# The creations we make Creations aren't merely beautiful things, and include anything where we add [quality](values-quality.md) to something: - Adding value to an eyewitness account with a recorded video. - Adding value to information in a spreadsheet by compiling a report. - Adding value to a [friendship](people-friends.md) by giving a gift. - Adding value to [understanding](understanding.md) by using [science](science.md) or [philosophy](philosophy.md) - Adding value to a [human connection](people-friends.md) by making an [agreement](people-contracts.md) or settling a [conflict](people-conflicts.md). We always add what we *[perceive](image.md)* as value. According to others' [perceptions](image.md), the value-adding may or may not be [legitimate](reality.md), or it may be *more* than others can interpret. APPLICATION: Even anal-retentive [bureaucrats](bureaucracy.md) and obsessive hobbyists are adding what they imagine is value. The only way to [influence](influence.md) them is to treat their contributions as important (even when they aren't). Most creations are expressed through a medium or media, but it's not always physical: - Adding worth to an idea by simplifying it for yourself. - Studying creates and intensifies [new neural connections](mind-memory.md). - [Philosophers](philosophy.md) work almost exclusively with ideas. - Every [creator](mind-creativity.md) across any medium, ranging from music to visual art to [computer programs](computers-software.md), must build at least a prototype of something in their mind *long* before it becomes [external reality](reality.md). All things we call [work](success-4_routine.md) are creating in some way, and it's necessary for living a [good](goodlife.md) and [meaningful](meaning.md) life. Without creating anything, we'll become frustrated and unhappy with the world around us. We only create because we [believe](understanding-certainty.md) the creation will fulfill a future [purpose](purpose.md), and we can usually [imagine](imagination.md) its [results](results.md). ## Purpose When people create, they are either [imagining](imagination.md) it first or acting from [habit](habits.md), and they're *always* drawing from the [world around them](reality.md). Sadly, while some creators are taking [social risks](socialrisk.md) to explore truths, most of them are imitating other creators for the purpose of self-interested [reputation](image.md) or [wealth](power-types.md). Creations that aren't designed for a specific need are typically either tools or media, and are always designed for present-tense or future-tense use. The longer that we [imagine](imagination.md) a creation in our minds, the higher and more grandiose we imagine its created value will be when it becomes [reality](reality.md). Broadly speaking, across [societies](groups-large.md), people use a few major [angles](image.md) that refine [chaos](unknown.md) into [meaning](meaning.md). The creators' efforts funnel into an approximate [trend](trends.md) derived from how much [understanding](understanding.md) they have of the subject: 1. [Art](art.md) - grabbing from the [unknown](unknown.md) and making clearly understood [stories](stories.md) that capture the [human condition](humanity.md). 2. [Science](science.md) - understanding [facts](reality.md) extracted from those stories. 3. [Engineering/Inventing](engineering.md) - using scientific facts to create [technological](technology.md) answers to [problems](purpose.md). 4. Pioneering - taking [risks](socialrisk.md) to build order from [chaos](unknown.md) using [known-working](understanding-certainty.md) solutions. 5. Improving - becoming more effective at accomplishing known [purposes](purpose.md), which includes [fixing things that break](https://adequate.life/fix/). 6. Maintaining - letting [habits](habits.md) (or [automation](technology.md)) create things repetitively. ### Tools The value of a tool lies both in how many perceived [purposes](purpose.md) it could theoretically solve and in how strong those purposes achieve [expected results](results.md). General tools (like a crescent wrench) are valuable in many applications, while specialized tools (like an oil filter wrench) are more often than not completely useless for most things, and *very* valuable when they're needed. We try to find the best tools for the task. A hammer can pound things better, but a screwdriver is better at piercing. There's no such thing as a "best" thing because "best" is tied to the [purpose](purpose.md) we're trying to use it for. Every tool's [purpose](purpose.md) represents something like a vitamin, pill, or candy: - Vitamins are solutions to mandatory, [routine](habits.md) needs and wants, such as [housekeeping](home-housekeeping.md), [budgeting](money-3_budget.md), [culinary arts](cooking.md), and [groceries](cooking-shelflife.md). - Pills are solutions to mandatory, unusual needs and wants that almost always require a clear [decision](people-decisions.md), such as repair work or surgery. - Candy are solutions to non-mandatory, [fun](purpose.md) things we don't need, such as video games or recreational reading. As we gain [understanding](understanding.md) in our preferred [specializations](jobs-specialization.md), we tend to accumulate things that are more specific and less general. A professional mechanic, for example, will use their wrench set (and oil filter wrench) *far* more than their crescent wrench. Creations can often be tools designed to make *other* tools, usually based on a philosophical framework. [Computer technology](technology.md), for example, is a [logic-based](logic.md) tool designed to magnify someone else's [purposes](purpose.md). Practical information is an [understanding-based](understanding.md) tool. When we have other people do things for us (i.e., all forms of [management](mgmt-1_why.md), that person can easily be thought of as a "tool" towards the purposes we have directed them toward. ### Media Most other creations are a medium of communication. It may have a long-term purpose (like a written work or an accounting report) or short-term (like a text message or [speaking with someone](people-conversation.md)). There are many varieties: - Spoken and nonverbal [language](language.md) - [Humor](humor.md) - [Written](language-writing.md) works like [stories](stories.md) - Visual works like paintings, sculptures, and film - Performances like plays, music dancing, and orchestras - Practical designs like a cell phone case or [automobile](autos.md) - Large-scale endeavors like architectural projects or a [social movement](trends.md) - Social space designs like architecture or interior design. - Answers to complex [problems](purpose.md). A creation's [quality](values-quality.md) in expressing [the human experience](humanity.md) is also known as "[art](art.md)". In that sense, *all* things made by people in any capacity are somehow forms of art. Their [story](stories.md) may drill down into small text messages or encapsulate a person's entire life, and they are subject to the rules of how [quality](values-quality.md) works (the most prominent being that most of the instances of that thing aren't particularly good). Every creator is trying to [convince](influence.md) a series of [ideas](values.md) with their creation. They may give specific context or add details to communicate their point. APPLICATION: Since a creator built from their [instincts](mind-feelings.md), we can frequently infer the spirit and soul of something if we trust our instincts (which are similar enough to others' to [match](humanity-universals.md)). Even automated [technology](technology.md) has a creator's "fingerprint", though it'll be on the backend and deep inside it instead of what the technology itself creates. Media has a specific [purpose](purpose.md), not only for creators, but also for consumers. Consumers are usually trying to find [connection](people-friends.md) with others' [stories](stories.md) to [understand](understanding.md) how those people [reasoned](logic.md) and whether it gave them [the good life](goodlife.md). At the end of the story, we [decide](people-decisions.md) how to add the experience to our [identity](identity.md). APPLICATION: The trouble with modern art is that it often claims that the interpretation of [quality](values-quality.md) lies in the observer and not the piece itself. If that's the case, there's no [reason](purpose.md) to go to an art museum when someone can build a sandcastle with their kids or watch dumb videos. If you're consuming something, the creator of that thing is [influencing](influence.md) you. Even dry textbooks or entertaining little things are designed to [change you](people-changes.md). Otherwise, you'd forget them and not care, and they wouldn't have any [influence](power-types.md) to distribute it. APPLICATION: Beyond appreciating creations, we can find a tremendous amount of [purpose](purpose.md) in [understanding](understanding.md) *why* those people created something. In the case of fiction, which is essentially [imagination](imagination.md) by adding/removing existing rules from [reality](reality.md), consumers have an unspoken contract with the creators: they'll accept that the creator is breaking the rules if they can [amuse them](mind-feelings-surprise.md) (e.g., time travel, a person existing in history who actually didn't). Failure to amuse often irritates the consumer because it wasn't a reciprocal [agreement](people-contracts.md). ### Future use For nearly everything else that isn't a tool or communication, it's a stockpile or a decoration, which are both future-tense. It's either a useful tool/communication at some indeterminate point in the future or communicating an [image](image.md) the owner wants to express. APPLICATION: If someone imagines something as "the best", consider what they're using it for. The best of anything might be the cheapest or worst-quality if it's disposable or intended for [humor](humor.md)! ### Hacks One of the most profound creations is a "hack". By using something beyond its originally designated or [culturally acceptable](people-culture.md) [purpose](purpose.md), someone can use a familiar object outside its expected area: - [Altering computer code](hacking.md) to make software run differently than it was originally designed. - Using a screwdriver to hold open a door. - Using common office supplies to secure an object. - Finding the easiest way [to learn something](understanding.md). - Using others' interpreted [statuses](image.md) to climb to the top of a [group](groups-member.md). The natural result of most significant hacks is that they're a tremendous [social risk](socialrisk.md). Compared to [what they can gain from it](power.md), most hackers either don't [know](understanding.md) or don't [care](purpose.md). ## Design All creations are inspired remixes of other things, and [high-quality](values-quality.md) creations copy and remix the best attributes of what they reference. Therefore, *all* creativity is the combination of two or more things, with at least one of them being what they're focusing on and the rest being pulled from unconscious [symbolic](symbols.md) association. APPLICATION: Each person creates out of their own unique soul, so imitating another person will never quite work correctly. It's more productive to work with your preferred style while [imitating](mind-creativity.md) the parts of that person's [actions that work](results.md). APPLICATION: Even fools will sometimes absorb something wise, which is why wisdom exists even in the most childish, petty, and inane creations. [Specific rules constitute good design](engineering-design.md), which are practically non-negotiable because they tie closely to the [universal qualities of humanity](humanity-universals.md). APPLICATION: Exploring truths is such a high risk that artists can't afford to be fragile. They must be durable enough to brave [the unknown](unknown.md) and the very high chance of failure. When we [imagine](imagination.md) what we [want](purpose.md) to build, we summon [beauty](values-quality.md) as we [understand](understanding.md) it. However, we tend to forget our sources and smash multiple elements together as we imagine and manipulate them. In the process, the creation's "mold" is an [image](image.md) of our [soul](humanity.md). The ability for someone to build a seemingly new thing is a product of their [soul's](humanity.md) ability to connect unrelated elements. But, since it's borrowing from nature, none of it is technically "[new](image.md)". It's more that nobody noticed where they borrowed it from, often because the creator skillfully hid their sources. Usually, a created thing will be the foundation for other things by future creators. In retrospect, that creation will become "quaint" (e.g., a tired trope). However, the higher-quality work by later creators *needed* the lesser thing as the foundation for their existence. APPLICATION: The traditions and tropes revolving around a craft are often necessary, and problems arise when removing them simply because we don't understand why they do it (i.e., "[Chesterton's Fence](lawsaxioms.md)"). We create at a speed proportional to how much we [believe](understanding-certainty.md) the creation will create [desirable results](results.md). On larger projects, this means we work faster near the beginning (since we don't [understand](understanding.md) how much work the project will require) and near the end (since we can see the entire project coming together). APPLICATION: It's critical, when we're ever creating things of value, to consume the right things. We tend not to discriminate between quality when recalling, so consuming bad-quality things will yield inferior work than if we'd consumed [high-quality](values-quality.md) things. ## Limits [Brilliance](imagination.md) typically comes through limits the creator must confront. First, all creative works have inherent limits: - The creator's capacity to create, which is limited by their [human](humanity.md) constraints, [understanding](understanding.md), and [personality](personality.md) - The audience's attention span for consumption. - The possible things the creator can express or how long it would take for them to communicate it. - The other media that may have already done something before, or the fact that *no* other media has! All media is a commentary of other media. We often imagine the "classics" to be original, but we usually don't see the unoriginal elements that existed in the context where they *weren't* original. For example, historical documents and a historian's textbook of historical documents are equally [anecdotal](stories.md), but from different eras. Each media also has its own special limits: - Written and spoken words are limited by [language](language.md) constraints, along with (until recently) the budget for paper and [marketing](marketing.md) considerations. - Images are limited by the colors our brains can process, as well as a lack of context beyond the frame. - Music is limited by the human ear's ability to distinguish sound, as well as certain [cultural expectations](people-culture.md). - Collaborative works, like movies and video games, possess all the strengths and weaknesses of multiple media simultaneously. The fact that nothing is "new" is also a type of constraint: 1. We can only create from the basis of what we [perceive](understanding.md), so all creations fit into a finite range. 2. Further, creations must conform to how our [human universals](humanity-universals.md) define them. 3. We face a limit to how many high-quality, memorable things we can make, especially after a [trend](trends.md) has matured. 4. The constraints become even harsher if we bring [intellectual property rights](legal-ip.md) into it. Most creators are [determined](purpose.md) to [accomplish](results.md) through those limits: - Some of the most brilliant books and movies were made on a *very* limited budget or time schedule. - The Sistine Chapel required a *ton* of elaborate artwork, but on a ceiling. - Uber converted anyone with a car into a taxi driver. - Netflix was tape rentals, but digitally streaming. The limitations often define the work itself. [Beautiful](values-quality.md) things arise from our ability to overcome the [inner conflicts](conflicts-inner.md) of our creation not quite looking like what we [envision](imagination.md) it to be. Naturally, those limits go away with [technological developments](technology.md): - Capturing visual sensations through photos and videos. - Capturing audio as digital [symbols](symbols.md) for disassembly and reconstruction. - Sending [language](language.md) across long distances. APPLICATION: Brilliance operates against limits, so followup creations *can't* capture the original sensation of the original. Movie, book, and game sequels all try to evoke the [feeling](mind-feelings.md) of the original, but always lack the intensity of their predecessor because they weren't created with the [inner conflicts](conflicts-inner.md) or context that surrounded it. Usually, there's a [creative](mind-creativity.md) person in the right place at the right time (like Shakespeare, Bach, or Charlie Chaplin) who can take advantage of the new technology to make a [permanent reputation](legacy.md) for themselves. If creators are confronting [cultural tradition](people-culture.md), they may start a [far-reaching trend](trends.md). APPLICATION: Don't disrespect early [trendsetters](trends.md). They didn't have the pre-existing [understanding](understanding.md) of the finished creation that you, the current observer, possess. Creations always take more [work](results.md) and [risk](socialrisk.md) than they [appear](image.md) to. ## The creation's image The people who consume a designed thing *always* come into the experience with [preconceived notions](mind-bias.md) of what to [expect](imagination.md). The [brilliance](mind-creativity.md) of the creator comes heavily in how much they know this and adapt to it. APPLICATION: If we take the time to create things ourselves (instead of merely consuming), we find more [meaning](meaning.md) in absolutely everything we touch, *if* we can [succeed](results.md) at it. It often comes with added [skills](habits.md) and [understanding](understanding.md) as well. The elegance and quality of a creative work come in how well the creator can hide the garbage-looking parts of the thing while maintaining the complexity of the thing itself. Hiding weld points, plastic seams, excess inventory in a store, or [technologies](technology.md) available but rarely used in an operating system all increase the value of those things by maintaining a high-quality [image](image.md). For the sake of gaining [influence](influence.md) or [power](power.md), creators *frequently* try to [distort](image-distortion.md) how [high-quality](values-quality.md) their creation appears, often by imitating or [marketing](marketing.md) tricks. APPLICATION: We could probably measure the quality of a creation by how many awful imitators try to shortcut [the process](mind-creativity-how.md) with bad copies! APPLICATION: Nothing is really new, so people don't tend to spend much money for values contained in media, and creators can't legally [patent most creative works](legal-ip.md). Instead, a creator must [sell their creation](socialrisk.md) by either generating enough [popular demand](economics.md) to make plenty of extra money or by setting constraints on the physical media that contains the ideas. The creation, after it's been created, tends to create a fan base, which is a [group](groups-member.md) that reflects the [values](values.md) of the created work, complete with [traditions](people-culture.md), [symbols](symbols.md), and [statuses](image.md). Occasionally, the fans can run with that idea *much* farther than the creator of the idea (often verging into a type of [religion](religion.md)), especially after the creator has [died](legacy.md) and can't communicate their [original vision](understanding-certainty.md) anymore. The fan base of a media can occasionally have enough [powerful](power.md) people in positions of authority who favor it. When *that* happens, the media itself becomes a pillar of society: - Purchasing media for playback at [will](purpose.md). - Texts and dialogues that influence or become [law](people-rules.md). - [Religious](religion.md) texts that were potentially inspired by a deity. - Nostalgic association with [familiar](habits.md) things from the past. ## Recollection After enough time, we've [matured](maturity.md) since we last consumed a creation. We tend to [feel](mind-feelings.md) "nostalgia" from the past as being inherently simpler for several reasons: 1. We don't remember many details of the past's [reality](reality.md), but know more now. 2. Our [understanding](understanding.md) has grown to include many more nuances of reality. 3. [Technology](technology.md) has likely improved, which created more [specializations](jobs-spcialization.md). A creator will often find more [meaning](meaning.md) in their creation than anyone else around them, many times to the point of [over-valuing it](mind-bias.md). It doesn't mean others *won't* find [value](purpose.md) in it, but they'll never be as closely [associated](identity.md) with it as the person who [sacrificed](people-love.md) for it, including [groups](groups-large.md) who [carry on](legacy.md) the creation (e.g., sequels, spinoff works). APPLICATION: We can frequently form a [bias](image.md) toward creators and give grace for bad creations. The best way to fight this is to remove our association with that creator or their other creations while judging a work.