It is not that "output is born from input," but rather "input is born from output."
Partly due to people refraining from going out because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of people around me who have started posting on social media and blogs has increased. Since these are people who have never "broadcasted" before, they were strangely serious or awkward at first. However, it is impressive how, as they repeat their posts and days go by, the quality gradually improves.
Media have their own respective modes of expression. Note has a way of writing that suits Note, and Twitter and Facebook have their own cultures, or perhaps a certain vibe. It might be that they are getting used to those modes (I still haven't gotten used to Twitter...).
But I feel it's not just that. Because, beyond the writing becoming more polished, the content is becoming more substantial. I feel that hints about the "relationship between input and output" are visible here.
It is often said that "if you have abundant input on a regular basis, excellent output is easily born." While that may be true in form, I suspect the reality is the opposite.
It was a little while ago, but at a meeting for a local school project I am involved in, Takashi Yamada from the Shiojiri City Office, known as a charismatic public servant, said something like this.
"Because you decide 'I'm going to produce this kind of output' first, you become able to input."
In 2012, Mr. Yamada decided to rent a vacant house at his own expense in a corner of a local shopping street that had become noticeably shuttered, and to keep holding events there ("Vacant House Project Nanoda"). In other words, he "decided on the output." Since then, he says the amount of input in his daily life has increased dramatically.
To borrow Mr. Yamada's words, when you decide to produce output here, "the way you see daily life changes". You come to have eyes that perceive everything in light of that output, and within things you might have overlooked until then, you become able to find things that should be input.
It is the same in our work. When we decide on a rough exit, such as doing a project like this, not only does the way we read materials and literature change, but we also suddenly become able to find hints in internet news or things we see in the city that we had previously let pass by.
In terms of editorial thinking, this means creating relationships within combinations. Things and events do not have meaning on their own. Value and meaning are born only when they are placed in a combination with something else, that is, within a certain relationship. By always keeping an "output theme" in your consciousness, the things you see and the events you experience are positioned within relationships, making them easier to interpret (Reference: Basics of "Editing" to Know as Liberal Arts (1): What is Editing in the First Place?).
Because you decide on the output, you can find things that should be input, and the quality of your input also improves. And that, in turn, leads to an improvement in the quality of your output.
Isn't the same thing happening in the background as content becomes more substantial while repeating posts on social media and blogs? In fact, among those who regularly post interesting content, I feel there are many who set goals like "post every day" or "write 100 books," pushing themselves (strongly conscious of output).
I think that, but I myself am unable to post or update very frequently. In the end, is it a matter of motivation...? To increase my input, I must try to output more frequently...