Gilligan was born in Richmond, Virginia and at an early age, his parents divorced. Despite the initial instability from this event, Gilligan quickly found people that would support him and help him along his path. Gilligan became best friends with Angus Wall (a film editor and title designer; he has won Academy Awards for Best Editing for The Social Network and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo). Wall's mother, Jackie Wall, would Vince Gilligan and his younger brother, Patrick, her Super 8 film cameras to shoot movies on. Already at a young age, Gilligan realized his passion for film and even submitted and won first place for a junior film division at the University of Virginia.
Jackie Wall would continue to expose Vince Gilligan to various films and genres by taking the boys to Richmond to see movies at the mall. In an interview, Gilligan explains how crucial Jackie Wall was in his development. "I wouldn't be where I am today if it wasn't for Jackie. She was a wonderful lady and a real inspiration," he recalls. People around Gilligan noticed his talents early and he even received a scholarship to attend Interlochen Center for the Arts, a prestigious arts school in Michigan. Gilligan moved back to Virginia after the 8th grade for high school. He would go on to attend NYU's Tisch School of the Arts. While attending NYU, Gilligan submitted a screenplay for Home Fries (which would later be turned into a movie starring Drew Barrymore) that won the Virginia Governor's Screenwriting Award in 1989. One of the judges, Mark Johnson (film producer of Rain Man) called Gilligan "the most imaginative writer I've ever read".
As for his personality, Vince Gilligan was described by his professor to be polite and charismatic. His extroverted personality is an advantage in his field and domain because film-making is highly collaborative. Csikszentmihalyi explains in his text The Creative Personality that "creative individuals are remarkable for their ability to adapt to almost any situation and to make do with whatever is at hand to reach their goals. Nevertheless, Gilligan knows exactly how he wants his product and explained in an interview with GQ that he "sweats the small stuff". This following excerpt from the NY Times shows how Gilligan has this dual ability to write as well as entertain his fellow students. This talent helped Gilligan become successful at NYU and beyond.
"His instructors included Jesse Kornbluth, who remembers a polite kid who was so good at drawing bent, violent characters that Kornbluth initially pegged him as the 'go postal' type. 'In the end, he turned us all into his audience. We were all just mesmerized. Attendance was unnaturally high on days when he was reading his scenes,' Kornbluth said" (NY Times, 2011).
As highlighted in Gardner's book, developmental psychology explain that "many creative individuals do point with some distress to the restrictiveness of their early childhood". This observation partially resonates with Gilligan's experience following his parents' divorce. However, Gilligan finds a support group and professionals who recognize, support, and help facilitate his growth in the world of film. Thus, he establishes strong grounding points in Csikszentmihalyi's individual-field-domain triangle. As for motivation, Gilligan is both intrinsically and extrinsically motivated. Gilligan genuinely loves his work yet is extrinsically motivated because he has reached a pro-C level where he is heavily decorated for his accomplishments and success in his field.
In an interview when asked about how Gilligan came up with the idea for Breaking Bad, Gilligan responded with "I'm not sure where the idea for the show came from. I remember the exact moment in which the idea hit me. But as to where the idea came from, I'm not quite sure" (here's a link to the full interview). He goes on to further explain that at the time, Gilligan was nearing his 40th birthday and was preoccupied with his own impending mid-life crisis. From a psychoanalytic perspective, this sounds like a case of the unconscious at work. Andreason outlines the Archimedes Archetype of creative process: preparation, incubation, inspiration, and finally production. The ideas and experiences that Gilligan collected had been "marinating" and incubating in his unconscious mind until they finally came to fruition at 40 years old.
Breaking Bad is notorious for its themes regarding issues of morality. Vince Gilligan was raised Catholic, but is currently agnostic. Gilligan said that "I'm pretty much agnostic at this point in my life. But I find atheism just as hard to get my head around as I find fundamental Christianity. Because if there is no such thing as cosmic justice, what is the point of being good?" The show reflects this struggle as well. In the first season, Walter White is torn between the decision to let the hostage in the basement free or kill him. Walter makes a pros and cons list, echoing Judeo-Christian beliefs that "killing is wrong". On the "kill" side of the list he writes that the hostage would kill him and his entire family were he to let him go. Spoiler alert (but if you haven't watched BB yet, why-it's been out for years) Walter eventually decides to kill him.
!!!WARNING!!!! This clip may be disturbing!!!
Gilligan himself wrote that episode and explained that this episode showcased the core of the entire show. Walter White, the protagonist, "breaks bad" from being an honest high school chemistry teacher to the mastermind behind the methamphetamine industry plaguing the American Southwest. Faced with a premature death sentence due to his lung cancer diagnosis, Walter refuses to die without having reached his full potential. Vince Gilligan beautifully weaves into his show various issues of American ideals and day-to-day hardship and calls the show's fans to evaluate their own lives. Gilligan has brought into this world of mass media feel-good stories a gritty, "real" American story (he calls a modern-day Western). Though his products are bold and phenomenal, Vince Gilligan is most appropriately categorized as a pro-C creative as he is heavily decorated with numerous nominations and awards.
https://www.amc.com/shows/breaking-bad/cast-crew/vince-gilligan
https://www.npr.org/2019/10/11/769312766/breaking-bad-creator-vince-gilligan-reflects-on-meth-and-morals
https://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/10/magazine/the-dark-art-of-breaking-bad.html
I agree that Gilligan is a pro-c creative, while he may not have totally revolutionized the film industry, he certainly has created a number of unique films that connect deeply with his audiences. I think it's particularly interesting how the idea of "Breaking Bad" came to him right around the time of his own midlife crisis, potentially proving how experiencing specific stressors in life may trigger one's creative process to work in ways not even the creative may understand.
ReplyDeleteI find it so interesting how many creatives had a less than desirable childhood. This relates well to our topic of mental illness and begs the question as to whether tragedy or other significant events impact creativity? It's also very interesting how Gilligan's personality completely juxtaposes the series that he created. Sometimes, people can be most fully themselves in their creations.
ReplyDeleteI love this show, and this post was really interesting! I was wondering though, can we call Gilligan extrinsically motivated based on the fact that he receives awards? I'm sure all of us have a degree of extrinsic motivation in everything we do, but being decorated and accomplished is a result of recognition from the field. Does Gilligan intentionally seek out this recognition, or does he just receive it from doing good work?
ReplyDeleteBreaking Bad is one of my favorite shows and I knew from articles that Vince Gilligan is a pretty interesting guy, and I think you did a great job on his creative process! Especially how the conflict of religion is brought into the show and Walter White's struggles in the typical "American Dream." Breaking Bad is a gritty show that makes you question how we live our lives and the drastic measures we would undertake to help our family.
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