Surround Yourself

 A few weeks ago, in Creativita's first Monthly Gathering, one participant asked:

"What do you do when a project becomes hard? How do you keep going?"

Excellent question. What do I do?

I looked at the screen of faces and saw a colleague, Julie Zaffarano. Julie inspires me with her daring. She seems fearless to me, serene and confident in her current project. I don't mean she doesn't have challenges; she does. Yet when I talk with Julie, she exudes a conviction that the work she is doing is exactly where she is meant to be. 

I find this conviction to be addictive. Hence, whenever I am uncertain of what I should be doing, I drive over to her house to have a chat. Boom. Like a drug, her energy wafts over to me while we sit, physically-distanced, in her outdoor, COVID-safe space. In an hour, my path is clear and my creativity is rejuvenated. I race home to get back to work.

Confidence. Confidence in the path, in the work. That's what I take from Julie.

Then there's my colleague, Jerrell L. Henderson. Jerrell gives me two elements that I need in my creative work - curiosity and courage. His energy reminds me to stay open to new possibilities in my creativity. His energy inspires me to courageously follow my dream of transforming society through my creativity.

Take a look at Jerrell's latest creation, produced by Chicago Children's Theatre:

I surround myself with these people, especially when I am disheartened, unmotivated or confused. My instinct is to pull into my self. But I have learned new behavior. I reach out to them to talk, to bask in their energy, to rejuvenate my creativity.

I return to the question - "What do you do when a project becomes hard? How do you keep going?"

The answer? I surround myself with colleagues who have the very elements I need. 

Surround yourself with what you need.