Title: Excessive desire to be watched may stifle your creativity
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First of all, thank you for your attention. There's nothing quite like being in a room full of people like this, where all of you are giving your attention to me. It's a powerful feeling, to get attention. I'm an actor, so I'm a bit of an expert on, well, nothing, really.First of all, thank you for your attention. There's nothing like being in this all-human house, all of you watching me. Getting attention is a powerful feeling. I'm an actor, so I don't know much about anything, really.But I do know what it feels like to get attention -- I've been lucky in my life to get a lot more than my fair share of attention. And I'm grateful for that, because like I said, it's a powerful feeling. But there's another powerful feeling that I've also been lucky to experience a lot as an actor. And it's funny, it's sort of the opposite feeling, because it doesn't come from getting attention. It comes from paying attention.But I do know what it's like to be watched - I've been lucky enough in my life to get more attention than I deserve. And I'm grateful for that, because, as I said, it's a powerful feeling. But another strong feeling is that as an actor, I've been lucky enough to go through a lot. It's interesting, it's the opposite feeling. Because it doesn't come from getting attention. It comes from paying attention.When I'm acting, I get so focused that I'm only paying attention to one thing. Like when I'm on set and we're about to shoot and the first AD calls out "Rolling!" And then I hear "speed," "marker," "set," and then the director calls "Action!" I've heard that sequence so many times, like, it's become this Pavlovian magic spell for me. "Rolling," "speed," "marker," "set" and "action."When I perform, I focus on one thing. It's like in the studio, when we're going to start shooting, the first word is called "Turn on!" "Then I heard "Record Normal," "Playboard," "In Place," and then the director shouted, "Start shooting!" "I've heard this many times, and it's become a mantra for me." Power on," "recording normal speed," "playing board," "in place" and "start shooting."Something happens to me, I can't even help it. My attention ... narrows. And everything else in the world, anything else that might be bothering me or might grab my attention, it all goes away, and I'm just ... there. And that feeling, that is what I love, that, to me, is creativity. And that's the biggest reason I'm so grateful that I get to be an actor.What happened to me, I couldn't even control it. My attention... Can't concentrate. Everything else in the world, anything that might bother me or attract my attention, disappeared, and I just... Over there. That feeling is what I love, and that, for me, is creativity. That's the biggest reason I'm so grateful to be an actor.So, there's these two powerful feelings. There's getting attention and paying attention. Of course, in the last decade or so, new technology has allowed more and more people to have this powerful feeling of getting attention. For any kind of creative expression, not just acting. It could be writing or photography or drawing, music -- everything. The channels of distribution have been democratized, and that's a good thing.So, there are two powerful feelings. That's getting attention and getting attention. Of course, over the past decade or so, new technologies have allowed more and more people to have a powerful sense of being paid attention to. Any type of creative expression is not limited to performance. It can be writing, photography, painting, music and so on. It's a good thing that distribution channels have been democratized.But I do think there's an unintended consequence for anybody on the planet with an urge to be creative -- myself included, because I'm not immune to this. I think that our creativity is becoming more and more of a means to an end -- and that end is to get attention. But I do think that there are unintended consequences for anyone on the planet who wants to innovate - including me, because I'm not immune. I think our creativity is increasingly becoming a means to an end - an aim to gain attention.And so I feel compelled to speak up because in my experience, the more I go after that powerful feeling of paying attention, the happier I am. But the more I go after the powerful feeling of getting attention, the unhappier I am.I feel the need to say it, because in my experience, the more intense feelings I feel about paying attention to, the happier I will be. But the stronger I feel about getting attention, the less happy I become.So this is something that goes way back for me. I think the first time I can remember using my acting to get attention, I was eight years old at summer camp. And I'd been going on auditions for about a year by then, and I'd been lucky to get some small parts in TV shows and commercials, and I bragged about it a lot, that summer at camp. And at first, it worked. The other kids gave me a bunch of extra attention, because I had been on "Family Ties." That's a picture of me on "Family Ties."It was a long time ago for me. I remember the first time I used acting to get attention was when I was 8 years old at summer camp. I had been auditioning for a year, and I was lucky enough to get a few small roles in TV shows and commercials, which I used to brag about at summer camps. At first, it worked. The other kids gave me a lot of extra attention because I was on "Family Ties." That's my picture in "Family Ties."Then, the tide turned -- I think I took it too far with the bragging. And then, the other kids started to make fun of me. I remember there was this one girl I had a crush on, Rocky. Her name was Rachel, she went by Rocky. And she was beautiful, and she could sing, and I was smitten with her, and I was standing there, bragging. Then the wind changed - I thought maybe I was bragging too much. Then the other kids started to make fun of me. I remember being obsessed with a girl, Rocky. Her name is Rachel, nicknamed Rocky. She's beautiful, she can sing, I'm obsessed with her, I'm standing there bragging.And she turned to me and she called me a show-off. Which I 100 percent deserved. But you know, it still really hurt. And ever since that summer, I've had a certain hesitance to seek attention for my acting.She turned to me and said I was a show-off person. She's 100 percent right. But you know, it hurts. From that summer on, if I had to look for attention for my performance, I would have hesitated.Sometimes, people would ask me, "Wait a minute, if you don't like the attention, then why are you an actor?" And I'd be like, "Because that's not what acting's about, man, it's about the art." And they'd be like, "OK, OK, dude."Sometimes people ask me, "Wait a minute, if you don't want to be noticed, why do you want to be an actor?" I'd say, "Because acting is not for this, man, it's art." They'll say, "Okay, okay, man."And then Twitter came out. And I got totally hooked on it, just like everybody else, which made me into a complete hypocrite. Because at that point, I was absolutely using my acting to get attention. I mean, what, did I think I was just getting all these followers because of my brilliant tweets? I actually did think that -- I was like --Then Twitter came out. Like everyone else, I was completely hooked, which turned me into a complete hypocrite. Because at that moment, I was definitely using my performance to get attention. I mean, what, I thought it was because of my wonderful tweets that I got so many fans? I do think so - I have some"They don't just like me because they saw me in 'Batman,' they like what I have to say, I've got a way with words.""They don't just like me because they see me in Batman, they like what I say, I have a lot of words."And then in no time at all, it started having an impact on my dearly beloved creative process. It still does. I try not to let it. But you know, I'd be sitting there, like, reading a script. And instead of thinking, "How can I personally identify with this character?" Or "How is the audience going to relate to this story?" I'm like, "What are people going to say about this movie on Twitter?" Then soon it began to affect my beloved creative journey. It still is. I tried not to let it happen. But I sit there, like reading scripts. But I don't think, "How do I personally identify with this role?" Or "What will the audience think of the story?" "It's kind of like, "What would people say about the movie on Twitter?" "And "What will I say back that will be good and snarky enough to get a lot of retweets, but not too harsh, because people love to get offended, and I don't want to get canceled?" These are the thoughts that enter my mind when I'm supposed to be reading a script, trying to be an artist.And "How can I reply so that these words are good enough, sharp enough to get a lot of retweets, but not too mean, because people like to be offended, and I don't want to get unsent?" "When I should have read the script and tried to be an actor, it was all these thoughts that came to my mind.And I'm not here to tell you that technology is the enemy of creativity. I don't think that. I think tech is just a tool. It has the potential to foster unprecedented human creativity. Like, I even started an online community called HITRECORD, where people all over the world collaborate on all kinds of creative projects, so I don't think that social media or smartphones or any technology is problematic in and of itself.I am not here to tell you that technology is the enemy of creativity. I don't think so. I think technology is just a tool. It has the potential to nurture human creativity as never before. For example, I've even built an online community called HITRECORD, where people from all over the world collaborate on creative projects, so I don't think social media or smartphones or any technology is a problem in itself.But ... if we're going to talk about the perils of creativity becoming a means to get attention, then we have to talk about the attention-driven business model of today's big social media companies, right?But...... If we're going to talk about the dangers of creativity becoming a means of attracting attention, then we need to talk about the attention-driven business models used by today's biggest social media companies, right?This will be familiar territory for some of you, but it's a really relevant question here: How does a social media platform like, for example, Instagram, make money? It's not selling a photo-sharing service -- that part's free. So what is it selling? It's selling attention. It's selling the attention of its users to advertisers. And there's a lot of discussion right now about how much attention we're all giving to things like Instagram, but my question is: How is Instagram getting so much attention?This is familiar to some of you, but it's a related question: How does a social media platform, like Instagram, make money? It's not selling photo-sharing services - this part is free. So what's it selling? It's selling attention. It sells its users' attention to advertisers. There's a lot of talk today about our transition to Instagram, but my question is: How does Instagram get so much attention?We get it for them. Anytime somebody posts on Instagram, they get a certain amount of attention from their followers, whether they have a few followers or a few million followers. And the more attention you're able to get, the more attention Instagram is able to sell. We gave them. Every time people post photos on Instagram, they get a certain amount of attention from their followers, whether they have a few fans or millions. The more attention you get, the more attention Instagram can sell.So it's in Instagram's interest for you to get as much attention as possible. And so it trains you to want that attention, to crave it, to feel stressed out when you're not getting enough of it.So what's good for Instagram is that you get as much attention as possible. So it trains you to get that kind of attention, to want attention, and when you don't get enough attention you feel pressured.Instagram gets its users addicted to the powerful feeling of getting attention. And I know we all joke, like, "Oh my God, I'm so addicted to my phone," but this is a real addiction. There's a whole science to it. If you're curious, I recommend the work of Jaron Lanier, Tristan Harris, Nir Eyal.Instagram makes its users addicted to the intense feeling of getting attention. I know we all joked, "Oh my God, I'm so addicted to cell phones." "But it's a real addiction. There is a scientific basis for this. If you're curious, I recommend the work of Jaylen Lanier, Tristan Harris, and Neil Eyyal.But here's what I can tell you. Being addicted to getting attention is just like being addicted to anything else. It's never enough. You start out and you're thinking, "If only I had 1,000 followers, that would feel amazing." But then you're like, "Well, once I get to 10,000 followers," and, "Once I get to 100 -- Once I get to a million followers, then I'll feel amazing."But that's what I'm telling you, addiction to attention is like addiction to other things. Will never be satisfied. You start by thinking, "If I had 1,000 followers, it would surprise me." And then you think, "Once I reach 10,000 followers," and then you continue, "If I have 100 - once I have a million followers, I'm going to be surprised." "So I have 4.2 million followers on Twitter -- it's never made me feel amazing. I'm not going to tell you how many I have on Instagram, because I feel genuine shame about how low the number is, because I joined Instagram after "Batman" came out.So I had 4.2 million followers on Twitter - it never surprised me. I'm not going to tell you how many fans I have on Instagram, because I'm ashamed that this number is so low, because I joined Instagram after Batman was released.And I search other actors, and I see that their number is higher than mine, and it makes me feel terrible about myself. Because the follower count makes everybody feel terrible about themselves. That feeling of inadequacy is what drives you to post, so you can get more attention, And I searched for other actors and I saw that they had a higher fan base than I did, which made me feel bad about myself. Because the number of fans makes everyone feel bad about themselves. This feeling of inse satisfaction is what motivates you to post so that you can get more attention.and then that attention that you get is what these companies sell, that's how they make their money. So there is no amount of attention you can get where you feel like you've arrived, and you're like, "Ah, I'm good now."And then you get the attention that these companies sell, and that's how they make money. So there's no place where you feel like you've reached your goal, and you think, "Ah, I'm fine right now." "And of course, there are a lot of actors who are more famous than I am, have more followers than I do, but I bet you they would tell you the same thing. If your creativity is driven by a desire to get attention, you're never going to be creatively fulfilled.Of course, there are a lot more fans of actors than I'm famous for, but I bet they'll tell you the same thing. If your creation is driven by a desire to get attention, you will never have a sense of achievement.But I do have some good news. There is this other powerful feeling. Something else you can do with your attention besides letting a giant tech company control it and sell it. This is that feeling I was talking about, why I love acting so much -- it's being able to pay attention to just one thing.But I do have some good news. There's another powerful feeling. You can use your attention to do other things besides let the big tech companies control and sell it. That's the feeling I'm talking about, why I love acting so much - it draws attention to one thing.Turns out there's actually some science behind this too. Psychologists and neuroscientists -- they study a phenomenon they call flow, which is this thing that happens in the human brain when someone pays attention to just one thing, like something creative, and manages not to get distracted by anything else. And some say the more regularly you do this, the happier you'll be.It turns out that there are really scientific principles behind this. Psychologists and neuroscientists have studied what they call "heart flow", a phenomenon that occurs in the human brain when people focus on just one thing, such as creativity, and try not to be distracted by other things. It is said that the more often you do this, the happier you will be.Now I'm not a psychologist or a neuroscientist. But I can tell you, for me, that is very true. It's not always easy, it's hard. To really pay attention like this takes practice, everybody does it their own way. But if there's one thing I can share that I think helps me focus and really pay attention, it's this: I try not to see other creative people as my competitors.I'm not a psychologist or neuroscientist right now. But I can tell you, for me, it's very real. But it's not that easy, it's hard. To really concentrate like this requires practice, everyone has their own way. But there's one thing I can share, and I think it helps me focus and really focus, and it's: I try not to see other creative people as my competitors.I try to find collaborators. Like, if I'm acting in a scene, if I start seeing the other actors as my competitors, and I'm like, "God, they're going to get more attention than I am, people are going to be talking about their performance more than mine" -- I've lost my focus. And I'm probably going to suck in that scene.I try to find collaborators. For example, I perform in a scene where if I start treating other actors as my competitors, I'm like, "Oh my God, they're going to get more attention than me, and people are going to talk more about how they're doing than I am" - and I'm losing focus. I might screw up that scene.But when I see the other actors as collaborators, then it becomes almost easy to focus, because I'm just paying attention to them. And I don't have to think about what I'm doing -- I react to what they're doing, they react to what I'm doing, and we can kind of keep each other in it together. But I don't want you to think it's only actors on a set that can collaborate in this way. I could be in whatever kind of creative situation.But when I think of other actors as collaborators, things become more focused because I just have to focus on them. I don't need to think about what I'm doing - I react to what they do, they react to what I do, we can focus on each other. But I don't want you to think that only studio actors can work together in this way. I can do this in any creative situation.It could be professional, could be just for fun. I could be collaborating with people I'm not even in the same room with. In fact, some of my favorite things I've ever made, I made with people that I never physically met.It can be on a professional occasion, or it can be just for fun. I can even work with people who aren't in the room. In fact, some of my favorite things I've ever done, I've done with people I've never met.And by the way, this, to me, is the beauty of the internet. If we could just stop competing for attention, then the internet becomes a great place to find collaborators. And once I'm collaborating with other people, whether they're on set, or online, wherever, that makes it so much easier for me to find that flow, By the way, for me, that's the charm of the Internet. If we can stop competing for attention, the Internet will be a great place to find collaborators. Once I collaborate with other people, whether they're on the studio, or online, anywhere, it makes it easier for me to find that kind of heart flow,because we're all just paying attention to the one thing that we're making together. And I fell like I'm part of something larger than myself, and we all sort of shield each other from anything else that might otherwise grab our attention, and we can all just be there.Because we're all focused on one thing we do together. I feel like I'm part of something greater than myself, we're each other's armor, we're blocking anything else that might take our attention away, and all of us can really put in.At least that's what works for me. Sometimes. Sometimes -- it doesn't always work. Sometimes, I still totally get wrapped up in that addictive cycle of wanting to get attention. I mean, like, even right now, can I honestly say there's not some part of me here who's like, "Hey, everybody, look at me, I'm giving a TED Talk!"At least it works for me. Sometimes. Sometimes it doesn't always work. Sometimes, I'm still completely immersed in the addiction cycle of trying to get attention. I mean, even now, I can honestly say that I don't have anything on me that doesn't think, "Hey, look, I'm doing a TED talk!" "There is -- there's, you know, some part. But I can also honestly say that this whole creative process of writing and giving this talk, it's been a huge opportunity for me to focus and really pay attention to something I care a lot about.This is, you know, some. But I can honestly say that this whole writing and presentation process is a huge opportunity for me to focus and really focus on what I care about.So regardless of how much attention I do or don't get as a result, I'm happy I did it. And I'm grateful to all of you for letting me. So thank you, that's it, you can give your attention to someone else now.So no matter how much attention I get from it, I'm glad I did. I appreciate you letting me do this. So thank you, that's it, now you can focus on something else.
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