Flight or Invisibility: Steps of Choosing

John Hodgman asked people to select a superpower for their imaginary transformation into a superhero. From his interviews, he developed the Five Stages of Picking a Superhero. You can listen to them on the March 2, 2003 program of This American Life. For creative people, selecting a creative project may also involve these five stages. The stages may not evolve in the Hodgmanian order, however. The first stage is gut reaction. "Invisibility as a super power appeals to me." "I feel that this is a unique idea." The second stage involves practical considerations. If you are a superhero who flies, can you carry someone on your back? To follow through on this creative idea will take a certain chunk of time, money, or skills. An artist starts to evaluate her resources for the project. Philosophical reconsideration characterizes the next stage. Is it fair to watch others if you are invisible? A writer asks about the meaning and consequence of the novel he proposes to write. This leads to Stage Four, self-recrimination. Creative people experience this stage frequently. Eric Maisel writes of hushing negative self-talk and Julia Cameron challenges the inner critic. Hodgman's fifth stage is acceptance. I would add a sixth stage. A creative project is not fully chosen until the creator starts to act on her idea.

For an interesting insight into your own creative hurdles, look at the dichotomy represented by the two superhero powers that people in Hodgeman's study chose - invisibility or flight. Flight is noble. You display it in front of others. Crowds look up to you. It is the power of angels. The superhero who flies is a selfless hero. Invisibility is sneaky. It can lead to crimes of shoplifting or voyeurism. For an artist, however, I will pose the idea that invisibility represents a safe haven away from the prying eyes of others. It is the solitude necessary for absorption in a project. All creative people possess both sides of this dichotomy - the desire to work safely without criticism and the desire to have others acknowledge your work; the desire to create for yourself and the desire to share your work with others; the need to work deeply with absorption and the need to engage other people in your work. Examine your fantasy version of an artist's life. Is your fantasy filled with images of intense, solitary work? Perhaps your fantasy involves eager crowds watching you perform or dignitaries praising your achievements with grand prizes and MacArthur grants. Solitary work and public presentation are both necessary for the completion of a creative work. Which one challenges you the most? Most likely, it is the part missing from your fantasy image. Muster courage in superhero proportions to meet the challenges of noble flight and solitary invisibility.