The Curiouser

 Theater as an industry was broken before it went dark. We all knew it, but the teetering, guarded mess was too tangled and wobbly to fix.  As we reopen, the indoor venues will unfold last, and they won't be the same.  What is the opportunity for reinvention? What will theater in a decade even look like? 

  Last week I colored a handful of eggs to go into a blue bowl on our table for Easter Sunday. As the weather turns warmer it has me missing the cold nights and the lights and preparations for those chilly air holidays. And this has me thinking about the secret visitors that we invite into our homes. The magical beings who bring toys and foods and fix shoes... In this year of not bringing other people into our homes it seems that the magical beings have extra meaning this year. Wrapped into the traditions is this place we set for the ones we do not see, or the place for the honored guest left open at our feast. This year most of the places are left open.  What part of us does the magic creature feed? How is our own presence felt thru absence? In this place not filled there is hope and remembrance. 

The lock loves the key The key is bound to the ring The door keeps secrets.

 When we talk about the work of others, what are we saying about ourselves? Why not start championing the work of the people around you? When you bring up the positive difference people on your team are making, you can also reenforce the strength of the team. An added bonus is that you begin to build your credibility as a person who sees talent.  Be a champion of others as often as possible. 

  Once you start cultivating them, ideas are everywhere. The seed of an idea is a question, asking "what if". But the seeds fall from an earlier flower: observation.  Observing the world, understanding yourself in it, compassion for others, seeing past the obvious, stoking curiosity -- there are all ways to enhance your observational skills to generate ideas. Because an idea is not the end place. The idea is one of many little floating bits, one the air, underfoot, in the dirt. The art of it is being able to find a workable idea, a strong idea, the one to grow.  The selection process can be luck when you are first learning to cultivate, and as you get better at recognizing the worth, that's wisdom. 

I know , I know, the famous quote form Steve Jobs is "Real artists ship." And the wonderful Seth Godin has a whole book dedicated to artists and creatives getting to the work and simply shipping as a daily practice (his book is called "The Practice" after all.) But there's this whole other way of doing the work, a wee bit at a time -- chipping away in a consistent manner... one little sliver more, one beat, one sentence, one stroke, one step... it's not a race. Chipping, you often have to step away for perspective, and then return to chip some more, and step back again to make sure you're chipping the right bits off. Little and Often Make Much is a mantra that got me through writing a whole book and so many other things. Keep chipping at it. Step away. Return.  As Michelangelo remarked about the marble, the giant is sleeping within. We have to release him. But be careful not to knock off the nose or something because you were determined to simply chip ...

 In the story, the greatest hero rarely slays the villain.  Monsters, sure, henchmen, yeah, but the arch-villain, the main object, hardly ever goes over the edge. Or if they do perish, it's usually their own fault.  What was the goal? When the hero first set out, it was probably to slay the villain. But things change. The hero acquires skills and friends and knowledge along the path, gaining a broader perspective. When they face the villain the hero has realized that there are other goals beyond this one.  When we consider our own goals, what happens if we think about the larger mission? What if the mission isn't simply to reach an objective, but to be immersed in the journey? What if the goal is a learning path that meanders and eddies and takes a little more time?  Instead of goals, we seek an adventure path. How might this change what we consider the outcome?