When I was a kid, if I did not do my homework, I would not be able to watch my favorite show that night. M.A.S.H., Man From Atlantis, even C.H.I.P.s are responsible for my ability to manage my time well. With no VCR, DVD, DVR or Video-on-Demand, if you missed the episode, it was gone until summer, when you would not want to watch it anyway. So there was real pressure for me to get done what I had to so that I did not miss the moment.
I had this conversation with my six year old and it just did not register. “Well, you could just watch it on ITunes/Netflix/On-Demand later.” He will grow up not knowing the pressure of missing the moment. Sporting events are about all I can think of today that might come close to what I (and I am sure tons of kids) lived with every day.
The Internet, of course, takes this much further than just entertainment. If you have to go to the library to get information, you have to be prepared to get the information you need when it is actually open. Imagine if Google/Wikipedia only operated from ten to six.
So what happens when you remove the finiteness of resources and assets? When fleeting becomes whenever you need it? No, I do not think we all become lazy. We just have to work harder to manage time, create time pressure and value the moment.
The implications for creative business are enormous. Why? Because ALL creative business is about the finite, the fleeting, the moment. You are either creating the idea for the moment, building towards it or actually delivering it for your clients. Your success is wholly dependent on moving through your process with requisite pressure on each step so that you can move easily and effectively to the next. For example, if an interior designer/architect does not get sign off on the design in the time frame they need, delivering the final product when it is due gets increasingly more difficult. But we do not live in that culture any more. Everyone’s time frame is his or her own and flexibility is how we all live. We decide when we want to do just about anything without worrying we will miss, well, anything.
All of which is to say you, your art and your creative business have to go the other way. You have to deliver the finite, the fleeting, the moment and impress upon your clients, employees, colleagues, etc. its value in the very face of infinite flexibility. Hey, no one said it was going to be easy. Then again, there is increasingly diminished satisfaction in knowing that you will never miss anything if you do not want to. So showing the value of the finite, the fleeting, the moment, can and should be its own reward.
And here is the biggest thought of all: if you set up your creative business to deliver in the end with a huge gulf/wasteland/blackout in between engagement and delivery, you are in deep deep trouble. All artists need answers along the way to deliver their best work. Without being able to communicate the finite value the question, each question, encompasses, you jeopardize your ability to control your own process. Sure, you will get done in the end, but getting there will become increasingly more painful. Our “decide when we want” culture is not going away any time soon.
Instead, why not work on impressing on your clients, employees and colleagues the value of each step in the journey and just how fleeting, finite and wonderful each step is? My guess, you will make the destination inevitable and far more enjoyable along the way for everyone – you, your art and creative business most of all.
