doing it different

Every so often I’ll go on a binge of TED and TEDx Talks.

I’m never really sad when I do, I’m just admitting it, in case it matters to anyone.

Recently, it’s led me to Taika Waititi’s TEDx Talk, which is called

The Art of Creativity

Sometimes I wonder who actually names these, because it doesn’t always seem like it’s the presenter. This is one such case.

Anyways, Taika has been getting a lot of press lately, even before winning an Academy Award. I’ll freely admit, I haven’t seen much of his stuff, though I’m more than interested now.

But man, this guy’s talk! To quote Wallace from Wallace and Gromit, “It’s like no cheese I’ve ever tasted.”

Most of the time, I’m wondering when he’ll get to the point and then I’m wondering if there is a point and then whether, perhaps that is the point.

In short, I loved it.

I loved just seeing a fellow creative go up there and be weird and unusual and quirky and unpredictable and, most importantly, nothing more than who he is.

I don’t know the guy personally, but I felt like I saw the real Taika up there on stage, not a man who was trying to wow an audience. I have a lot of respect for him because of that.

Sure, I do enjoy a good presentation. And really, I wouldn’t want every TED Talk to be in the same manner because that’s not typically what I’m looking to find in a TED Talk. Still, there was something striking about this one.

I think what hit me is that it’s exactly what I want to be doing and maybe even what we all should be doing to some degree: just giving the world a taste of our real, honest to goodness selves, not a polished up version—all while not caring a whif that it’s different, might be unappreciated, isn’t impressive, and is certainly not what is expected of us.

Alright, this post is becoming like a broken old roller coaster and going off the rails.

I suppose all I’m trying to say is, props to you Taika and to the rest of you fun and strange creative people out there who aren’t afraid of being yourselves, keep it up!

Even in literature and art, no man who bothers about originality will ever be original: whereas if you simply try to tell the truth (without caring twopence how often it has been told before) you will, nine times out of ten, become original without ever having noticed it.

-C. S. Lewis