Second acts go in different directions. Small business owner, author, volunteer. The list is endless. Then there's the arts. From time to time, I meet people who gave up some sort of creative work as a young person choosing a more stable career. Now, 30 or 40 years later they revisit the first choice. Should they try it again? Is the passion still there? Are they still the same creative person they once were?

What constitutes a true creative person? There's one theory that says people are born creative and that it just needs nurturing. Others say it can be taught. There's a third theory that believes everyone is creative given time and passion.

Kirby Ferguson has some interesting videos on Vimeo. Mostly on creativity. The process of getting there. He's a believer in the third theory. Creativity is a mix of hard work, luck and also using idea's from others. Yes, taking ideas from others and tinker. He starts his third installment of his four part series called  "Everything is a Remix." with these words;

"The act of creation is surrounded by a fog of myths. Myths that creativity comes via inspiration. That original creations break the mold. That they're the products of geniuses, and appear as quickly as electricity can heat a filament.  Creativity isn't magic. It happens by applying ordinary tools of thought to existing material... and that's copying"

Ferguson says creativity takes hard work to get to a point where audiences notice. It also involves luck. Some of the most famous filmmakers, musicians, authors get their inspiration from others, then add to it. In Ferguson's series, he sites plenty of examples of artists who use ideas from others. Then twist it around and make it their own. Are you considering something creative as a next act - as a first act? You should watch these. Very motivating.

Here's Part 1 - On Music

Part 2 is on Filmmaking

Part 3 - The Elements of Creativity

Oh, and by the way... this:

"The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources" - Albert Einstein