We function in a culture where the best idea wins, where no one can
stop an idea whose time has come—an idea that touches the hearts, minds,
desires, and pocket books of people everywhere.
Being an actor, producer, or writer is a gift, but it comes with
a responsibility. Your job to bring to life the ideas and projects that make you
come alive, yet your sense of being shines through in whatever medium used to
express your art.
How you manage yourself is reflected in what you portray to others.
So, it is your cosmic mission to deliver a message that will inspire
others to live their mission.
How can you best do this? Here are five keys:
1. Leadership: Focusing on team. In any position of influence, you
can create a form of teamwork that retains individual star power while developing
team power. In becoming a creative, collaborative team, people learn both how
to lead and how to be part of the team by meeting their responsibilities and providing
value to their projects.
With an army of cast and crewmembers, film productions tend to run
like military operations. The orders come down from the top and get filtered down
the line. However, there are always people working together as a team to solve
their unique challenges. Knowing the strengths and vulnerabilities of the crew—and
trusting them enough to find their own creative solutions—gives the best
possible results in the shortest time.
You need to recognize your own responsibility in the results you
get. If something does not work as planned, ask yourself: Did I communicate my
ideas effectively? Did I allow enough time. Could I have received input earlier
so that the vision matched the constraints? Develop your leadership skills with
an eye toward teamwork skills, and you will be free to do your personal best work—while
reaping the benefits of a powerful team of creative players who are free to do
their best work.
2. Accountability: Managing the creative process. One great truth
of life is that things change. Your happiness depends on your ability to roll
with the punches, flow, and revisions.
So, managing accountability is a skill for managing change in the
creative process. Yet what do you know about how accountability works? What do
you want? When do you want it? How will you know when it is done? Ask these questions
when defining the delivery or completion of any task, request, or deliverable.
Without clear definition and directive, no one saves any time. Being
clear about the task at hand is the key to its timely completion. If you’ve
just been asked to do something vague, then clarify the information. Clarify what
exactly the “deliverable” is. Confirm the timeline, and anticipate
obstacles to making the deadline. Are you going on vacation? Is someone in the
loop going out of town? Is the delivery day a holiday?
Accountability boils down to integrity. If you allow yourself to
be held accountable for something, you make a commitment to yourself and others.
You need to be honest with yourself and your ability to complete the task. When
you are asked to accept an assignment, speak up about how you are doing on your
assigned tasks. Are you behind on other projects and just saying yes to avoid
accountability? If so, then fess up. Before accepting any task, make sure you
are in a position to commit to the project and do the job to the best of your
ability.
3. Collaboration: Adapting to changing needs. Collaboration is a
challenge when a group of strong-minded artists come together, all aching to express
their own view and wanting their voice to be heard. Yet, for a collaborative effort
to be effective, each member needs to be open to other ideas and willing to adapt.
To sustain creative work, team members must learn to collaborate, even in the
midst of emotional turmoil. They need to adapt to the changing needs of a team.
What sacrifices are you willing to make to your collaborative process? What requests
are you willing to make of your partners that will allow you to heal and balance
the parts of your life that are out of alignment with the life you want? What
are the emotional wounds or unresolved issues that are either a motivator for
your success, or an impediment to your collaboration and creation? What greater
gains would be achieved if you let up on your need for control?
4. Creativity: Silencing the inner voices. Learn to manage the voices inside your head. It’s not just procrastination that you are dealing with—it’s
the messy, scary process of creating from “out of nothing,” bringing
new ideas, life, situations, or circumstances into existence. By the nature of
the work, you must separate yourself from the process of being in the regular
world—leave your friends, families and communities behind while you enter
the zone of new creation, temporarily block out the real world, and transcribe
the thoughts, ideas, voices, and visions in your head.
The first challenge in creating is to confidently pass by the voices
of doubt and fear. Your own true voice waits patiently for the time when the coast
is clear of the dragons and demons of doubt and fear. When you hear these voices
in your head, there are three things you can do: listen to them, ignore them,
or write them down. When you start the creative process, spend some minutes writing
down all the voices in your head—and then choose what to do with them. Then,
when you get back to work, you can refocus your attention away from the voices
you identified to the voices you want in your work.
5. Power of authenticity: Speaking your truth. Writer David Whyte
has said: “Art is the act of triggering deep memories of what it means to
be fully human.” Being true to your humanity will make you a better artist,
but how can you stay present in your job when unexpected events occur? How do
you juggle the competing calls for attention from your personal and professional
life?
I recently battled with these questions in the midst of my father’s
illness. He’s on the mend now, but during this stressful situation, I discovered
I could no longer be present with my work or my clients. So, I flew to Florida
to be with my parents. I sensed that my presence was important. Ultimately, just
“being there” was enough—being fully present with the prospect
of losing one parent and wondering about the impact on the other. Sitting in the
hospital room with my dad, chatting between naps, and being with my mom as she
adapted to the sudden unexpected shifts in her life. This was the first time in
my life that I experienced my parents going through an unexpected major life change.
And I could communicate to my clients what was going on. I was free
to be completely honest with people about what I was going through. Some clients
wanted to hear more, some less. In some it brought up concerns and questions of
their own and started conversations around how they spend their time at work,
home, and with family.
This situation enabled me to see my reluctance to discuss my vulnerabilities,
particularly when they “interfere” with my professional life. I tend
to want to present a steady image of “everything’s always alright,”
even when it isn’t.
I find that when I simply speak my truth and am present with my feelings,
I can be more present in general. I get to know my clients better, they get to
know me better, and even though I lose some billable hours, it feels like the
most powerful choice for all concerned. Such experiences serve as reminders to
remain open, follow my intuition, and speak my truth.
Pay attention to what you are hiding in your life and work. Opening
up about certain situations will provide an outlet for others to do the same—to
express themselves more fully and fulfill their own cosmic mission? PE
