“One of the greatest enemies of creativity is too much time and money.”
At first glance, these might seem like the wise words of inventor and philosopher Benjamin Franklin or iconic tech mogul Steve Jobs — yet they were spoken by actor and entrepreneur Ryan Reynolds. And Reynolds knows a thing or two about business and creativity, with ventures including an alcohol brand, wireless provider, British soccer club, running an advertising agency and more. According to Forbes, his collective ventures are valued at approximately $14 billion, though Reynolds himself has not quite reached billionaire status.
The actor also produced and starred in the popular Deadpool movie franchise; however, given the budget constraints of the first Deadpool movie, Reynolds and team were forced to get creative and implement solutions that ultimately contributed to the movie’s massive success. And therein lies the lesson. The size of your budget for a project or campaign is not always directly proportional to its performance. And the same principle applies to time, as Reynolds also well knows.
Too much time can inadvertently lead to setbacks like procrastination, decision paralysis, second-guessing and even missing a window of opportunity. As limiting as a lack of time may seem, it also has the power to spur action and conviction to go with your gut.
4 Practical Takeaways from Ryan Reynolds
- Don’t assume you need a large budget to implement a big idea. Start small if you need to, but don’t use a less-than-ideal budget as an excuse to not move forward.
- Optimize the budget you have available. Brainstorm creative ways to fill in the gaps or approach a challenge from a new angle. Be resourceful.
- Stay flexible and nimble with the ability to pivot. This can be far more efficient and fruitful than sticking with a strategy you planned months ago that no longer feels right — or one that has you dragging your feet to implement.
- Don’t wait till the last minute every time. Just because an abundance of time can squelch creativity doesn’t mean that eleventh hour pressure is always the best catalyst for lightbulb moments. Setting manageable yet prioritized deadlines will save you from defaulting to half-baked ideas due to running out of time.
No matter what you’re working on today, remember that creativity is your friend.
