Attack from the flanks, & you’ll break down creative blocks

When you’re up against a strong opponent, wear down its defenses by attacking from the flanks.

This is a tactic Facebook used to expand. The were having trouble gaining traction in larger universities, so they targeted smaller colleges in the area.

As they gained users in the smaller colleges, students in the larger universities started getting friend requests from their friends at the surrounding smaller colleges. By attacking from the flanks, they softened the defenses of entrenched competitors.

You can use this same tactic for breaking down creative blocks. Attack from the flanks, and you’ll break down resistance.

Creative insights may come in a flash, but they take time to incubate. You have to build nodes of knowledge and experience in your brain, so they can later be connected for creative solutions.

Many projects, such as building a brick wall, can be broken down into chunks: Do this part of the wall one day. Stack more bricks the next day. Big creative projects don’t work this way: If the right connections aren’t made, the whole thing goes tumbling down.

Instead of breaking down big creative projects into multiple chunks, break then down into multiple smaller projects. Before you write the novel, write a bunch of short stories. Before you record that five-minute song, try a bunch of 30-second riffs.

Some of what you create will be repeated in your final product. Some of it will get thrown away. But it will be much easier than trying to conquer the challenge through brute force.

When you do smaller projects, you build a creative vocabulary that you can mix and match into larger works. You attack your creative problems from the flanks, and wear down their defenses.