Hi! Welcome to the 4 CreativeWheels newsletter — your weekly dose of insights on creativity and fuel for your creative journey.

It’s Week #13! So that means it has been 91 days since 4CW started. And these days have been wonderful. Hopefully, this journey with you will keep on going.

In this weekly part of the journey, we’ll explore how being like a telescope is great for us and essential for our ideas.

Without further ado…

Let’s start the ride!

Main Wheel

Have you ever been so concentrated on something that you fell in love with the thing?

I have. I’d admit, I have been in there so many times. It happens whenever I’m in the creative process. When I go from observation, and ideation, to execution.

To me, that focus is just as beautiful as the strings of sunlight that travel through the window to signal a new day. However, I’ve noticed it’s not so talked about.

There are so many pieces about how to generate ideas. Many articles are about how to find the good ideas. However, not many speak about the focus required for ideas to become bright. The concentration that helps creatives perfect their ideas and have more creativity.

It’s an essential aspect of the creative process. I’d argue without it, the creative process cannot start well. It cannot develop into what it’s meant to be.

And what better way to show the importance of having focus for creativity than using our friend the telescope as an example?

So, let's talk about the telescope. We all know what is a telescope, at least most of us. We all know what it's used for and its qualities. And we all know its exquisite form.

But how does it work? Well, the telescope uses a large curved surface, either a mirror (in reflecting telescopes) or a lens (in refracting telescopes), called the objective lens or primary mirror.

This surface acts like a giant light collector, gathering as much light as possible from the distant celestial bodies we're trying to observe. The larger the diameter of this objective lens or mirror, the more light it can gather and the fainter the objects you can see.

The collected light is then focused to a point by the telescope's design. In refracting telescopes, the objective lens bends the light rays to bring them together at a focal point. In reflecting telescopes, the primary mirror reflects the light to a secondary mirror, which then directs it to the eyepiece.

Finally, the eyepiece acts like a magnifying glass, taking the focused light and enlarging it to create a magnified image that you can see through the telescope.

In brief, the telescope works by collecting and focusing light from distant objects, and magnifying them so we can see them. By doing so, the telescope allows us to see stars, planets, galaxies, and other celestial bodies in much greater detail than with the naked eye.

Hence, the telescope’s main power is ultimate focus. Without this ability, the telescope wouldn’t be special. It wouldn’t be cool to have a telescope. It would just be another magnifying glass.

Similarly, sometimes creatives prefer to act as magnifying glasses. We try to generate ideas. Then when we generate those ideas, we only seek to see them clearly in the short term. We don’t go deeper. We move from one idea to another without truly understanding any.

It’s detrimental because you could have many ideas. You could have several things to work on. Yet, you’ll not take them far. Or you’ll even be unable to develop them. And that’s where the importance of being like a telescope lies.

When you behave like a telescope, you know that focus can be a great ability. You recognize the importance of focus. With that in mind, you’ll lean on choosing an idea, diving into it, and working on it with undivided attention.

Therefore, don't try to work on all your ideas at the same time. The telescope cannot work properly if it were to focus on every star in the universe. It solely focuses on what you direct it to.

Likewise, you have to concentrate on one or maybe two ideas so that your mind can be as creative as possible. By doing so, you direct your mind to develop those ideas to the fullest.

Yes, it's okay to have multiple ideas in distinct areas. That's the ship I'm in. I have a few ideas to write, some others to draw, a few to musically produce, others to design, and so on. However, I have to canalize my focus for my ideas' sake and my own.

This does not mean that when we do act like a telescope, we'll forsake or forget about the other ideas. Just like the stars in the universe, your ideas will stay there. The focus might not be on them; still, they'll keep existing.

One thing you could do to ensure their existence is to write them down, just the gist of them. So that when you are done working on the focused ideas, you can go and choose from your other stars.

And they also will be happy. They’ll be glad that you're giving them the appropriate attention and time. It's a win-win situation for everyone.

You'll be more concentrated and capable when working, your creativity will be soaring, and your ideas will be executed with care. You'll be able to see each idea with all its splendor and flaws. You'll discern the places you should zoom in or out. The areas where you could choose a different angle to capture the idea well.

The more you give great attention to your chosen ideas, the more you'll see them shine through the long distance of ideation to completion.

They could be far from what you had in your mind. Yet, you'll realize how great is their potential. And that will motivate you even more to work on them.

The great news is you and I don’t have to possess a long neck and big eyes. We can be like a telescope without those features. All we need to do is to act like it.

We need to see the importance of focusing on ideas. The results are more creativity and greater execution of our ideas. And you’ll be in awe of what you’ve created.

So, let’s have the focus to shoot our stars.

Inspiring Wheels

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

• "The Misleading Finale of Whiplash" - evanonline | A wonderful breakdown of the ending of one of my favorite movies, Whiplash. The speaker gave an interesting and reflective take on the place of abusive coaching/leadership when it brings results.

• "The Greatest Video Essay in the World" - Polyphonic | A creative and so-well-written reflection on the pursuit of greatness and what is actually greatness in the creative and art space. Using the song “Tribute“ by Tenacious D as an analogy, the speaker argues that our greatness is in and only comes from our dedication to creating and not in the pursuit of greatness. For, just like perfection, pure greatness is unattainable. The greatest creative works are tributes to greatness. There is much more to unpack from the video. It’s a wonderful video all creatives should watch at least once.

Want to share this issue of 4CW with a friend, colleague,… any human being? Just copy and paste this link: https://4creativewheels.beehiiv.com/p/june-6-2024 😉 😃

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.

Want to work with me? Contact me here