I spent the morning yesterday in a breakfast weekend meeting with a new client and potential business partner. It was a good and productive time, discussing ideas, approaches and making the most of current opportunities. A couple things were said during the discussion that stuck in my head and that I wanted to write about.
As we talked about ideas we had for a creative space, a whole list of "side projects" began and we both kept proposing ways of attacking them. At one point, she said something to the affect of "I'm not a professional, and I don't know all about this aspect of things, but WHO CARES!? I'll give it a try, do my best and see how things come out."
"EXACTLY!" I said. "I wish more people had that mindset!"
As the meeting went on, I kept thinking about how it is so important, when you have a creative vision on a given project and are trying to move forward with it, that you have people around who have a "let's give it a go" attitude, rather than a passive and lazy one. I recently wrote about how when I was an art student I had a roommate who was always ready to jump up and head out the door with our cameras to find a spot in the city to shoot pictures. This was a great blessing, something that really fed my creative drive, and helped me keep my momentum on projects. Having that person around who is willing to GO on a project and do their best to find good, creative solutions, try things out, and make adjustments as they go, makes ALL THE DIFFERENCE! Many an idea has been executed & grown because of people like this. And many an idea has been killed or abandoned by people who DON'T ACT on their creative vision because they aren't a "professional" in a given area or haven't taken "a class" on how to do something.
There are so many possible outcomes when one sits down at the creative drawing board to attack a project and bring an idea to fruition. Still, many of those possibilities will only be found when the people involved are adventurous, willing to explore new territory, and willing to learn through the process. So, when you find yourself sitting next to someone who has passion and a proactive attitude, make the most of it, encourage it, emulate it, and watch it grow!
- Want
