Video Games Show Us the Way -- Habit

For the next several weeks, our Wednesday posts will focus on lessons learned from 18-year-old Kevin Birrell, a Grand Master at the exalted game of Tetris.  You can read all about Kevin and his accomplishment here.

We often think of the Creative Genius seated, alone, in his studio.  The lights are low, the curtains drawn tight against outside distractions.  No soul would dare to knock on the door because the Genius, if disturbed, will fly into a rage, lashing out at having his concentration and inspiration so disturbed.

In reality, no Creative (at least not any Creative who wants to be both successful and liked) does this.  Why?  Because for a good Creative, the act of creating has become instinctual, second nature, habitual.

I know many prolific composers.  One has over 800 pieces published, another has well above 2,000, written for pretty much every instrument and instrumental combination you can think of.  Do you really think these people got this successful by hiding away from society and praying to the muse to come down, working themselves into a creative lather, and chewing out anyone who breaks their concentration?  Of course not.  For them, creating is a habit.  It's something they do every day, rain or shine, not something they do when the "mood" takes them.

Think about eating (yes, I know this is far removed from video games, but go with it).  When you eat, how often do you contemplate how you hold your fork?  Or what angle to keep your wrist to get the spoon successfully to your mouth?  You don't -- it's a habit.

When a Creative is successful, when they have practiced their art enough, they don't need to delve deep into the dark recesses of their souls to find the ability to create; it's at the surface, near at hand because they use that ability all the time.  Think of great musicians, artists, poets, those that seem to just ooze talent at all times.  They've made their art a habit, something that is an integral part of them.

For a successful video game player, the idea is the same -- practice until the playing of the game becomes second nature, something you almost don't consciously have to think about.  In fact, if you read the article about Kevin Birrell, you'll find that he can play some pretty high-level Tetris while carrying on a conversation.  It's not that he's that naturally good -- it's that he's practiced that much that it's become habitual.

Most of us Creatives don't get huge swaths of uninterrupted time to work.  Don't get me wrong -- I love it when I can have three or four hours by myself to work (especially when I'm writing a novel).  How do I usually work?  I have twenty minutes between activities, or a half hour before I need to leave for work.  Right now, I'm writing this post while my son is next door asleep, and I pray that I can get it finished before he awakes and wants something.  And if that doesn't happen?  I set this aside, tend to my son, and come back when to finish when I'm able.  It doesn't take me an hour to "get into the groove" -- I just sit down and finish the post.

We talked two weeks ago about practice and its importance -- this is one of the goals: that whatever art you wish to create, its creation becomes so second nature that you can pick up and let off and pick right back up again with no problem ... that when you create your art, you don't have to worry about the how of making it and can just focus on the what of your current project. 

If you're not there yet, keep practicing -- you'll arrive sooner or later.  And when you do, you won't feel like you've reached the end, rather a new and wonderful beginning.