“Beginnings are usually scary, and endings are usually sad, but it’s everything in between that makes it all worth living.”—Bob Marley
BRYAN CRANSTON
When I researched persistent creators, the famous American actor Bryan Cranston of Malcolm in the Middle and Breaking Bad stood out. In his memoir, A Life in Parts, he talked about his dissatisfaction with his creative life early in his career. He hustled from audition to audition, making a steady living but felt stuck. A lot of his feelings stemmed from a place of unfulfilled expectations. This is one of the main problems with an excessively goal-oriented approach to creativity. He would set his mind to a goal, such as getting an acting gig, scoring a temporary contract, or earning a specific amount of money. Then, whenever he didn’t meet those goals, it would leave him with resentment that chipped at his motivation to pursue his creative dreams.
At a pivotal moment in his career, his mentor, Breck Costin, suggested that Bryan make a small change in how he approached his creative journey. He told Bryan to switch his attention from focusing on goals to focusing on the creative process. This seemingly minor shift in focus hugely impacted Bryan’s creative life. He learned that when a creator lets go of their attachment to the results of their actions, they find joy in the action itself. The expectations and need for validation stemming from excessive goals disappeared. He found himself able to relax and be fully present wherever he was. Serenity and freedom replaced his endless urge to succeed. Bryan wrote, “Once I made the switch, I had power in any room I walked into. Which meant I could relax. I was free.”
He learned a valuable lesson about creative genius: Focus on the process. After this switch, he managed to land a major role in the three-time Emmy-nominated series Malcolm in the Middle. He later starred in one of my favorite series, Breaking Bad, winning him four Emmys.
LOCUS OF CONTROL
Psychologist Julian Rotter explained this facet of human behavior with his theory called Locus of Control. Locus of Control (LOC) is the amount of control people feel they have over the events influencing their lives. He described it as a spectrum with one end representing an internal LOC and the other being external. People with a more internal LOC derive inspiration to act from within themselves. They perceive themselves as having the ability to create positive changes in their lives and associate their successes or failures with their own choices. On the other hand, people favoring a more external LOC often see themselves as powerless. They attribute the flow of their lives to forces beyond their control, whether it is luck, systems, or people more powerful than them. According to Rotter, when people with an internal LOC succeed, they attribute their success to their abilities. If they fail, they blame it on a lack of sufficient effort on their part. People with an external LOC tend to associate their successes with their tasks being easy while blaming their failures on bad luck.