Here is what I hope the pandemic and all things upheaval teaches us: 1) we are all delusional; 2) intelligence is about quality, not quantity; and 3) the zero sum paradigm is a zombie that needs a wooden stake through its heart.
It is an old trope that if you asked almost any entrepreneur (creative or not) that if they knew what they know now whether they would have ever started their business, most would say no. It does not mean that they do not love what they do or would ever want to start, it is just that they did not know the depth of everything that they would experience. That is the definition of delusional — you believe the world to be what it is not. And, yeah, yeah I get the negative connotations to the word, put that aside and think about the conviction and purpose and faith you have to think, for a second, that you could make a business out of your art. Delusion. So now that we are ALL challenged to redefine the essence of our work, understand that we are all challenged to be delusional once again. Call it beginners mind or just a deep understanding that the road forward is uncharted as it was when you first began. Of course, your experience, wisdom and talent will carry you forward but arbiters and determinants of success? Not a chance. To those then who seek to double down on their faith, conviction and resilience to the point of delusion, that is the stuff on integrity. Just do not presume it comes without risk and that it will all work out. Not a person on the planet knows what will come so live in your delusion and know that it is as it should be.
I wrote this week in my Business Of Home column about client management that Outrageous Promise(s) and Outrageous Demand(s) are everything as are the Three W’s. The reason they are everything is because “Gotcha” culture needs to end. Here is the link.
The entire point of creative business is the idea that what you are trying might not work no matter how many times you have done it before. Ahem, the creative part. If you have never done it before this way, how can you know it will work? This possibility of failure IS the value in that it takes you to another place and the resolution becomes information and instruction on a new way to be. If you cannot fail and must be somehow omnipotent, then how exactly will you deal with discovery and the promise to be better tomorrow than you are today? You cannot so please stop. Thank you Elizabeth Warren.
Which brings me to the zero sum paradigm. If you cannot be wrong, then that means that someone else must be. Then there are winners and losers. Your gain is someone else’s loss. Your “winning” presumes that an equally qualified widget “lost” it to your shinier penny. Ironically, being more human, appreciating the purpose of relationships and why yours exists with your clients, employees and colleagues alike is the path forward. Of course, you might not get a desired project, that does not mean you lost it. It just means that, all things being equal, the relationship was better served by another artist. That said, if we are only trying to game the system, no matter how many gobbled gook business books you spout, no change can happen. Simply, there is no there there. If the pandemic and the related cultural upheaval teaches you nothing except the need to be more connected, more human, let that be enough. Us versus them is an ugly model, sure, but also robs you of the opportunity community brings you. You get to hide in your tribalism without knowing what can be created if you instead focused on deep, authentic expression of what matters. Spend some time watching this video about Harley Davidson and you will know exactly what I mean. Fleeting power of an empowered minority never goes quietly into that good night.
All creative business owners are confronted with a new world order. To those that think The Phoenix will not die and all they need to do is hibernate to get through the chaos, good luck with that. I believe there will be a new world order where community and collective humility will be expressed with a deep desire to create, maybe even define, meaning. Finding connection and purpose within a culture of service (i.e., not “in” service) to the effort will be where creative business will manifest. The rest will just be a derivative of the banal – pretty lipstick no doubt, but on a pig nonetheless. The real question is where will you play?
You are delusional either way if you choose to stay in the game. So how about we let that one go and get down to the business of asking ourselves ever more who matters, who you will seek to serve and what change you hope to inspire. Self expression is a beautiful thing in these times — who you are today is not who you will be tomorrow and how you expressed yourself yesterday might not have anything to do with how you will next week. If you cannot see the grace in that shift, that is okay, just know that those that do will and their discoveries might become yours too. Embracing the challenge of an uncertain future comes to each of us in our own time. Abject refusal to do so however will place you squarely on the scrap heap of history. Your choice.
