You Might Want to Try Being Less Creative

Bryant recounts joining a jam session with a friend, Jon, and discovering that relentless pursuit of originality had long blocked his creative progress. They began by finding a shared sense of flow and a simple hook - “It all just falls away” - then deliberately borrowed and recombined elements from existing songs: matching tempos, adopting chord progressions, turning a guitar riff into a vocal rhythm, lifting drum loops, and sketching many rough ideas rather than polishing any single part. Treating sketches as demos allowed rapid experimentation - trying multiple melodies, keeping what worked, discarding the rest - and reframed creativity from a scarce resource to an abundant process.

That hands-on session delivered a broader lesson: constraints and selective borrowing free energy for the choices that truly matter. Reusing familiar structures doesn’t steal voice; it creates a framework where distinct expression can live. Bryant connects this to patterns he’s seen in software and startups, where fetishizing custom reinvention or requiring miracles signals trouble. The practical takeaway is to focus creative effort where it moves the work, accept mediocrity as part of iteration, and learn from practitioners by shadowing them - he’s doing that and invites others to let him tag along.