With 40 studio albums over the course of more than 60 years, Bob Dylan stands as one of the most vital and creative artists into old age. His productivity has stayed consistent into his 80s. Just last year at the age of 82 he released a new album, “Shadow Kingdown.” He has serious endurance.
And while of course we aren’t all destined to become Bob Dylan, there’s a ton we can learn about productive and creative endurance by taking a close look at his approach to making music. What follows are three takeaways from Dylan to help you grow your productive and creative endurance.
Emotional Intelligence Is the Common Thread Through Each of These Takeaways
Endurance and emotional intelligence (EQ) go hand-in-hand. How do you endure difficult tasks, fallow periods in your creativity, and self-doubt? The answer lies in your ability to recognize and manage these difficult emotions.
The Three Takeaways from Dylan
1. Know your purpose (or “destiny” as Dylan calls it), and hold it close.
Dylan talks extensively about his destiny. He even goes as far as to say “he bargained with the chief commander,” trading his devotion to music for success. “[Destiny] is a feeling you have that you know something about yourself no one else does,” Dylan explains. “It’s a fragile feeling. You put it out there, and someone will kill it. You have to keep it to yourself.”
Even if you don't view your purpose as destiny, the idea still translates: Know your purpose. Revisit it often. Revisiting your purpose generates lasting energy.
EQ Strategy: Know your purpose and revisit it often. Treat your purpose as a non-negotiable. This will give you clarity and confidence when you have to make tough decisions, navigate difficult conversations, or parse through moral ambiguity.
2. Curiosity fuels decades of endurance.
Author Brad Listi described Dylan’s creative endurance, saying, “You can point to a number of artists who fit this bill…They never stop staying interested. They’re always taking in new stuff.” You can see Dylan’s openness and interest in his work as he jumps from an album of thirty Sinatra-like covers to an album of newly written songs. He follows what interests him, not what interests you.
EQ Strategy: Follow what genuinely interests you, not what you think you “should” do. This form of curiosity is tough to embrace. It might mean shifting careers at a pay cut or taking a risk that makes you uncomfortable. But in the long haul, these are the kinds of decisions that will keep you energized and creative late into your career.
3. Curiosity also fuels shorter-term endurance.
One study found that just by describing a day when you felt curious, you can boost your mental and physical energy by 20% more than when you describe a moment of profound happiness.
Writer De-Shawn Charles Winslow experienced this first-hand. He was stuck, trying to finish his book. His deadline was around the corner. But he felt like his book was boring. His characters were boring. Recently he’d been watching old law & order shows, and he had a funky idea. What if he blended his novel with a murder mystery?
He tried it out, and the book flowed out of him. His debut novel “In West Mills” went on to win the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize winner, an American Book Award, and a Willie Morris Award for Southern Fiction. It was his curiosity that propelled him through that fallow, boring period in his writing. Channeling curiosity propelled his creative and productive energy.
EQ Strategy: Reframe negative emotions using curiosity. Feelings that accompany being “stuck” include boredom, confusion, overwhelm, unfocused, helplessness, and nervousness (just to name a few). When you recognize yourself feeling these emotions, it’s time for a curiosity reframe (like the one employed by Charles Winslow). Ask yourself what’s interesting about the situation you’re in. You might be surprised how lucrative this single question can be.
Grow Your Endurance, Grow Your Emotional Intelligence
Not all success is instantaneous. Developing the endurance to stay energized for months, years, and decades can help you stick it out. And as an added bonus, you’ll grow your emotional intelligence in the process.
