Tim Ferriss, author of three bestselling books, creator of a top-ranked podcast, tv show, and business blog, knows a thing or two about shaking up an industry with creative solutions.
“Creativity being an asset that grows the more you use it, the more you spend, I think is a very interesting concept,” Ferriss says. He, more than most entrepreneurs, is someone who’s not afraid to regularly push his personal limits on the creative front.
His podcast, which started as merely an experiment two years ago, has rapidly ascended to the top of the iTunes charts for all business podcasts.
He’s consistently challenged well-established business norms by launching a book solely on Amazon and skipping the traditional publishing routes, to releasing his tv show, The Tim Ferriss Experiment exclusively on Apple’s iTunes store with astonishing results.
Ferriss credits much of his success to asking the right questions when others won’t and, “Seeking out and creating the absurd.” He continues, “I think that there’s so much absurdity in life, and as adults, we’ve inculcated ourselves to be very serious. And I think that’s kryptonite for creativity.”
That seriousness, Ferriss argues, is largely responsible for why many young entrepreneurs in particular, have such a difficult time thinking outside of the box and going against societal norms when it comes to identifying creative ways to approach a challenging problem.
I couldn’t agree more with this point Ferriss makes, because I’ve personally experienced that heavy burden of taking myself too seriously within my first business.
During my first job out of college, my side business at the time was devolving into a fiery inferno, largely because I spent a good amount of time and money on traditional marketing efforts that really didn’t fit my product. I was instead following conventional advice that’d make me appear to be a legitimate business, and in doing so, I relinquished much of the creative power that would’ve otherwise been my strongest asset.
Now, I consistently challenge myself to not only be better, but to be different than the rest of my peers. As Ferriss experienced for himself, my personal choice to embrace the creative practice of thoughtfully doing things differently, has rewarded me opportunities I never would’ve dreamed of just a few short years ago.
For more with Tim Ferriss on creativity, podcasting, goal-setting for maximum success and much more, watch the hour-long interview over on 30 Days of Genius right here on CreativeLive.
