You have to imagine you write a show about a sponge and you think that maybe a few people will think it is funny, some college students, but it takes off. It is truly shocking - to the point where it is bizarre.
Interpretation
Creativity can yield surprising results beyond initial expectations.
Stephen Hillenburg's quote reflects the unpredictable nature of creativity and success. He emphasizes how a seemingly simple and absurd idea, like creating a show about a sponge, can resonate widely and unexpectedly with audiences, leading to incredible success that feels almost surreal.
In practice
In a speech about creativity in storytelling, you might reference this quote to highlight how unique ideas can surprise and delight.
I was thinking about what would it be, what would the characters be like, and it just suddenly dawned on me that, hey, nobody is doing an underseas show. So I started drawing these weird invertebrate animals, various characters like crawfish and starfish and squids and sponge.
One day a whole damn song fell into place in my head.
If I had not been successful as a director, then I'm sure I would still be telling stories. I would have continued on 16mm or found a different medium through which to tell them.
I wanted to write and direct movies and not be forced to adapt them from a bestselling book.
Drama, instead of telling us the whole of a man's life, must place him in such a situation, tie such a knot, that when it is untied, the whole man is visible.
I hope people don't compare 2D and 3D because 3D's new, it's unfair to compare to 2D which is really sophisticated, even when we're jaded about it. 3D just began, give it a chance, let the equipment and projection system catch up and be better, let the price go down, let more filmmakers get a hold of it more easily.
Swing is extreme coordination. It's a maintaining balance, equilibrium. It's about executing very difficult rhythms with a panache and a feeling in the context of very strict time. So, everything about the swing is about some guideline and some grid and the elegant way that you negotiate your way through that grid.
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