10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative
Edited by Ben. Turn to ContentPage
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目录
Side Projects and Hobbies Are Important.Practice productive procrastination.Don't throw any of yourself away.
“The work you do while you procrastinate is probably the work you should be doing for the rest of your life.”
—Jessica Hische
One thing I’ve learned in my brief career: It’s the side projects that really take off. By side projects I mean the stuff that you thought was just messing around. Stuff that’s just play. That’s actually the good stuff. That’s when the magic happens.
Words & phrases
procrastinate v.拖延，耽搁
We all procrastinate sometimes, especially when it comes to things we aren't really fond of.
我们都有拖延的时候，尤其是遇到不喜欢的事情的时候。
procrastination n.耽搁，拖延；拖延症
He hates delay and procrastination in all its forms.
他厌恶各种形式的延迟和耽搁。
side project 副业：指已经以其他乐队身份知名的一个或多个人承担的项目。
He formed a side project while still being a member of his main band.
他在仍然是主乐队成员的同时组建了一个副业。
take off
1．起飞：指飞机离开地面并开始飞行；
The plane is scheduled to take off at 9:00 AM.
飞机计划在上午9点起飞。
2．突然成功或流行起来：指某事物或某人在某个领域或市场上迅速变得受欢迎或成功；
3．模仿或模拟：指模仿某人或某物的行为、风格或特征；
He can take off his favorite actor's voice perfectly.
他可以完美地模仿他最喜欢的演员的声音。
4．突然离开或离开某地：指突然离开某个地方或离开某个场合。
I have to take off early today for a doctor's appointment.
我今天必须提前离开去看医生。
mess around
1．浪费时间；胡闹；瞎搞：不认真对待某事，浪费时间或胡闹。
2．交往；调情：与某人交往或调情。
When they decide to have a party they don't mess around.
他们决定搞聚会，便会迅速操办起来。
感受
实际上，是那些平时随便玩玩的副项目才真正的能让你take off. That's when the magic happens.
I think it’s good to have a lot of projects going at once so you can bounce between them. When you get sick of one project, move over to another, and when you’re sick of that one, move back to the project you left. Practice productive procrastination.
Words & phrases
bounce
v.弹起，反弹；跳动，蹦；（使）上下晃动；（用膝盖）颠动（孩子）；蹦蹦跳跳地去；拒付，退回（支票等）；退回（电子邮件）；驱逐，解雇；（向某人）透露主意（以试探其反应）；反复跳槽，来回往返某地；（光线或声音）反射；撞击，碰撞
n.弹跳，跳动；弹性，弹力；活力，精力；（头发的）弹性，蓬松；突然的增长
There's not much bounce left in these balls.
这些球已没有多少弹性了。
productive
adj.多产的，丰饶的；有效益的，富有成效的；生产（成品、庄稼或财富）的，生产性的；产生……的，引起……的（productive of）；有构词能力的；（咳嗽）生痰的，分泌黏液的
He was hopeful that the next round of talks would also be productive.
他对下一轮会谈也会富有成效充满了希望。
感受
有很多projects并不是坏事，你可以在彼此之间来回跳动！You can bounce from one to another while you get sick of it.
Take time to be bored. One time I heard a coworker say, “When I get busy, I get stupid.” Ain’t that the truth. Creative people need time to just sit around and do nothing. I get some of my best ideas when I’m bored, which is why I never take my shirts to the cleaners. I love ironing my shirts—it’s so boring, I almost always get good ideas. If you’re out of ideas, wash the dishes. Take a really long walk. Stare at a spot on the wall for as long as you can. As the artist Maira Kalman says, “Avoiding work is the way to focus my mind.”
Take time to mess around. Get lost. Wander. You never know where it’s going to lead you.
Words & phrases
coworker n.同事；合作者
I was really into my coworker.
我非常喜欢我的同事。
ain't contr.不是；没有
Ain't it gay?
这不是很快乐吗？
iron
n.铁；熨斗；铁器，铁制工具；镣铐；（矫正畸形腿的）夹腿；<非正式>马蹬；陨铁，铁陨石；（高尔夫球）铁头球杆；刚强，毅力
v.熨，烫
adj.铁的，铁制的；刚强的，坚强的；强硬的，严酷的
Can I use this plug for my iron?
我能用这个插座插一下熨斗吗？
stare at 盯着看：专注地看某人或某物。
Don't stare at me – it's impolite!
不要盯着我 - 这很无礼！
感受
无聊并不意味着不好，放空脑袋或许可以make room for new things.
If you have two or three real passions, don’t feel like you have to pick and choose between them. Don’t discard. Keep all your passions in your life. This is something I learned from the playwright Steven Tomlinson.
Words & phrases
discard
v.扔掉，弃置；打出（无用的牌），垫（牌）
n.被抛弃物；（纸牌游戏中）垫出的牌
Once we start to see people as individuals, and discard the stereotypes, we can move positively toward inclusiveness for everyone.
只要我们开始把人看作是独立的个体，并摒弃成见，我们就可以朝着对每个人都具有包容性的方向积极前进。
playwright n.剧作家
His career as a playwright had an auspicious start.
他的剧作家生涯有一个好的开头。
感受
Keep all your passions in your life. 不要去选择，成年人都要！
“You can’t connect the dots looking forward, you can only connect them looking backwards.”
—Steve Jobs
Words & phrases
forward:
adv.向前；在船头，朝飞机头部；按顺序地；有进展地，前进地；向将来，往后；提前；（钟表）往前（拨）；从……起，自……以来
adj.向前的，前进的；在前部的，位于前面的；（电子）正向的；未来的，将来的；期货的，预先的；早的，早熟的；鲁莽的，冒失的；热心的，动辄就……的
n.（足球、篮球等运动的）前锋；（尤指金融市场）远期协议，远期交易
v.转交，转寄；寄，发送；促进，推进
Emily edged her chair forward.
埃米莉把椅子慢慢地向前挪动。
backwards adv.向后；倒转，相反；（时间上）回溯；倒退，每况愈下
The writing sloped backwards.
那字迹向后斜了。
look backward 回顾过去：回顾或反思过去的经历、事件或决策。
It's important to look backward and learn from our mistakes.
回顾过去并从错误中吸取教训是很重要的。
感受
让你爱的stuff彼此之间进行对话，会有意想不到的事发生的！
Tomlinson suggests that if you love different things, you just keep spending time with them. “Let them talk to each other. Something will begin to happen.”
The thing is, you can cut off a couple passions and only focus on one, but after a while, you’ll start to feel phantom limb pain.
Words & phrases
cut off:
1、切断：使某物与其他物体分离，通常是通过剪切、锯断等方式。
2、中断：突然停止某事，使其无法继续。
3、隔绝：使某人或某物与外界隔离，无法与其他人或物进行交流。
They cut off the enemy's retreat.
他们切断了敌人的退路。
phantom
/ ˈfæntəm /:
n.幽灵，鬼魂；幻觉，幻象；渺茫；为诈骗而捏造的财务安排（或金融交易）
adj.虚幻的，幻觉的；有名无实的，虚假骗人的；像鬼的，幽灵似的；（尤指罪犯）身份不明的
We're paying a heavy price for Washington's obsession with phantom menaces.
我们正在为华盛顿痴迷于幽灵般的恐吓付出沉重的代价。
limb:
n.肢；大树枝；（某物的）突出部，延伸部分；十字形四个分支中的一个；弓把的上部（或下部）；（日月等天体的）边缘；冠檐，萼檐；（管状花的）瓣片；（四分仪等科学仪器上测量角度的）分度弧
v.切断……的手足；从……上截下树枝
The same way cells that form the limb become more like muscle cells or skin cells, or the structures that become the limb.
同样的方式，形成肢体的细胞变得更像肌肉细胞或皮肤细胞，或成为肢体的结构。
pain:
n.疼痛，伤痛；苦恼，悲痛；<非正式>讨厌的人（或事）（=pain in the neck）；努力，苦心（pains）
v.<正式>使痛苦，使苦恼；<正式>使疼痛；<美>（身体某一部分）感到疼痛
Gradually the pain seeped away.
疼痛渐渐消失了。
phantom limb pain 幻肢痛：截肢术后患者在已经失去的肢体部位感受到的疼痛，这种疼痛可能是由于大脑和神经系统的异常信号所引起的。
Many amputees experience phantom limb pain after surgery.
许多截肢术后的患者会感受到幻肢痛。
感受
所以，不必cut off the things you like. just keep them and talk with them.
I spent my teenage years obsessed with songwriting and playing in bands, but then I decided I needed to focus on just writing, so I spent half a decade hardly playing any music at all. The phantom limb pain got worse and worse.
Words & phrases
obsessed with: 着迷于
He was obsessed with gangster movies.
他那时迷上了警匪片。
感受
我花了五年的时间几乎没有演奏过任何音乐.
About a year ago I started playing in a band again. Now, I’m starting to feel whole. And the crazy thing is, rather than the music taking away from my writing, I find it interacting with my writing and making it better—I can tell that new synapses in my brain are firing, and new connections are being made. About half the people I work with are musicians (this is not uncommon in Austin, Texas), and they’re not all “creatives,” either—a lot of them are account executives, developers, and the like. However, they’ll all tell you the same thing: Music feeds into their work.
Words & phrases
whole:
adj.全部的，整个的；完整的，完好无损的；(强调大小或重要性）整个的，全部的；要点，主旨；健全的，健康的
n.整体，全部
adv.完全地；整个
Four quarters make a whole.
四个四分之一构成一个整体。
synapse: / ˈsaɪnæpsˌˈsɪnæps /
n.突触
v.形成突融
Essentially, some genes were asleep instead of doing their synapse work.
本质上说，一些基因并没有做到它们形成突触的工作，而是睡着了。
account:
n.账户，户头；客户，老主顾；网络账号；描述，报道；账目；账单；赊购账，赊购；理由，解释；重要性；（定期结付的）交易合同；演奏（音乐）；<英>账期交易期
v.把……视作，认为；解释，说明（account for）；占（一定数量或比例）（account for）；<古>报账
I don't have a bank account.
我没有银行账户。
executives n.高管；主管（executive 的复数）
He disregarded the advice of his executives.
他对主管们的建议置之不理。
feed into: 注入，流入；提供原料
The bullets will soon feed into the machine gun.
这些子弹马上要装入机枪。
感受
I’m starting to feel whole. 我感觉我自己完整了！
多件事情之间会形成连接的，One plus one equals sth. impossible.
It’s so important to have a hobby. A hobby is something creative that’s just for you. You don’t try to make money or get famous off it, you just do it because it makes you happy. A hobby is something that gives but doesn’t take. While my art is for the world to see, music is only for me and my friends. We get together every Sunday and make noise for a couple of hours. No pressure, no plans. It’s regenerative. It’s like church.
Words & phrases
hobby n.业余爱好，嗜好；<古> 小马，马驹；燕隼
I only play jazz as a hobby.
我弹奏爵士乐只是一种业余爱好。
regenerative adj.再生的，更生的；更新的
It is a pretty major leap for regenerative surgery and medicine.
这是再生外科和医学的一个重大飞跃。
church
n.教堂；礼拜仪式；教派，教会
v.<古>把（产妇等）带到教堂做感恩礼拜；<美>对……进行教会裁决
adj.教会的；礼拜的
The church was erected in 1582.
此教堂建于1582年。
感受
hobby就是让你开心的东西，你不必从她们那里获取什么的！
Don’t throw any of yourself away. Don’t worry about a grand scheme or unified vision for your work. Don’t worry about unity—what unifies your work is the fact that you made it. One day, you’ll look back and it will all make sense.
Words & phrases
throw away
1．扔掉，丢弃：将某物置于垃圾桶或其他地方，不再使用或保留。
I need to throw away these old magazines.
我需要把这些旧杂志扔掉。
2．浪费，挥霍：不珍惜或不合理使用某物或某种机会。
Don't throw away your chance to study abroad.
不要浪费你出国留学的机会。
3．轻易放弃，不重视：对某事物或某人不给予足够的重视或关注。
Don't throw away your dreams.
不要放弃你的梦想。
grand
adj.壮丽的，堂皇的；宏伟的，宏大的；傲慢的，高高在上的；令人愉快的；<非正式>出色的，极好的；总括的；（常用于大型建筑物的名称前）大的；（对上层社会的人的称呼）大；（罪行）严重的；壮丽的，富丽堂皇的
n.<非正式>一千美元，一千英镑；大钢琴，三角钢琴
It's not a very grand house.
这房子并不是十分富丽堂皇。
scheme
n.<英>（政府或其他组织的）计划，方案；（用于组织或整理信息的）系统，体系；组合，布局；阴谋，诡计；<苏格兰，非正式>社会住宅区
v.密谋，策划；<南非，非正式>认为，猜想；按色调布置
We devised a scheme to help him.
我们想出了一个计划来帮助他。
grand scheme 大计划：指一个更大、更全面的计划或目标，通常与长期规划和战略有关。
In the grand scheme of things, this is just a minor setback.
从大计划的角度来看，这只是一个小小的挫折。
unify: v.（使）联合，（使）统一；使协调
He pledged to unify the city's political factions.
他保证要统一全市的政治小集团。
unified:
adj.一致的，统一的；联合的，一体的
v.（使）联合，（使）统一；使协调（unify 的过去式和过去分词）
Today's unified Germany is more prosperous and stable than at any time in its long, troubled history.
如今，统一后的德国比其漫长而动荡的历史上的任何时候都更加繁荣和稳定。
unifies v．统一，使联合：使多个部分、元素或个体成为一个整体。
Along came Scala, which neatly unifies these two worlds.
Scala把这两个世界巧妙地结合了起来。
unity: n.团结，统一；整体性，统一性；三一律（指戏剧在时间、地点和情节三点上的统一性）；统一体；（数目或数字）一
We have to act to preserve the unity of this nation.
我们必须行动起来以维护这个国家的统一。
make sense: 讲得通，有道理：指某个观点、说法或解释在逻辑上是合理的，容易理解。
On the face of it that seems to make sense. But the figures don't add up.
乍一看，那好像讲得通。但是数字对不上。
感受
使你的作品统一起来的是你创造出来的事实。
One day, you’ll look back and it will all make sense. 总有一天，当你回首往事时，一切都会变得有意义。