We can't all be Jeff Goldblum

But we might be able to loop him in...

In an era of multi-channel split identity and social peer pressure, do we all wish we’d already ‘made it’?

With an image somewhere between a favourite uncle and a cool wacky professor, Jeff Goldblum (real name Jeff Goldblum) has a weird charm and relaxed charisma that suggests everything is in place for happiness. In interviews he always seems like he’s super relaxed in his own skin, long and languid like a cat after a generous portion of catnip. I imagine he can perform magic tricks, I know for sure he can play the piano like a pro, and possibly quote Descartes at the drop of a hat. He is the quirky ‘talent solves everything’ concept, personified. Would we, should we, be able to press the Jeff Goldblum button?

Of course he may not be like that in person, and probably has as many hang-ups, clumsy missteps and little failures as the rest of us. But social media and the ‘digital bubble’ gives us an impression we can all be Jeff, if only we knew how (or bought a particular supplement / coaching course / journal etc).

This feeling, of imposter syndrome imposed over thousands of tiny exposures, magnified so much by our digital lives, has a massive impact on creativity and connection. Worried about being the best, we forget about being what we can.

Doom loop

As I mentioned in my last post, I’m currently focusing on getting a few elements in place to pick up momentum with my creativity, be happier and embrace failure in the process – and one key to this is avoid the nagging sense that ‘Jeff would do it better’. That imposter is with us all to a greater or lesser degree.

Personally my thinking goes like this:

1. I’m pretty bad at this, what have I ever achieved – look at their work, that’s so much better. If I copy can I call it inspiration or is it just a pale imitation?

2. Maybe I should do something totally original, new, groundbreaking? But that’s too hard and isn’t everything just reinvention, copying/stealing anyway?

3. OK back to basics - I’ll just try something, lower my expectations and focus on the doing, not the result.

4. Oh! Actually that’s quite interesting, that was fun and satisfying. I’ll explore that a bit more.

5. Great I’ve got something going, it seems sort of underway. Quite satisfying. Need to reflect and see where I can take it…

6. Hold on. It’s quite similar to ‘X’, and I like theirs much better
   …return to (1), repeat

Left to my own devices, it becomes a challenge to get ‘below the surface’ on a creative project and persist long enough to get to better work.

What would Jeff do?

One problem I have is staying too much in my own head, and being scared of asking others for opinions which might actually mix up this narrative and break the loop. So rather than being cynical about Jeff, why not involve him? What would Jeff do/say if he was in a conversation about the work – he would be positive, proactive, unrealistically optimistic and relaxed about any outcomes. That might actually help.

So my new process/thought experiment looks like this:

1. I’m pretty bad at this, what have I achieved?
   Jeff: well you don’t really know where this is going, isn’t it a bit early to call it a day?

2. Maybe I should do something totally new, groundbreaking?
   Jeff: every artist riffs off every other artist, always has. Focus on what seems cool to you, look for inspiration, and everything else will take care of itself.

3. I’ll go back to basics, focus on the doing
   Jeff: now you’re getting the idea. Find your flow, your passion and the details that stand out for you.

4. Actually that was quite interesting / satisfying
   Jeff: now run with that, you have the kernal of an idea, blow it up into something bigger, or follow connected ideas and those new paths

5. Need to reflect and work out next steps
   Jeff: don’t pause now - the next step is to get more opinions (not just mine) and see how it lives in the world, what chimes with others

6. Hold on, it’s similar to X
   Jeff: you may think so, but it’s unlikely to be quite the same - keep exploring, keep pushing, keep having fun with it

I think Jeff might have a good point or two here¹.

nice one jeff (photoshop neural filters have a lot to answer for…)

Some more ideas

In my last post I kept my objectives to four - keep up this substack (early days, but tick), challenging cultural experiences (have booked to see the Fragile Beauty exhibition in a couple of weeks with my daughter, tick), start a business project (I have an idea, and will be meeting with

Matthew Stafford

for a lovely lunch and to stress test it. Hi Matt! You didn’t know this…).

The other item was photowalks. There are a number of associations, clubs and individual photographers who run them, ranging from dedicated holidays/retreats to local community meet ups. I’ve been tempted at both ends of the spectrum: Fujifilm run some (link), Magnum run regular workshops which look great, if pricey, and I keep on seeing different ones from the photographers I follow on Instagram. But I would love to get some recommendations from you – do you know some good ones, or are you interested in going on one? I’m travelling a lot for work, so walks in other places outside London like Dublin, New York or LA could be an option too…²

Lastly, thanks for reading and interacting, Substack has proved a great place to find a new community without the ads and algorithms of other platforms.

Keep curious

James

1. I could create an AI Jeff alter ego for the purpose, although my imagination might do just as good a job

2. It would be great to create a global index of them, so travellers could look up one wherever they are… let me know if you might be interested helping with this