Watching the young man in the video, I felt bad for his naiveté.
He was new to vlogging on YouTube and he began his video by offering some advice – be yourself.
It was simple and somewhat overused advice, to be sure, but still good. He went on to say that he had watched some how-to videos on vlogging and had concluded that they were of no use, so he recommended that people not watch them at all. I wondered why he was unwilling to learn from experienced vloggers, so I left a comment.
“I agree that you should be yourself, but it’s probably a good idea to watch some of the tutorials and other vloggers to get an idea of how it’s done. We all tend to make the same mistakes when we start making videos, so getting a few tips can’t hurt.”
He responded by insisting that he didn’t need to watch anyone else because he knew what he was doing. I checked in on him a couple of weeks later.
His account was closed.
I don’t know if people have always been like this – unyieldingly stubborn about learning from others – but I see examples of it everywhere.
- Many proponents of “drill baby drill” have not modified their stance on offshore drilling despite the horrific oil slick in the gulf.
- Athletes continuing to act as if they are above the law even though they know that they will be slammed when their actions come to light.
- Many people continue to believe things that have been proven to be untrue, if the lie fits more conveniently into their worldview.
It’s almost as if being unaware is seen as a strength, or worse, mistaken for individuality.
Few things are so unique as to break existing molds.
Templates exist for a reason.
Innovation is the building upon what already exists, which is near impossible to do if we ignore what already has been done.
The only thing that I know for certain is that there are many things that I don’t know. Seeking to fill the gaps in our knowledge keeps us open to new ideas, new people, and awesome discoveries.
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Guess what?
I submitted a short essay to a contest on Write It Sideways and Suzannah has posted it to her site. Please visit her site (after commenting here first, of course). She has a lot of good content for people who have an interest in writing.
Suzannah’s site is helping to fill in some of the gaps.
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Author Bio:
Ray Colon has written 136 posts on Ray's Blog.
He works with numbers for a living, but don't judge - boring accountants need love too. His blog has no niche (unless writing about things that are important to him is a niche). Some folks cringe when he gets “all political” on them, but he does it anyway when he's in that kind of mood. Sometimes, he writes something nice about someone, but you shouldn't get used to that. His first book, the one he hasn't written yet, is not available on Amazon. Subscribe to Ray's Blog via RSS or Email.
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
Yes, there are templates for a reason, and yes, there will always be terrifyingly stubborn people who refuse to learn from others. It’s a sad comment on those people. Unfortunately some of those people are in positions of power and their actions have catastrophic consequences.
Thanks for the link to Suzannah’s place. I’m always looking for ways to be a better writer.
The terrifyingly stubborn ones are easy to spot. However, they often liken their rigid stances to some other, more palatable foundations such as conscience, religious beliefs, or core values. Under those guidelines, they feel empowered to “stand fast” no matter how illegitimate their claim may be.
You’re welcome. Hope you enjoy Suzannah’s site. Ray
I agree with you and I don’t agree with you. Templates exist for a reason but I believe that in some cases rules were made to be broken. If everyone followed these prescribed templates then there would be no innovation. Blogging, for example, has gone through an impressive metamorphosis all because people chose not to follow the original template. It was never intended to be a form of social media and look at how it has exploded into what it is today. You’re right by saying that innovation comes from building on what has already occured but saying that nobody has any business to try to take a template in a new direction is a little too final for me.
Thank you for always sharing your opinions. I may not always agree with you but I enjoy reading the creative ways you express yourself.
Hi Tristan,
Thanks for the push back, I can always use some of that.
I may not have been specific enough in my assertion. We are basically saying the same thing. The difference, I think, is that besides innovation building on what is, it can also be something completely new — I agree with you on that point. But how does someone create something new if they don’t know what’s already there? Working out ideas in a vacuum leads to duplicated effort, or to use a common phrase, “reinventing the wheel.” In your blogging example, social media components were added to what was already a viable platform for communication. One did not replace the other.
Using Microsoft as an example, if you’ve ever used their templates you know that they are more of a jumping off point than a roadmap. They set-up the document in it’s usual format, but users are free to modify the template at any time.
I saw a funny video the other day that is not exactly on point to what we’re discussing, but it does speak to what can happen if we don’t try to know things. His name is Jay Smooth and he’s a very funny guy. I think you’ll find his video entertaining.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mtlHcl8WjCA
Hope you like it, Ray.
Hi Ray,
I hope I didn’t stomp all over your point by accidentally saying exactly what you were saying! I found your post very ambiguous. I kept waiting for you to make a political point but you never did so I assumed you were speaking generally. I’m glad you responded because now I have a clearer idea of what you meant. And you’re right. We are saying the same thing. For the most part.
I did check out the video. He is a funny guy. And may I say, that is exactly why I don’t comment on your political posts! You have a liberal point of view while I am much more conservative. But I don’t follow politics closely enough to debate with you on your blog. I will admit what I don’t know or understand.