This morning, I recalled the phrase “Is the juice worth the squeeze?”
While it’s been used for decades, a related phrase gained popularity in 2004 after appearing in the movie The Girl Next Door. In a pivotal scene, Timothy Olyphant’s character says, “Always know if the juice is worth the squeeze.”
I love how this idea relates to our creative work.
Writing a song, a script, or a book isn’t easy. But some creative projects are easier than others.
Sometimes, we get an idea that energizes us. We fall in love with the idea. We throw ourselves into the work of sharing this idea with others.
Such an idea has juice that’s worth the squeeze. It would be a crime not to do the work to see it realized.
Other ideas are… meh. They don’t inspire much confidence.
But here’s the interesting thing. A “meh idea” can suddenly become spectacular when paired with another idea.
Lately, I’ve been writing screenplays. One project has enough juice that I can’t stop working on it. I want to do everything I can to make the project better because I would LOVE to see this movie on the big screen.
For another project, I wrote about half of a screenplay. While I like what I’ve written, the thought of doing more feels heavy.
To be blunt, I ran out of juice.
Lacking juice is not an excuse to give up on a project. Every worthwhile project is going to be difficult. But it raises creative questions. You want to be doing at least some work that fills you up.
How can you move forward with a project that’s stalled? Find some more juice. Find another idea that excites you! Go back to the source. If you can’t find more juice right now, set the project aside. Work on something else until you have no choice but to return to it.
Trust in projects that have enough juice now to be worth the squeeze.
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