DEAR CHANEL:
I was watching one of my favorite shows – Shark Tank and this one
entrepreneur said –
“To build wealth it’s all about proximity, you hang around four broke people… you’ll be the fifth. You hang around even just one billionaire that proximity can impact your life.”
Which brings me to my letter topic of today and it’s about calibrating skill set and occupational goals. While my artistic career isn’t necessarily quantifiable like wealth/money are – the growth rules still apply and it all has to do with looking for work in the right wheelhouse with the right trajectory and timeline.
The difference between a goal and a dream is that a goal has a timeline, so what’s my or I suppose OUR timeline for our careers? How does that work with writing? If writing is rewriting and if you’re a writer you’re a writer because you like to write and you write everyday and keep honing in on your craft whether or not you sell... Then how does this timeline/deadline target work for a goal such as ours?
I suppose that is the major question…
Maybe that’s why you and I are together writing this blog and sharing this experience with each other and all those that decide they want to read and share in this journey with us.
“To build wealth it’s all about proximity, you hang around four broke people… you’ll be the fifth. You hang around even just one billionaire that proximity can impact your life.”
Which brings me to my letter topic of today and it’s about calibrating skill set and occupational goals. While my artistic career isn’t necessarily quantifiable like wealth/money are – the growth rules still apply and it all has to do with looking for work in the right wheelhouse with the right trajectory and timeline.
The difference between a goal and a dream is that a goal has a timeline, so what’s my or I suppose OUR timeline for our careers? How does that work with writing? If writing is rewriting and if you’re a writer you’re a writer because you like to write and you write everyday and keep honing in on your craft whether or not you sell... Then how does this timeline/deadline target work for a goal such as ours?
I suppose that is the major question…
Maybe that’s why you and I are together writing this blog and sharing this experience with each other and all those that decide they want to read and share in this journey with us.
Back to the grind,
--Row
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DEAR ROW:
I could not have said it better: Dreams are
goals without a timeline. Nicely put. But I do believe writers can have a
timeline. I’m a fan of baby accomplishments:
Accomplishment #1: obtain an MFA – you can check that off
Accomplishment #2: move to Los Angeles – ditto
Accomplishment #3: get an internship – ditto
Accomplishment #4: and a start-up directing gig – ditto
You have a working timeline. And you’re moving and shaking. Writers have timelines. Sometimes it’s internal, and sometimes it’s the deadlines we give ourselves and post on walls. And other times it's the deadlines given to us externally. Regardless, give yourself your own timeline. We can only plan so much of what happens outside of our writing caves, but we can plan how productive we are within our caves.
But I really do feel you have the rest covered...
Write me back,
Chanel Accomplishment #1: obtain an MFA – you can check that off
Accomplishment #2: move to Los Angeles – ditto
Accomplishment #3: get an internship – ditto
Accomplishment #4: and a start-up directing gig – ditto
You have a working timeline. And you’re moving and shaking. Writers have timelines. Sometimes it’s internal, and sometimes it’s the deadlines we give ourselves and post on walls. And other times it's the deadlines given to us externally. Regardless, give yourself your own timeline. We can only plan so much of what happens outside of our writing caves, but we can plan how productive we are within our caves.
But I really do feel you have the rest covered...
Write me back,
I think these are really interesting thoughts on proximity, success, and goals.
ReplyDeleteThe only thing I'd add is that making goals external (I'll have a production in a year) sets one up for failure. Since so much in our business is about luck, being in the right place at the right time, and gatekeepers' tastes, the best we can do is set internal goals.
For me, I find it important to set goals such as, "I'll write a play by X date. I will submit that play to X, Y, and Z places by Y date." And etcetera. That way the onus is on me to write, submit, network, and all the rest, and that takes "success" out of the hands of producers and keeps it in mine as an artist. Even if I never get a production.
(All this is easier said than done, though!)