.木制的；（行为）僵硬的，呆板的；木头似的，木头特性的
They sat on wooden boxes.
他们坐在木箱上。
Don’t get bogged down. Stay light. Play.
Words & phrases
bogged:
adj.陷于泥沼的
v.使……陷于泥淖；陷于泥淖（bog 的过去式和过去分词）
get bogged down 深陷泥潭：陷入困境、陷入困难或陷入复杂的情况中，以至于无法做其他事情。
We mustn't get bogged down in details.
我们一定不能因细节问题误事。
“You must practice being stupid, dumb, unthinking, empty. Then you will be able to DO . . . Try to do some BAD work—the worst you can think of and see what happens but mainly relax and let everything go to hell—you are not responsible for the world—you are only responsible for your work—so DO IT.”
—Sol LeWitt to Eva Hesse