What’s a Glitch?
-An exclusive excerpt from Allen’s new book-
In The Matrix, one of the most memorable scenes occurs when a black cat crosses in front of Neo. A moment later, it does so again, in the exact same manner. Neo finds it interesting, but doesn’t yet understand what the glitch is revealing. Trinity does, and explains to Neo, “A déjà vu is usually a glitch in the matrix. It happens when they change something.”
Today’s creative landscape also provokes a sense of déjà vu. Like a glitch in the matrix, we keep seeing the same things over and over in movies, songs, restaurants, fashion, sports, and social media. Trinity is right, something has changed, and not for the better.
Over time, the word glitch has come to describe a temporary technical hiccup or minor system setback. Examples are how it was used to refer to on-air radio mistakes or television signal losses. The word even got a high-tech boost in the 1960s when NASA astronaut John Glenn referred to “a spike or change in voltage in an electrical circuit” as a glitch. But even that is far too tame for what I mean here.
I prefer the grittiness of the original Yiddish word “glitsch.” It meant “slippery place”—and not in a fun Slip N Slide kind of way. It conveyed something that was untrustworthy, elusive, or tricky. When we combine that with Trinity’s description from The Matrix, it captures the essence of how I’ll be referring to the word.
A glitch is when something functions in an untrustworthy, elusive, or slippery way due to a change or misalignment.
If Neo and Trinity had missed or dismissed the glitch in the matrix, it would not have gone well. The same is true for us and the glitch we face. It is not enough to simply notice something is off. We must care enough to name it and counter it. Doing so will require much. Not doing so will be far more costly in the long run. It is possible to fix our glitch. When we pursue it with God, we right what’s gone wrong.
We’ve spent time considering what the words glitch and creativity represent. As we bring the two together, it’s a bit like witnessing a chemical reaction between opposing substances. There is an inherent tension or agitation because the two words are so unlike each other. The result, when the smoke clears, is the Creativity Glitch.
(From The Creativity Glitch: How to Stop Being Stuck, Find Your Groove, & Create with God. Copyright © 2026 Allen Arnold.)
This reading was crafted to encourage your pursuit of story and creativity with God. Your donation makes this crowd-funded initiative possible. You can support it via PAYPAL (or by check to Allen Arnold at PO Box 62841, Colorado Springs, CO 80962).
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