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I have been an Apple Mac person since 1990, owning one of the first little beige boxes containing an eight-inch screen and a one-megabyte hard drive. For years, this one purchase would be the largest for our young family. As years progressed, my household moved on to new and newer machines, offering a museum timeline of Apple upgrades worthy of the Smithsonian collection. With upgrading machines, it seems cables don’t always match. We now have USB C, replacing several other iterations of cables. With enough adapters, I have usually kept old-yet-expensive hardware longer than most.
One such piece of gear is my 16-channel audio mixing and recording device. I thought retirement was in order. But today in my music studio, I discovered my FireWire 400 audio device still works! There’s a problem, however. It’s just not convenient to operate. Add to that the annoyance of a dialogue box reminding me that the latest Mac software updates will sunset the software that breathes life into my ancient machine. With upgrading, as in life, we have a recurring question. When is it time to move on versus time to hold on?
I could use Visa to finance a new digital audio device. To use a new device on a newer computer would be comfortable, avoiding endless clunky adapters and software workarounds. But I choose to fight. To win this battle, I must find one last adapter in a chain of four. Because of a recent move, it took me hours of searching in unopened boxes throughout the house and garage to find the last missing piece in the chain. However, this victory, as is with life, is temporary. It only gives me hope for a few more months of use. It feels like I’m marching uphill. And my legs are becoming more and more wobbly from the effort. The pain tempts me to click on Amazon, bringing dopamine hits immediately and upon deliver in twenty-four hours.
This reminds me of the tension we must mange between the familiar and novel during the creative process. Do I buy a new device or keep the old one working until it reaches its destiny in an eco-friendly landfill? It is the same with our ideas. There is a line marking when you need to give up on an idea, project, or dream. Every effort to fight change is like praying for another adapter that will keep old computer hardware running. Conversely, if we don’t stick with our creative effort long enough, we may never see completion. Here is the truth. Every creative process comes to an end. It must! It either reaches the finish line or retires early, being set aside as it becomes too burdensome. Every creation reaches a moment that requires us to let it go.
We only have so many days. How we spend the time, energy, and focus of life matters. So, it’s silly to start a thing and then leave it incomplete. It’s like letting go of that hardware at the first obstacle of reconfiguring my setup. I could have done that years ago! Just as my bank account can’t afford an abundance of convenience upgrades for my music studio, I must be careful to allow my creative endeavors to reach their full potential. As we create, there will always be a loss, an end, or a terrible dose of discomfort. Because we live within the constraints of time and space, it’s prudent to know well the point to give up the old thing to make way for the new thing. But am I willing to let go?
Here is a list of five principles to remember about change.
- We fear the pain of the change more than the actual change. Brace yourself and delay your gratification.
- There will always be a tension between ending a creation and sticking with it. Remember that this middle zone is a no-man’s land.
- Whether you move on or do nothing, you are making a decision. This means you always have some choice in what to do.
- It is fact that we never know if what we make will succeed or not. Accept this and embrace the process and progress over perfection.
- The context for your creation will always be in flux. Just like the laws physics, we understand the variables we can’t control. This keeps us sane.
We all think change is something we fear. But what we actually fear is the loss it brings. Well, change is coming. I can choose to change too often. Or I can hold on and never release my dreams into the world, refusing to launch it. If I take too long, I may be forced to abandon a great amount of effort. What we cannot avoid is the pain. Whether a cable adapter or a changing market, the landscape is never static. If you are powerful enough to make creating safe and immovable, then perhaps you’ve failed to create at all. No matter what, creation brings about inconvenience. The secret is to keep that balance between new and familiar, not only for your audience, but for your own sanity. Keep creating!
The post Change, Uncertainty and the Creative Process: Five Principles to Remember appeared first on Rich Kirkpatrick.
