An honest look at the mess of Creativity
A 4-part series taking you inside the process developing my new show
Go inside my process for crafting the premise, format, and pilot of a beloved show.
Witness the reality of making something meaningful from scratch (and how messy it really is).
Take hope in the fact that you are NOT alone. The way you feel is the way I feel, even after 20 years of doing this.
Hosted and written by me, Jay Acunzo - Directed, produced, and edited by Kel Tracey and Arbez Films.
Come for the craft. Stay for the cringe. (Please?)
Watch the series now
Episode 1 — developing an original premise
Episode 2 — Extracting & Crafting a gripping format
The People around us misrepresent creativity
So does your internal narrator (the little bastard)
Their clean, simple systems. Their “overnight” success stories. Their advice that starts with the word “just,” as in, “Just do this one thing and all your problems will go away immediately.” Even when people aren’t offering advice, the fact that you can only see someone else’s finished product, not the 8 terrible versions and 88 sleepless nights and 888 tiny choices they made (88% of which were wrong)? That means we don’t have access to how this kind of work actually happens. So we don’t understand the process for what it really is:
A mess.
My goal with this four-part series is NOT to help you avoid your mess. It’s an unavoidable and, in fact, indispensable part of your process. No, my goal isn’t to help you skip the mess. My goal is to help you approach your mess with more confidence and perhaps even more joy. Because really, it’s the mess that brings out your best. We shouldn’t hate it or dread it, and we definitely shouldn’t try to skip it or outsource it to a software tool. After 20 years, I can say very little with total certainty about creativity, but I’m confident enough to plant my flag for this truth:
It’s the mess that brings out your best.
It’s not a problem with you or your abilities. It’s not caused by your internal Maker Monsters of any kind, like writer’s block or imposter syndrome or perfectionism. The fact that your process feels messy isn’t a problem. It’s the work, and it’s in that messy work where you find the tiniest improvements and ideas—and the biggest breakthroughs. In the mess, you find your best. In the mess, you find yourself.
Welcome to MY mess—the mess of making my show, How Stories Happen.
May this series help you dance through the mud on your way to making things that matter.
Get the next one via email
About the creators
Founded by Kel Tracey, Arbez Films is a video marketing agency for creatives and entrepreneurs, committed to bringing your wildest dreams to the big screen, your socials, or wherever your audience hangs out. We partner with you to create videos that reflect the heart of your purpose, resonate with your people, and give you the freedom to keep building your legacy exactly how you envision it. Inquire about availability.
Jay Acunzo is a speaking and storytelling consultant helping business leaders differentiate easier and resonate deeper through the influence of their ideas, not the volume of their marketing. Each year, dozens of entrepreneurs, executives, and authors trust him to develop better messaging and craft their signature speeches, while brands like Mailchimp, Salesforce, Wistia, and GoDaddy turn to Jay for their most visible storytelling projects. Inquire about his speaking and consulting.
