Robert Rodriguez On Creativity

Film Director Robert Rodriguez told a 4As Transformation crowd in Austin (where he lives and works) Monday that being creative is something he does 24/7.

“You’ll never be in any flow unless you apply it to everything you do,” he said.

And for him, not knowing how to do something doesn’t stop him from doing it. “Not knowing is the better part of the battle,” he said, noting that he doesn’t know how how to read or write music but figured out what he needed to know to create soundtracks for various films.

“Stay out of your own way,” Rodriguez said, and “creativity flows through you.” And failure is an option that often breeds success. He noted for example that the idea for the film “Machete” was based on a “fake trailer” for an earlier flop called “Grindhouse.”

In addition to creating films like “Spy Kids” and “Desperado” Rodriguez is the founder of the El Rey TV network, now in about 40 million homes nationwide.

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He told attendees that he decided to get into the TV network business because he didn’t like process of making programs for many of the existing networks, where “there a lot of maybes.”

His advice for Madison Avenue: “Content is first,” he said, stressing that a brand’s content must be entertaining. “A brand should make you feel a certain way.”

Rodriguez also said that he believes living outside of Hollywood helps make him more creative than he otherwise might be. “Living outside the box automatically makes you think outside the box,” he said.

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