The Maker's High
Image Caption Goes Here
Tibor Nagy in his studio
I once saw a home improvement show where the crew planned to remodel a
room, so the host started by drawing a sketch of what the room would
look like after the job was completed. Part of the redesign included
adding a skylight. As the construction started, the workers cut a
square hole in the roof and lowered the new skylight into place. And,
as it slipped into place, the host went absolutely crazy with glee. For
a second, I wondered, "why is he getting so excited?" After all, he
knew they were going to add the skylight, so it wasn't a surprise to
him. But, after a moment, I realized what was going on. It had taken me
a moment to realize that I often feel the same way. I just didn't
immediately recognized the reaction because I don't, personally, get
too excited about construction.
But I do know why he was excited.
He was experiencing what I've coined The Maker's High.
About Making
By "maker" I'm referring to people like artists, writers, hackers [1],
and musicians. And they all experience the Maker's High.
Makers all have something in common: They envision something in their
mind's eye. And they then turn that vision into a reality by working in
some "medium". In short, they turn an idea into a real-world "thing."
Now, when I say it like that, it all sounds so neat and organized. I
made it sound like you create things in a step by step fashion. But in
reality it's a lot more messy.....and fun. You may start with a rough
vision of the end, and then start working with the medium, which gives
you some new ideas, so the vision changes a little, and then you
discover something you can do with the medium that you never realized
before, so the vision changes a bit more. And so it continues. So, in
reality, bringing the vision to life is actually both a process of
creation and a process of discovery. It's an exhilarating journey and a
frustrating process, all at the same time.
I suspect that all makers experience this "high" by seeing their
creations "come to life."
The Maker's High
It's the "coming to life" part that's the important bit.
After all, I don't get an intrinsic high by typing things such
as,"while (!$rs->EOF) {updateRecord($i); $i ; $rs->movenext();}" Those
characters are just the medium. But, when I flip over to the output
screen of such code and actually see it do something I get a bit of a
rush. And that rush can only be described as a "high." Perhaps I'm an
addict, because that rush pushes me to write some more code and
experience that feeling again. Painters must get the same "high."
We humans must just be wired to experience the "maker's high." In fact,
deep down, I suspect that everyone has a creative drive. In some it may
be long-suppressed and dormant. But, if you dig long enough and deep
enough - it's there. I seriously don't think I've ever met anyone who
had absolutely no creative drive at all. It's one of the things that
sets us apart from animals.
Humans create great things. Animals don't. Chimpanzees don't create The
David. Animals are creatures, humans are creators.
There's something very soul-satisfying, even spiritual about creating.
It doesn't matter what you believe spiritually for this to remain true.
It could be that humans simply evolved to be creators because that was
how we were able to survive and thrive an inhospitable Darwinian
environment. Or, it could be that we really are created in the
Creator's image. After all, if He gets a high and derives pleasure from
His creation, it only makes sense that we would get a similar high from
ours.
Artist Hazel Dooney once wrote on her blog
, "I've tried every drug except heroin. Every
experience was a waste of time and energy." That makes sense to me.
She's an artist - so the high that drugs provide must seem but a cheap
imitation of the "real" maker's high. Being an artist, Hazel must
experience the "maker's high" on a regular basis - what could a drug
possibly offer one after experiencing the real thing? [2][3]
Saying that a drug could provide the same high as the maker's high
would be like saying porn is the same thing as love.
The Price
The maker's high is expensive. The act of creation, while exhilarating,
is, at the same time, extremely draining.
It's hard to explain unless you've actually experienced it, but I'm
never so exhausted as I am after a day of creative coding. It's as if I
poured part of my soul right into the computer. While I'm working, the
high keeps me going. We've all heard of hackers who've coded for 48
hours straight. I understand how that happens. Personally I've even
done as much as 36 hours. But afterwards, there is a mental and
spiritual toll. After a day in "the zone", my mind takes a while to get
back to "normal." It's as if part of my mind stays in the zone, and I
sometimes almost can't even follow or participate in a normal
conversation. It's like my mind simply won't pay attention to the real
world until the effect wears off. A good night's rest usually "resets"
me back into "normal" mode.
While I call it The Maker's High, Hugh MacLeod calls this phenomenon
the Hunger .
He says, "The Hunger will give you everything. And it will take from
you, everything. It will cost you your life, and there's not a damn
thing you can do about it."
I don't think I can ever say it better than that.
Clint Watson
BoldBrush Founder, Software Craftsman, and Art Fanatic
PS - When true inspiration strikes artists should drop everything and
follow it. But what if the inspiration doesn't stop but just flows
continuously? When that happens you end up creating for hours and hours
on end until it stops or until you finally stop from exhaustion,
whichever happens first. I'm very curious: does this same phenomenon
happen to painters? Are there painters who sometimes paint for 36 hours
straight? Let us know in the comments!
Comment on this article
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Footnotes:
[1] I use the term "Hackers" to mean someone who uses programming as a
medium to create cool things, like interesting web applications. In
other words, a "maker." Not all programmers are "makers." Your average
Java programmer in a corporate setting who is creating functions to
someone else's specs is not a "maker" in the sense of this article.
Such a programmer might be a maker on his/her own time, but not in the
setting of implementing Java functions. Incidently, the word "hacker"
does not mean "someone who breaks into computers." I use the word in
the same sense that Paul Graham does
.
[2] I guess a drug could offer something: perhaps a form of escape.
After a long, exhausting (but exhilarating) week of creating, I admit
that I enjoy a nice wine buzz as much as the next guy. The "high" that
I get from wine is nothing compared to the maker's high. But, in
moderation, it does help me relax and recharge. Everyone needs to
recharge themselves in some way. Even God rested on the seventh day.
[3] I certainly don't want to put any words into Hazel's mouth here.
I'm giving you the reasons I suspect that drugs might not be of
interest to a true maker. She may have other reasons as to why drugs
were a waste of time for her.
Your Editor in Montepulicano
I recall fondly this day in Montepulciano. While "The Maker's High" is
important, it's also important to build time for recreation and nature
in your life.
Clint
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