Don Hertzfeldt on Creative Work

I pulled this gem from a Don Hertzfeldt AMA:

anything creative is going to take a ton of work…. like actual daily work, animating, or constantly practicing your guitar, or whatever it is. that’s 95% of the job…the really boring busywork that you grind out. for the animator, it’s telling a story one frame at a time. and that i often have to force myself to do because it’s often so boring or lonely.

the inspiration part of it all is the other 5%. and it is very important but if you don’t do all of that other work, it doesn’t matter how great your ideas are. this is also the part that can’t really be forced. you can’t force yourself to write or come up with ideas. it’s something that comes naturally. luckily, while you are grinding out the other miserable 95% of the job, it provides for a lot of time for those ideas to come drifting in.

It’s strangely reassuring to know that there are no shortcuts, even for him.