Those random takes

I have been in a lot of photoshoots and every session fascinates me. I have had creative people present me with storyboards and renditions. Professional photographers would show me their “pegs.”

There would be very serious creative directors who would laboriously follow the art-work, the design, and the “peg.” This makes sense. Can you imagine the number of hours this person and his staff spent in coming up with the design idea? The session takes a lot more time to execute as details have to be followed to the letter. No room for mistake. “Do it right the first time” is their favorite slogan as they shout behind the cameras. These are the same professional creative people who deplore amateur models that cannot project the look required as reflected through their “pegs.” Tension is usually very high in cases like these.

After all the details are followed and implemented, the client (me) usually love the shots or taken in random; the unprepared ones; those that were not the “pegs.” This, however, frustrates the creative people who obsessed over the original designs and would brand clients like me as “stupid, dumb, and devoid of art and sensibility.” Of course, they will never tell me that to my face, but I suspect this is what transpires during their staff meeting.

I smile externally, but I laugh internally and whisper to myself, (of course I would not tell this to their faces) “I am paying for the work anyway. I own the business, I know what works best for it, and I still get to make the final decision and, perhaps with a sinister delight, enjoy frustrating them.”

Creative people and artists know this. Sometimes, they will admit it. Most other times, they will not. But my friend and author Todd Henry explains this: Their successful projects may or may not perfectly capture their original vision. Very few creative projects truly match the original “Aha!” moment that inspired them because ideas always appear much more perfect in their minds than they when they are brought into the world where compromise and tension are inevitable. Referring to the works of Scott Berkun, Henry described this dynamic in a recent interview as a series of “gaps” that must be steered in order to do navigate creative work from inception to completion. “The great surprise for people with good ideas is the gap between how an idea feels in their mind and how it feels when they put the idea to work.”

Here are the gaps:

The effort gap

Some people become paralyzed at the thought of taking action on their idea. It feels perfect in their mind, and they fear that any execution will never live up to their standards. Berkun writes that “Many people suffer from creative cowardice and a fear of commitment because they are afraid of closing the effort gap. They want to be creative without any risks. They know that there is a chance they can put in weeks of work, and have the project fail. Instead, they prefer the shallow perfection of keeping the idea locked in their minds…” Thus, you must be aware of the forces that keep your idea locked in your head and prevent you from taking first steps toward bringing it into the world. 

Is there an idea that you’ve been afraid to take first steps on because you fear it won’t live up to your expectations?

The skill gap

According to Berkun, it’s easy to become paralyzed when you compare your in-process work with the work of the best performers in your field.  “When we see work from our heroes, it’s easy to forget they once had skill gaps too. We imagine they were born with the abilities we know them for,” he writes. “We don’t see their many experiments, their uncertain output during the long years they developed the skills they have become famous for.” It’s important not to allow comparison to paralyze you and prevent you from beginning. Every brilliant project begins with awkward first steps. 

Is unhealthy comparison preventing you from taking action on your idea or in your leadership?

The quality gap

Even the most brilliant contributors still experience insecurity about their work. Your work is unlikely to ever live up to your expectations, no matter how hard you work on it. That’s simply a fact of life for creative people with high standards. As Berkun writes, “Bruce Springsteen once called the Born To Run album ‘the worst piece of garbage’ he’s ever heard, and didn’t want to release it.” As hard as it is to imagine, some of the most influential work in culture felt unready for consumption by its creator. 

This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, though. As Berkun shared, “To be perfectly satisfied with something you make likely means you didn’t learn anything along the way, and I’d rather be a little disappointed with projects now and then than experience the alternative of never learning anything at all.” The key is to recognize that you’re not alone in your struggle for perfection, and to not allow it to prevent you from putting your idea into the world where it can impact others.  And, as Berkun added, “Take pleasure in small progressions when you see them, and know those hard-won gains are the only way anyone in history has ever achieved anything noteworthy—for themselves or for the world.” 

Creative work is an assault on uncertainty, and it requires persistence, focus, and bravery. Don’t allow the three gaps to lock your ideas up inside your head. Get them out into the world, even in imperfect ways, so that they can impact your organization and the world. And, lead your team to do the same.

Great ideas are downright practical too. So stop being a perfectionist. Leave room for creativity and yes…those random takes.

(Mark your calendars on Jan. 25 for the much-awaited event “Power Up for Peak Performance”! It will be at the Samsung Hall, SM Aura, BGC. This whole-day event featuring a power-packed cast of fantastic speakers will take place from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. For further inquiries or advanced reservations, contact April at +63928-559-1798 or register online at www.powerup.ph)