Equation of Creativity

Having pursued a career in the entertainment business for around 3 years, I have accomplished many goals, added to my resume and created several new projects for my nifty website. But there's an aspect of my craft that still alludes me. My ability to take criticism.

I recently shot a new music video and have spent the last few days engulfed in images and sound, trying to edit together a project worthy of the band I'm working with. After 12 hours of solid editing, I unveiled my first draft to my roommates to get their opinion. But not really. I just wanted them to tell me it was AWESOME! 

I pressed play and waited for 3 minutes and 30 seconds, struggling to hold back a smile of excitement, anticipating their oncoming explosion of enthusiasm and general amazement. Finally the video ended and I turned to them. Well??? 

Silence.

After a painful delay, they finally responded. They didn't really get it. And like that, all of my hot air exploded, leaving me entirely deflated. 

And that's the tough part about a creative endeavor. Unlike Aerospace Engineering, which I studied in college, there are no equations that govern what makes a good video. There are no answers in the back of the book. There's no Equation of Creativity.

It's all subjective. It's your opinion vs. mine. Nobody is right. Nobody's wrong. All that matters is that it floats your boat. 

My problem is, I want to float everyone's boat.