Study the greats
““If I have seen further it is only by standing on the shoulders of giants.””
Quentin Tarantino is one of the world’s most famous movie directors.
Throughout his three-plus-decades-long career, he has won two Oscars and countless other awards.
Before he became successful in Hollywood, Tarantino worked in a video rental store in Manhattan Beach, California.
He loved the job because when he wasn’t serving customers, he was able to indulge in his favourite pastime: watching movies.
He would devour one movie after another, making mental notes of particularly great scenes or interesting techniques.
In doing so, he was educating himself on the art of filmmaking.
By studying the work of the best directors, he was building up a wealth of knowledge that would be fundamental to his later success.
Dig deep enough into the back story of successful creators and you will find the same thing: they built their work on the foundation of their predecessors.
Picasso built on the art of Paul Cézanne.
Hunter S. Thompson studied the writing of Ernest Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald.
David Bowie was influenced by the music of Elvis Presley, Little Richard and others.
In developing your creativity, don’t be ashamed to build on the ideas of those you admire.
Study their work, read their biographies and listen to any interviews with them.
Take advantage of their knowledge to shape your style.
