Patton Oswalt Reveals What Keeps Creative People From Creating

Patton Oswalt witnessed failure personified in his early years of standup, and since has worked to nurture the positive voices in his head rather than feeding the negative.
Want more Off Camera? offcamera.com
Watch full episodes on Netflix: www.netflix.com/title/80102549
The Off Camera Show is the KZbin channel for Off Camera with Sam Jones. Subscribe now to be updated on the latest videos: bit.ly/1K3VAC9
For full Off Camera episodes, visit offcamera.com
Get Social With Us:
On Facebook: theoffcamera...
On Twitter: / offcamerashow
On Instagram: / offcamerashow
On KZbin: / theoffcamerashow
Follow Sam Jones on Twitter: / samjones

[@MorseCodeStutters]

Wow I love how he empathizes with negative people and where they might be coming from

[@MorseCodeStutters]

odeerg riiiiight...

[@jamescarter3196]

@odeerg - I love how you put "joking" in quotation marks, just to let us all know you're dumb enough to believe he's not joking about wanting to murder GL, even though Patton's actually one of the most literate fans of Star Wars I've ever heard talk about it and clearly loves the shit out of the movies, which wouldn't have been possible without George Lucas, so don't act like everybody lives by your crazy-hillbilly attitude. Some people are ACTUALLY joking when they say they are, and it's not motivated by genuine violent anger at another person for being too different.

[@mansgottaeat2932]

this is the same patton oswald who ki.l*ed his wife and one month after her ''death'' was engaged to another women lol!!!!!

[@cisium1184]

Well, he's basically doing the same thing here, himself, pointing out that someone else's version of how to do something is a recipe for failure. And in doing that he presumably thinks he's helping people watching the video. Classic survivorship bias. But maybe he's not that far off - maybe it's that you simply have to believe in yourself no matter what.

[@pr10n]

@@mansgottaeat2932 This is a lie. McNamara died in April 2016. Oswalt and Salenger got engaged in July 2017.

[@andreseh87]

Patton Oswalt’s voice is if Ben Shapiro understood empathy.

[@alexponzo4880]

Lol I never noticed that they sound similar

[@hardymaritz1222]

😂yes

[@jasonlieberman4606]

"Our feelings don't care about your facts"

[@rdklarnet4120]

Ha!

[@olivercroft5263]

Omg this remark is so on point 😭🤣

[@nameforcomments4092]

The self-critic vs the creator: the ultimate intricate dance. Also the inspiration for the album name Art of Doubt by Metric, for the 2 other Metric fans who might ever see this comment.

[@jaywalshmusicandsong1736]

21 other Metric fans at least. Gonna relisten now.

[@sampsonraysimon]

You can even meet people that creatively inspire you at one point and then you grow out of each other or just fundamentally disagree on a major aspect of approaching the creative process.

[@David-Field.Stuff01]

This is the best show I have watched in a long while because the interviewer and interviewee are talking to each other, sometimes about really tough things, rather than playing to an audience. Even if I do not recognise all the people talking I'm still intrigued enough by the format to watch. Fantastic.

[@codyaddison8347]

Patton Oswalt do more interviews like this! Talk to me! You have so much advice.

[@mansgottaeat2932]

this is the same patton oswald who ki.l*ed his wife and one month after her ''death'' was engaged to another women lol!!!!!

[@jeremyc9593]

@@mansgottaeat2932 You're an idiot, plain and simple.

[@HaleXF11]

I truly hope I can find a way to overcome the negative voices in my head. The struggle is real.

[@whatsherface444]

SolarEXtract you will, just remember to be kind and patient with yourself

[@HaleXF11]

@@whatsherface444 thank you

[@cheesecakelasagna]

Relatable, have a nice day

[@sammy.knuckles]

Drown it out with a louder, better, more loving voice - your own.

[@HaleXF11]

@@sammy.knucklesI like that idea. :)

[@andricmr]

I like to make music. I do it more then 20 years. Most of my life I tried to please the audience. Cared more what ppl wanna hear. Now Im doin what want. I dont care if Im good or ppl would like it. I like it and after years I know enjoy music again. Its fun. I guess you have to lower, or even better erase the expection of making a living with what you love to do. If it happens, it happens

[@LondonWilson813]

I'm sure that you've turned out more music than ever before! It's such a better place than keeping up with the audience. Especially since they themselves don't even know what they want half of the time.

[@Hot18Shot]

I've made electronic/noise/glitch music for the greater part of the last decade and have never shown it to anyone in particular because I always made it for myself. It was never about money or fame for me, it was just something it did for fun and for my own artistic outlet. If people told me what they did and didn't like, or if I suddenly made lots of money off of it, it would never change my approach or whether I would decide to continue or stop. The moment you make art for others but completely neglect your own voice or enjoyment out of it, is the very the moment you kill your art and creative spirit.

[@MrBeastknows]

And that's the first step! The next thing to do is figure out how and why music moves you. Figure out techniques they use and see if u think those techniques work for the type of music you play. Then, you are able to please the audience with your own voice. Because you're not only making music for yourself. You're sharing your voice with others, and you want them to enjoy it too. So never make what they want to hear, make what they didn't know they wanted to hear.

[@danieledwards3144]

Sam is one of the best interviewers I have ever seen if not *the* best

[@gabrielidusogie9189]

He and Sean Evans

[@noahmay7708]

But I think what's great about this is that it's more of just a conversation than an interview. They don't get these guests so they can promote something and make some profit, they do it so Sam can sit and just pick their brain for a few minutes.

[@aerofuzz]

@@noahmay7708 its interesting when actors are bombarded with the same interview format, even from someone as genuine and researched as sean evans, how a normal conversation w someone like sam whose actually interested in them as a person makes anyone fully open up and give real useful advice. not to take away from greats like sean or nardwuar

[@blackbird5634]

"The harshest criticisms come from those with no gifts of their own and who truly have no idea what you're doing, and that you are HAPPY just applying your craft. Unless you are making the world a little more ugly, and THEN they will hold your hand and celebrate that you, like they, see how awful it is. Any asshole can see how terrible things are. It takes no skill, no art, no imagination." -Local Color 2006

[@patrickmchugh4616]

The most important distinction is that the ugliness that is an obvious part of the world and our lives can be presented artistically and made anew, or made relatable or perhaps even beautiful in some twisted way. There is not a lot of happiness in the stories of Chekov, or Barthelme, or Cheever, or Lydia Davis. What exists in these works is an ambiguity or even a quotidian banality. I think to commiserate in understanding pain or ugliness is a vital human trait.

[@blackbird5634]

@@patrickmchugh4616 You are correct and those authors had to fight their way through a sea of despair, criticism, and abuse to write stories that show their side of life. Nothing wrong with telling it like it is, but to just sit by and criticize, belittle and mock the art, and the artist are the weapons of ignorance and jealousy. By telling the story of living a life of despair and you are creating. Standing next to the author and calling him 'shit' for his efforts is what i have commented on.

[@patrickmchugh4616]

@@blackbird5634 Totally agree

[@reillyvandyke1374]

I loved Local Color- great movie.

[@SangiovanniOmar]

Truth. It’s hard to shut that negative voice up.

[@UnboundChris]

Yeah. Just yeah to every word he said

[@mcd_238]

I prefer letting them talk to the Hollywood Reported trademarked interrupting every 6 seconds

[@Toxodos]

how creative ;D

[@bgw9696]

how about when he tried to dox those 16 year olds and called for violence against them because they were standing there with a smirk when some old man got in their face.... i was a fan of his before that

[@charlieoconnor40]

irony.. that's the fad in comedy right now he is talking about. its played out

[@mansgottaeat2932]

this is the same patton oswald who ki.l*ed his wife and one month after her ''death'' was engaged to another women lol!!!!!

[@simonmandrakejones]

Exactly what I needed to hear this morning. Thanks.

[@tylermane77]

Yup. Literally the only thing keeping me down is my own stupid brain telling me I'm not good enough.

[@areyoudreaming6007]

give a better playing field for the positive voices - love that

[@KhanivoreQniba]

1. Self doubt 2. Lack of support 3. Lack of inspiration 4. Interruptions (ie life)

[@Ryferion]

I love these interviews, they feel so heartfelt and inspiring! heh if I was creative enough to consider myself hindered by myself, that'd be a nice spot to start in. Or maybe/probably I'm just lazy

[@Alabamaliberal]

One of the reasons Sam is such a great interviewer is because he actually seems interested in the people he's interviewing and if they have gone through anything that might be relatable to people watching the videos... So many interviewers are just trying to get a 10-second clip that will "go viral" and are barely even listening to what their guests have to say. Or they have this AWFUL forced "cheerfulness" that leads to the worst kind-of inane chatter for a few quick minutes where it feels like they're constantly trying to hustle them into talking faster. Sam is willing to just shut up and let his guests talk at their own pace.

[@jordachejordan90]

Really good advice

[@francoisgermain3991]

Our world is not possible without Patton Oswalt.

[@Pooshmaster47]

Just remember, one mustn't feel compelled to identify with their thoughts.

[@roycedeaton2161]

Thank you, thank you, thank you. This has hit the mark when I needed it the most.

[@agflitcher1875]

I really needed this. Especially as a writer. Because what he said about that voice of doubt instilled in your head by others is what I had to make my brain unlearn. Thank you

[@danferraro8388]

He's talking about 'RESISTANCE' mentioned in the book ' The War of ART'. A great breakdown of what it really is. This is awesome.

[@ProgrammedForDamage]

Great book. Really gave me the kick in the arse I needed.

[@KerrRobinson]

I did not know just how much I needed to hear this.

[@royvtine]

I needed this.

[@madmisskelly]

This advice works for anything at any time. Love this

[@georgem.8827]

Thanks Patton, you've really put this topic into perspective.

[@stephstremp]

Wow! I'm gonna have to bookmark this interview. Well said, Patton! Thank you for the wise advice.

[@erichvonmolder9310]

Just saw him at the Beacon Theatre on West 74th Street in Manhattan, he did a very good job and good crowd work.

[@Magus_Union]

Well, at least we can credit the KZbin algorithms for bringing me here, because I truly needed to hear this words. Thank you, Pat Oswalt

[@thedrumsoloist]

That's great stuff. I always drop everything when I realize something or someone else has a story about a realization, because you never realize a lie, but you'll realized the truth about a lie. Realizations can often lead to, or be the core of a core truth and those are the moments that can change your life in big ways, for the good.

[@scifinoirfilms599]

Simple yet great advice. Something to remind ourselves about every time we start to let negative thoughts leak into our brain. All of us will at some point hear from others and ourselves. I think that's why it's important to be passionate about what you do, so you can weather the storm when negativity rears its ugly head.

[@emithen]

I needed to hear this forty years ago

[@KidHellacious]

Damn Patton is quite a genius, I’ve always thought so, he understands so much of the art world in such a deeper more analytical sense.

[@Highcastle_of_Tone]

He's spot on about a specific person that discouraged you at some point in the past. In my case it's a couple of people, but mostly because they both feared pursuing their own creative sparks.

[@MaxwellCasazza]

Thanks this keeps me going!

[@santanah.6897]

This is golden, Thank You!!!

[@astrologerdawn1200]

Teaching this for 24 years now!! You go Patton.

[@AzaleaJane]

I've been enjoying Patton's comedy for a few years, but he's kinda becoming one of my favorite people recently

[@Longo556]

The book, “The War of Art” provides a great scaffold/schema for this phenomenon. Great book for creative types.

[@_gameboy64]

Such a great interviewer

[@urnix69]

Whenever Patton Oswalt speaks, I can't unhear Jesse from Minecraft Story Mode

[@worldcomingdown6713]

I needed to hear this today.

[@dallasdandigitalproduction393]

Love Patton. Hes one of the top 5 best comedians alive today. I could listen to him for hours

[@LordTylerBluGunderson]

Dallas Dan Digital Productions His career is dead

[@chrissitek6275]

I absolutely love this....this is great

[@dominiczerafa8990]

I love that tie, too.

[@AlexaPellerin]

loved this

[@halopines1600]

What an epic message

[@wesleysanford]

Patton. You are valuable. I think about your journey all the time. Thanks for being you.

[@r.lum.r]

Love love love Patton so much. So so true. Do what you must!

[@bestoutcomes]

I have watched three of the videos on this channel and after this one, let's just say it was an easy decision to subscribe

[@daelen.cclark]

As someone who’s working on a comic script, this is very helpful.

[@jayhm9393]

He fucking nailed it. So well communicated.

[@TheTurbanator123]

Which keonig did this guy play on agents of shield?

[@sinatraandchill]

Fantastic advice!

[@san-man]

This made me cry.

[@itznotayden]

Great advice

[@russkendrickmartin7257]

I really liked & respected Patton before seeing this--Now I like him that much more. As a performer I have friends who give me advice that, while coming from a genuine place, is very unsound. The key is in discerning what's good advice and what's bad advice.. The really tricky part is knowing whether to act on the good advice, once you recognize it for what it is. Just because it's good advice doesn't mean it's useful in a particular situation!!

[@fireflocs]

I was gonna say "Laziness and distractions", but no, "disembodied voices of people you no longer interact with or care about" makes perfect sense.

[@MrGrimlocke]

this was a great video

[@WalterLiddy]

Nah. In my case at least (and I think this is common), what holds me back is that I'm a good enough critic myself to be aware that my work isn't very good. Sure, I'll get better by working at it, but too many people are convinced they're secretly awesome who aren't.

[@maggi-nh8zo]

WalterLiddy u need to adopt some of tht ignorance of those unaware people. What helps me is thinking tht i might die tomorrow. Then i am able to break free of the self critic chains + do wht i want. Cos what if u died, it wld suck having to leave w/o testing all those good ideas or saying how u feel or trying tht thing u think abt

[@farewellnico7080]

You've got to love the process in order to achieve something, if u get stuck on ur "lack of talent" you are not going to get anywhere, if you don't even like doing it then don't do it

[@enquarsports9687]

He just conducted an entire orchestra of life lessons in 5 mf minutes. AND made it funny!! All while hyping me up to keep being proud of not being like everybody else. Thanks brother.

[@MpColl]

Thumbs up to Patton Oswalt much enlightment 👏

[@JuanitaHarrisMissHarrisinParis]

I fucking love you Patton.

[@Makr0ss]

After around 10 month of therapy or so, I can safely say that, ultimately, those people he's describing are your own parents lol

[@masterv6679]

Less blaming , more productivity

[@FreeRangeDice]

Save your victimhood for therapy. No one else buys that BS

[@davebartholome2924]

@Agent 39 Yeah, I’m with you, Agent 39. I didn’t interpret the OP’s comment as slamming his parents or failing to take responsibility. It’s just a fact that our parents don’t want to see us fail and so they often counsel us to make safe choices. And sometimes it’s our job to say, “Hey, Dad (or Mom), I know you’re concerned about me, and I hear what you’re saying, but this is something I’ve got to do, and something I’m going to do, with or without your support.” It took me too many years to realize that my job as a good son was not to have my parents approve of every choice I made. I think I was 40 before I realized, “Wait a minute, this is MY life-why am I living it as if it’s not?”

[@LariFari333]

wow. amazing advice

[@unrealnews]

How do I make it so that this one video comes up in my feed when I’m feeling down?

[@LaDon08]

Patton, thank You.

[@kieraflowers9928]

Crazy how true this is.

[@dutchess1237]

Patton is a legend.

[@sleepyoyster4530]

Too true. I can only feel sorry for the people who try to tell me i can't do things, because they themselves had someone who told them they couldn't and they believed it and now they feel they are doing you a solid by crushing your dreams because they feel the person who crushed theirs did them a favor.

[@erichvonmolder9310]

So true. You got to listen to yourself because that's what matters.

[@kenhymes4900]

I couldn't write/sing/make what was really in me, what was uniquely and usefully me, until i stopped thinking about my dad the academic author. As long as I was hoping to please him, even unconsciously, i couldn't please myself or anyone else with my work. I think it's a common dynamic. On the other hand, there's a relationship with the reader/listener/viewer which emerges from work which transcends these constraints and connects. That relationship then becomes, potentially, in a healthy environment, a legitimate voice in the conversation about what comes next for a person making art.

[@ajtaylor8750]

Anytime Patton Oswalt talks, I listen. The guy has wisdom for days about creativity, and he's right here. Just don't listen to everybody that says something about things not working because not everybody knows what they're talking about. Be stubborn and move forward.

[@giuliatommasi5355]

Amazing.

[@Zenju__]

1:47 that voice that doesn't want things to be possible

[@ceef8688]

1:38 get ready for a momentary splice of a sudden Nabokov novel character

[@StephenGeorge]

Favorited and bookmarked.

[@googelybear]

1:48. Kinda sounding like Jonathan Banks there.

[@taapastrivedi3490]

😂"Shut the fuck up, and let me die in peace."

[@johnbaker1457]

One of the best actors on justified

[@jimmeskimen]

100% agree.

[@redballoonluke]

This is the best clip on KZbin. (Apart from the dude with the firecracker going off in his ass)

[@Cabochon1360]

My inner voice typically doesn't think the premise is bad; it just points out that I'm not skilled enough to really make the premise work.

[@RobVespa]

D*mn. Patton is looking super suave here. Also, I love what he's talking about. Thanks!

[@gardenlover9663]

Meditation helps with the voices. It helps to quiet them.

[@zohrehrostami9683]

So true

[@christopherblue2004]

He's right, you know how may negative people I've met in my life.

[@davidyoungquist6074]

This is one hundred percent true. Writers are hell on themselves like this. More people I know quit because of this.

[@spenceredwinrobson]

YES.

[@pollyfoofoo8703]

He is so right

[@priestmorrison6564]

AMEN!!!

[@uzamakileon4448]

Indeed

[@kelb6073]

I have the negative voices once in awhile, but I have more of a motivation problem. I'm so worn out from the daily work life that I don't feel like I can put any effort into anything else. It sucks. Like someone else said, tunnel vision is really the only way to get things done. My husband is able to do that for the most part, and that's why he gets so much done in 1 day.

[@unfortunatengagement]

I didnt know if y'all knew this, but it is MANDATORY to cross your legs on this show.

[@countinshteve5219]

people subconsciously copy body language, sam basically infects guests

[@USDAselect]

The interviewer looks so much like Patton's own brother Matt

[@sonijam]

He looks like the dad on Happy Days.

[@armancz]

So true! Whatever bad things you think about yourself like: I'm stupid, I am a loser, I can't do anything right, I'm always broke etc these are not your thoughts and opinions, these are opinions of other people that you took over when we were defeated or down, as Patton says you can track it down to a specific person! So we need to stop torturing ourselves with this opinions and limitations that are not even ours and do whatever the fuck we wanna do!

[@ROOKTABULA]

The only thing worse than not having a (any) given creative ability is having one (or more) in spades and being unable to use it because of the cancer of self doubt.

[@erin79]

I wish it didn't, but this essentially sums up my life.

[@stevenspenneberg7407]

The second part of this clip dispels the first part. He says no one but yourself holds you back. Then tells a Club Owner story where if the comic doesn’t listen, he won’t get booked there....or Held back. The truth is, everyone is trying to hold you back.