Confronting the gap between what the masters produce and your current capabilities is disheartening. When you study an unrelated field, the pressure is reduced, and you can approach the topic with a more playful openness. When I read great nonfiction writers, I often find myself white-knuckling the book, trying to figure out what they’re doing that I’m not. This is useful, but also exhausting. When I’m studying a great film, by contrast, I can just enjoy it without reservation, and in doing so find a refreshing jolt of inspiration.
