The creative process is such a weird, sloppy, unpredictable thing. Sometimes the more you try to grasp at it, the more elusive it becomes. “Like an eel in an oil slick,” as the old (possibly made up) saying goes.

I’ve got a couple of story ideas I’m working on in my head, and as long as I’m not looking at them head on, they slowly, organically develop. They come together when I’m listening to an audiobook, or thinking about something else. They sneak up in pieces and snippets. The minute I try to sit down and grab the creative tiger by the tail, though, it all dries up and I find my ideas drying up like wet footprints in the noonday sun.

So for me, seeing the creative process of other people is always fascinating. Where did an idea come from? How did you figure out this part? Why did you make that choice?

In the following video, Billie Eilish and her brother Finneas break down their Grammy-winning song “Bad Guy” in all of its many intricate parts. Because they created the whole thing in a home studio, they’re able to literally deconstruct the different samples and tracks as they’re explaining how they got there. The end result is one of the most compellingly detailed looks at a successful creative process I’ve seen, and it serves as a reminder that the future of so much media is the independent, home-grown kind. A couple of kids, a brother and sister, making music that took home five Grammy Awards this year.

Whatever you think of her music, this is a fascinating look at how one of her biggest songs was made. It’s also a pretty impressive example of a brother and sister collaborating with a lot of respect for each other.

Pin It on Pinterest

Share This