Instagram/@reesewitherspoon
There was this really golden nugget from Reese Witherspoon on creativity and digging into one’s own voice. Truly, this was a far better post than any typical celebrity post. The Oscar winner actually released an Instagram video where she spoke about helping kids with college essays, but the real message is for anyone who is trying to do some creative work or, you know, just trying to get down to life consciously. While she looked thoughtful, she said,”The biggest thing is think about what everybody else would write about, and then write about the opposite-an heirloom that means something to you; a trip that changed your view of the world; or a medical vignette that says something about your own character.” So really, it’s the deep stuff, not the surface.
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She captioned the clip, “Creativity tip: forget the obvious and chase what’s uniquely you.” She cited Rick Rubin: “The ability to look deeply is the root of creativity.” In other words, yeah, Rick Rubin totally gets creativity.
Then the comments section became this whole thing: people distracted or inspired by Reese’s looks. Fair enough. One user commented, “So true! Great reminder. ❤️.” Nice and simple but carries the point along smoothly. Another said, “That’s great advice for anyone, too. It encourages us to use our unique voices and perspectives. 😊,” extending the discourse by implying that this kind of advice transcends college essays.
And then the commenters just went way off the rails. One commenter wrote, “What would Elle Woods do? 🤷♀️💖😹🫶,” and, well, considering Reese played the ultimate collegiate success story herself, that’s actually a pretty good question. Elle would probably write about how pink is a political statement or something equally brilliant.
Then there was that person whose comment just completely threw the conversation off course: “Ok I was trying to listen but was so amazed at your skin its fanfreakingtastic. Dannng 😂🔥.” Mood, because one tries to absorb someone’s wisdom and then gets distracted by the glowing complexion. It happens.
There was another truly interesting commenter who might actually have been seriously contemplating the advice for real life, asking, “Should I write about how dealt with shock treatments and homelessness to become a PhD professor,” which… yeah, that sounds exactly like the unique perspective Reese was suggesting. That is deep digging, for sure.
Then yet another user gave some down-to-earth advice: “Excellent advice!! Never say — I wanted to attend XYZ university since I was five years old and …” Which is actually a really useful suggestion because that’s exactly the kind of cliché essay topic admissions officers have heard ad nauseam.
Then one comment read, “I saw you the other day and thought that you looked different. Nothing wrong just a look of maturity that has came over you. Not as in old but mature.” Which is kind of a weird thing to say on a post about creativity, but maybe that maturity is what gives her the perspective to give this kind of advice in the first place?
Enjoying her message is the very fact that what she’s expressing is not empty celebrity platitudes; she’s giving specific, pragmatic advice that actually makes sense. She’s not telling people to be creative without actually explaining. “Avoid the obvious. Find what’s uniquely yours.” And she’s linking it to a very real idea of looking deeply at oneself and one’s experiences; something Rick Rubin (the famed music producer) has often presented.
It’s interesting because she’s framing it as advice she was giving to some kids about college essays when it is clearly relevant for so much more. Writers, artists, anybody trying to make something original – it’s all about that one-of-a-kind slant that nobody else has.
Kind of ironic that she chose to broadcast this message on Instagram, a platform where much content is just a copycat version of everyone else. Like here comes Reese telling people to be unique on a platform where uniqueness is often buried under algorithm-friendly sameness.
Interesting enough, that kind of response shows that people are craving this sort of substantive content from celebrities instead of another sponsored post or vacation pic. They want real, useful advice from someone who’s been successful within creative areas. The same person just dropped this life advice and got complimented on her skin. Talk about peak Instagram.
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The takeaway is that digging into what you’re all about is what distinguishes interesting stories and creations, not fitting into what everybody else is doing. Whether it’s a college essay or just trying to find one’s own voice, that’s solid advice.