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Week #29! Only one week before we reach our 30th issue! The second week of 2025 and we’re still rolling. And the journey will keep on being enjoyable and wonderful. Looking forward to the future!

Sometimes we lack ideas but have something in mind. That thing in mind might be cliche or obvious to the general population. So, we forget about it.

In this week’s issue, we will discuss how to use the obvious properly or glamorously for good impact.

Without further ado…

Let’s start the ride!

Main Wheel

Have you ever heard a song and been inspired by the message? Have you ever watched a movie and been impacted by a scene? And in both instances, the moments expressed something you've heard over and over again yet it hit differently. We all have experienced it. This happens when the creative glamorizes the obvious.

Most of what is obvious is often true. That truth participates in making the obvious evident. Hence, it becomes easily repeatable. And this ease renders using the obvious for impact less desirable. That is why most creatives refrain from taking the obvious.

However, as you've experienced, not all creatives avoid the obvious. Some of them embrace it and produce wonderful things. But how do they succeed at creating an impact despite the familiarity that comes with the obvious? How can you and I do the same?

Such creatives don't dismantle the obvious from their core idea. They also don't shy away from how plain it can be. They glamorize the obvious for what they see it to be.

To glamorize the obvious is to take what you've heard before and give it a distinct light from a new angle. You don't have to change it. You have to envelop it with the perspective that will be the most helpful to the senses of your audience, even when you are your audience. There are 4 steps to achieve this feat.

1. Know what is the obvious

Here is where many fail to glamorize the obvious. They confuse the most recognizable part with the part that is truly the obvious. It's the most obvious part that needs the light from a new angle and not the other parts. So, when this confusion occurs, it makes the process unfruitful.

For instance, to become a hero, you have to go through trials and triumph over them. The obvious part is the necessity of trials. Yes, when we think of a hero, we see victory. It feels better when they do triumph. However, a hero can be a hero even with a defeat. And a hero cannot be a hero without challenges to overcome.

So, some creatives would put their character in trials they would triumph and expect the audience to see the character as a hero. The triumph is not where the truth of the obvious abides. It is in the trials. It's in the how the hero goes through trials and potentially overcomes them that the audience can be impacted.

It's funny there is a repeated "Duh!" voice that comes to me as I write this. Yet, as clear as knowing what the obvious is, creatives still fail to do so often. They fail to to ask themselves this simple question, "Is this the obvious? Will the obvious be true without this?" From the answer, you get the foundation to build the beautiful and meaningful.

2. Delve into the attributes

You already know the obvious. However, as for everything in life, there is more below the tip of the iceberg. You'll have to be an investigator. You'll have to be more inquisitive and curious than a little child. In this step, you ought to uncover the details surrounding the obvious.

You know the obvious and what is true about it. However, knowing that will not be sufficient for the process. You will have to know and understand why it is true. What are the experiences that make it true? Additionally, are there any other obvious which make this obvious untrue? Are there instances that challenge this obvious?

Back to our first example, to become a hero, you have to go through trials and triumph over them. The obvious part is the necessity of trials. The victory obtained from the trials can be pleasant. However, a hero can be a hero even with a defeat. And a hero cannot be a hero without tribulations to prevail.

Why is it true? It is because the trials shape the hero. The trials require bravery from the hero's part. It makes the person special as not everyone will take the leap toward the trials. Not everyone has the courage to face challenges. The ones who do so have a heroic sense. Thus, they are or become heroes.

The experiences that make it true are life. We can use the classic example of a burning house. If there is a burning house and a toddler is stuck inside, the person that goes back in the house to save the child is a hero. And even if they don't come out safe and sound, the person will still have the hero label. Why? Because the person did the right thing, in an uncertain and unsafe situation, at a time when nobody else would.

It is rare that a person or character is called hero without the challenges. Perhaps they are called hero because of their potential or innate prowess. And even in that, there were trials which occured for that potential or prowess to exist. The person themselves or their parents or ancestors had to go through challenges to acquire those qualities.

The trials are the obvious for a hero. The attributes such as bravery, uncertainty, risk, insecurity, development, hope, journey, and danger make this obvious what it is. They create the truth and layers to it. And by diving into these attributes, you can give this obvious a distinct light from a new angle. You can dig deeper into uncertainty or hope. There is no limit.

The attributes are crucial parts of glamorizing the obvious. They help you see the obvious as ingredients which you can derive your idea from. Moreover, when you delve into the attributes, it's easier to realize where you can go with the obvious.

3. Reflect on who you want to impact the most

You now know the obvious, know what makes it true, why it is true, and its attributes. However, in this third step, we will forget about the obvious. Just a little pause. In this step, you will reflect on your audience. Specifically, you'll reflect on who you want to impact the most.

You can have an audience of varied types of people. They might share a common trait. There would be groups of people who, between themselves, share a certain characteristic. And the more specific you go, the smaller the groups become. The aim is to have a very small pool. Ideally, the pool can be of only one individual.

The reason behind this elimination is to better find the precise details to use for the process. The more specific you go, the richer the details you find.

The films Rango and Spiderman: Into the Spiderverse share great similarities. The two protagonists wrestle with their identities. They both are unsure of themselves. They both embark on unfamiliar territories. However, one person can relate more to Rango and another to Miles Morales. And the reason for that is the distinctions between the two stories.

Different people will be impacted by different subjects and themes. Human beings are nuanced creatures. Even though we can be simple, in our simplicity lies complex nodes of experiences and preferences. One thing might work for me, but not for my neighbor.

This is why you need to concentrate on the individual. It will help you pick up the lenses necessary for glamorizing the obvious. Who is the person you want to have their mouth wide open when they see your work? Who is the person you want to see rise up and change something in their lives?

What does this person love? Why does this person love what they love? What does the person appreciate? Can you give it to them? If you know who you want to impact the most, you're good to go for the next step.

4. Highlight the details from step 2 for your reflected audience

This is the final step. This is where the magic happens and the sauce is prepared to completion. It's the part where you will take everything you've gathered. The part where the obvious takes a new form.

We've been talking about how to glamorize the obvious. We saw that we need to know what is the obvious, delve into its attributes, and reflect on who we want to impact the most. And now, we will bind them together.

In this final step, you will take the details you have found in step 2. There were probably many. There were multiple attributes you have found that make the obvious what it is. You will also take what you have found out about your reflected audience. The details that appeal the most to your audience.

Among the attributes from the obvious, find and connect those that are bound to your audience's interests, likes, and experiences. As you do so, you maintain the obvious in the picture. Still, your depiction of the obvious will not be plain. If you do the job well, the obvious will be in a distinct light from a new angle with its core truth. And that is a recipe for good impact.

Let's say your obvious is to discover who you are meant to be through actions. You found the attributes of identity and courage in this obvious. For the details around your audience, it wonders the question "Who am I?" They have been feeling a lack of direction. Sometimes they feel like they are playing roles in their lives. Among their preferences, they like action-packed movies especially Western ones.

The modified obvious is that people can be whoever they desire, let their actions define their path, and can walk toward it even if they feel like imposters. Based on the audience's interests, likes, and experiences, a film such as Rango glamorizes this obvious. The film helps remind the audience what is necessary, how to answer the questions they have about themselves, and what actions to take moving forward.

If you were to simply tell the audience, "Go take actions, go for what you want, and you will find who you are meant to be," they would have not been moved. Give the audience Rango, and they will be happy and inspired to change.

It applies to all audiences. Find the attributes from the obvious that attach well to the details from your audience, and highlight those parts as you turn the cliche into a wonderful idea. That is glamorizing the obvious.

This process of glamorizing the obvious works for any medium and place of creation. It is not limited to the creative of creative endeavors. However, it only works when you truly mean it or when you're such a great manipulator. But as always, sincerity reigns in the long term. So, it's better when you want to communicate an obvious for an aim you actually desire.

It doesn't have to be social or big-picture. You can glamorize the obvious of wearing short pants on hot days to 14-year-olds who love the Dallas Mavericks and love to skate so they could buy your clothes. It's nothing too grand, but it’s still effective.

So, what is the obvious you have in mind? Within it might be a hidden amazing idea only you can discover.

Inspiring Wheels

Here are two (or more) creative works that you’ll not regret checking out:

• "How 3 words created a masterpiece" - InCinematic | A great, well-done, and creative video on the story of the making of the classic film "The Lion King" and how "it's an experiment" made it to be the wonderful movie we all remember.

• "All My Dreams Became Memories" - Natalie Lynn | If you've ever watched a Natalie Lyn film, you've probably fell upon one of her "Borderless" episodes. "Borderless" is one of the best series on YouTube. There, Natalie showed and demonstrated how creative and good she is as a filmmaker. And in this amazing film, she reflects on her experience with "Borderless" and the afermath. It's worth the watch.

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Thank you so much for reading! 

As always, feel free to reply to this email & share your thoughts, stories, and any experience related to this topic. I’d love to hear them!  

C ya next Week! 

Embracing Creativity™,

Richard M.

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