Start backing up the dump truck of compromise

Woody once said that whenever he started to write his films that in his bedroom, he would think they were going to be the greatest things ever
made. 

But then, once production was a go, he would start backing up the dump
truck of compromise. And by the end, when the movie was about to be released,
he would hope and pray that he wasn’t massively humiliated. 

Because you can’t
vouch for the final product, he warns. You can hope people talk about it, but
you can’t promise that they’ll like it. 

Proof positive, that everything we
create has two births. 

First, as an idea in our head, where it’s flawless and
foolproof and innocent. 

Second, as the real and tangible output of that idea in
the world, where it’s powerlessly exposed to the harsh, raw light of reality. 

The challenge is surrendering to that gap. Accepting that whatever is in our
brains cannot be fully and perfectly realized on screen, on the page or on the
stage. And remembering that the work never comes out quite the way we think it
will. 

But at the same time, not beating ourselves up for making compromises and
managing expectations and ceasing to engage in meaningless battles. 

I used to
come down hard on myself when my book and music and film projects looked differently
in the real world than they did inside my heads. But I’m learning to accept
that as the purchase price of producing things. 

Because there’s always
something lost in translation. Losing the full subtlety of meaning when we move
from conception to execution is part of the creative process. 

And in fact,
that’s a good thing. It teaches us not to be so damn precious about everything. 

It helps us pass beyond the limits of the tiny island universe of our minds. 

LET ME ASK YA THIS…  

Are you able to forgive yourself for backing up the dump truck of compromise?

* * * *

Scott Ginsberg

That Guy with the Nametag

Author. Speaker. Strategist. Inventor. Filmmaker. Publisher. Songwriter.  

[email protected]

www.nametagscott.com

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Namaste.