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Newline Creative Has Moved
Starting and Finishing
Interesting article by John C. Maxwell. As you read this, place it in the context of creative leadership; think about it in terms of your role as a creative leader, freelancer, etc.
THE BOOKENDS OF SUCCESS
Great leaders understand the two bookends of success: starting and finishing. We generally think about them in terms of doing a task or project. However, what’s true in our approach to projects is also true in our approach to each day. How we spend our mornings and evenings has a tremendous bearing on the course of our leadership.
I use my morning to set up a game plan for the day. During this time, I allow no interruptions. I never schedule breakfast meetings, and I isolate myself from distractions. I do not permit myself to strategize years down the road or to project my thoughts months into the future. Rather, I narrow my focus to the upcoming 24 hours. I ask myself: “Just for today, how can I be a success?” Viewing life in 24-hour increments, I place a premium on each day. I try to make each one a masterpiece.
During the evening, I reflect on my day. By reflecting, I translate my day’s experiences into learning opportunities. This process solidifies in my mind the lessons I’ve discovered or bits of knowledge I’ve uncovered. Reflecting also gives me the space to assess my progress on the goals I made during the morning.
Relaxation is another important part of my evening routine. I make a point to put my leisure time into activities that replenish me by refueling my energy. For me, such activities include spending quality time with my wife, reading a book, or studying Scriptures. Relaxation puts me in a good emotional state, lifts my spirits, and reminds me of the joys of life.
When I neglect to carve out time in the morning to plan my day, I notice adverse effects. First, I don’t live my day on purpose. Instead of choosing where to invest my time, I cede control of my schedule to whatever circumstances happen to arise. Second, I squander my energy. Since I don’t outline clear goals for my day, I float from one activity to another without getting anything done. Finally, when I skip my morning planning time, I feel overwhelmed. Since I’m ambitious, I have a propensity to bite off more than I can chew. If I don’t focus my attention, the weight of my numerous involvements begins to drag me down.
When I am not intentional about setting aside evening time for relaxation, I encounter negative symptoms, too. First, I get uptight. My times of reflection and relaxation act like valves that release stress from my life. If I don’t guard those times, I get tense, my thoughts are more negative, and my health suffers. Second, I lose passion. My leisure times fuel me. If I am not intentional about putting time into my favorite activities, then life loses its luster. Third, I miss chances to grow. When I don’t reflect on the meaningful moments from each day, I rob myself of the benefits of experience.
SUMMARY
Yesterday is gone, and tomorrow is out of reach. That’s why today matters. Leaders who value each day know the importance of starting well and finishing strong. In the mornings, they focus their energies on key tasks, and in the evenings, they replenish themselves. By mastering the bookends of success, leaders position themselves to make an impact every day.
Responsibility of a Creative Professional
Design is solving problems. When a problem is solved, progress is made. As creative leaders, we are in positions to contribute solutions to our society; whether we are freelancers, working in corporate or non-profit organizations, or manage our own creative groups. From the moment we make the decision to take up the role of a designer, either in leadership or entry-level, graphic or furniture, advertising or consulting, we are marked with a social responsibility to better our society locally, nationally, and globally. It becomes our responsibility to question existing solutions and provide better, clearer, and more effective answers to the every-day problems. It is creating a more successful approach for an organization to communicate to its employees. It is designing a more intelligent method of conserving energy in a thirty-story office building. It is designing a brochure that communicates a product’s benefits more clearly. Every undertaking that a creative professional pursues, or is entrusted with, is an opportunity for him or her to take the ordinary and make is extraordinary.
I challenge all creative professionals to question every decision that is made in your line of work. Please understand, there are always elements of accident, surprise, and play during the creative process that yield valuable and interesting results. But, there should be a strict discipline to make every choice, every decision, and every step count. Why are you choosing a particular typeface? Why are you choosing to use a particular fabric for the upcoming fall collection? Why are you choosing a specific window size for the new building project?
During the creative process, if your decisions are based on the merit of ‘what looks cool’, and ‘what you like’, I strongly suggest you reconsider your decision-making method very quickly, or reassess your career path.
Your are responsible for making things better, more interesting, easier to use – not the other way around. You are responsible for contributing to the progress of the organization or individual you create work for.
Stop Collecting, and Start Building!
We will go through seasons of collecting, absorbing, researching. Our information bank on the particular subject grows increasingly. We surround ourselves with piles of rocks, sometimes more than we know what to do with. There comes a time when we must force ourselves to stop the collecting process, and begin building. Take one rock at a time and make something happen. There is no change if there is no change. Take action, stop fooling yourself into thinking that progress is being made when in all actuality, you are drowning yourself in the sea collected things.
