Creative Pep Talk #65: Mr. Twinkletoes

What can a simple choice from actor David Tennant tell us about creative freedom? I’ll tell you in this short episode.

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Transcript: Mr. Twinkletoes

Please note: This is an unedited transcript, provided as a courtesy, and reflects the actual conversation as closely as possible. Please forgive any typographical or grammatical errors.

Nancy Norbeck [00:00:06]:
Welcome to Follow Your Curiosity. Ordinary people, extraordinary creativity. Here’s how to get unstuck. I’m your host, creativity coach, Nancy Norbeck. Let’s go.

Nancy Norbeck [00:00:19]:
Hey, everybody. It’s Nancy Norbeck. I’m here with this week’s Creative Pep Talk. And as I record this, I have just returned from the Long Island Doctor Who convention. And on the way home, I listened to a set of big finish recordings with Chris Eccleston as the 9th doctor. And in the behind the scenes section of the recording, one of the other actors in the recording mentioned that she had done a project with David Tennant, a live action video recording, not an audio. And that on his trailer, he had changed the sign so that instead of saying David Tennant, it said, Mr. Twinkletoes. I gotta tell you, I heard this, and I realized that my life would never be the same because I think that this is one of the most spectacular things I have ever heard.

Nancy Norbeck [00:01:13]:
I know and have known for some time that David Tennant is one of those actors who succeeds in no small part because he is so very willing to be silly and make a complete fool of himself and do whatever ridiculous thing it is that the part demands of him. And because he is so all in, it works. I wrote about the idea of committing to the bit on Substack recently on another Doctor Who related bit of inspiration, why the Daleks work when they really shouldn’t. And and it’s it’s just as true here. David Tennant is successful because he will do anything. He doesn’t care how stupid or ridiculous or weird he looks. He’ll do anything. And I think that that’s reflected in the fact that on his trailer, he puts the word mister twinkle toes.

Nancy Norbeck [00:02:07]:
And I think that that’s a great way for us to remind ourselves to lighten up and be silly and not take ourselves so seriously. You know, we do that all the time. We think that the thing we’re working on has to be perfect, that we have to be perfect, that we have to be good enough, that, you know, everything has to be just so, and it all has to be so serious. And here’s David Tennant being not at all serious, having a great time doing what he’s doing, making a complete fool of himself, and that’s what makes him successful. So in that spirit, I want to invite you to try taking things less seriously. Try being a little silly. Try letting yourself look like a complete fool because you’re willing to try something that maybe you weren’t willing to try before. Because you’re willing to be less perfect than you were willing to be yesterday.

Nancy Norbeck [00:03:01]:
Because, you know, you’re willing to fall flat on your face in the name of doing something that you really wanna do even though you know that it might not work. Frankly, I am really hoping that Mr. Twinkletoes will become a sort of touchstone for me so that when I am getting caught up in being too serious and too perfect and too you know, too perfect is obviously not true because none of us are. But you know what I mean? Too too determined to be too good and get it all right, that it will pop into my head and remind me to be a little bit more like David Tennant and take it less seriously and have more fun with it and and just lighten up a little bit. Maybe you’ll wanna use it that way too. Even if you don’t, I hope that it will serve as a reminder that actually you don’t have to take life so seriously in order to succeed and be good at what you do. And with that, I’ll see you next time.

Nancy Norbeck [00:04:00]:
If this episode resonated with you, don’t forget to get in touch on any of my social platforms or even via email at [email protected]. Tell me what you loved. And if you’re feeling a little bit less than confident in your creative process right now, and you haven’t yet signed up for my free email series on 6 of the most common creative beliefs that are messing you up, please check it out. It’ll untangle those myths and help you get rolling again. You can find it at f ycuriosity.com, and there’s also a link right in your podcast app. See you there, and see you next week. Follow Your is produced by me, Nancy Norbeck, with music by Joseph McDade. If you like Follow Your Curiosity, please subscribe, rate, and review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

Nancy Norbeck [00:04:49]:
And don’t forget to tell your friends. It really helps me reach new listeners.

Nancy Norbeck [00:04:59]:
Thanks.