A Better Place

Conflict: most of us hate it and will do almost anything to avoid it.

But the truth is, conflict -- struggle and desperation and the dark side of life -- is where creativity lives for many of us.

If you want to connect with listeners on an emotional level (which is the only place I think you can connect), I think you're going to have to learn to be comfortable with feeling uncomfortable.

You're getting closer when you find yourself wondering:

• Am I sharing too much?
• Will this bring people down?
• Won't this make people dislike me?

It's the hard stuff you've been through that makes you relatable, because there's not a human alive who hasn't gone through hard stuff at some point.

I'm not suggesting you whine and moan about your life every time you turn on the mic.

Hope and perseverance are the flip side of conflict. They offer proof of better times ahead.

But you're probably not going to produce anything worth remembering if you're not passionate about it, and passion fuels conflict.

This is especially true in team shows.

If you're the PD, it's your instincts for resolving conflicts within the team while not completely restraining it that will lead to their best work.

Discord, outright arguing, is always preferable to apathy.

Care enough to fight for your ideas.

Care enough to push yourself and those around you out of their comfort zones.

I think you'll find that the less complacent and passive you are, the more creative you will become.