"Creativity and ego cannot go together; but if you free yourself from the comparing and the jealous mind, creativity opens up endlessly."

-Jeong Kwan

I was scanning through some articles in a photography blog that I follow and caught an article by Rajib Mukherjee (https://www.picturecorrect.com/tips/creative-jealousy-and-how-to-deal-with-it-as-a-photographer/) featuring thoughts a photographer named Sean Tucker. He shared about how he struggles with creative envy. I certainly resonate with this as I go through seasons from time time to time, when because of spiraling down into jealous thoughts of others’ successes, I fail to be who I am best at being. I love the first thought shared by Chef Jeong Kwan as featured in Chef’s Table.

I commit to focussing on being the most excellent version of me.

"Remember that the mark of a [great] professional is that they run their own race; they're not constantly comparing themselves to others. They're not threatened by the work that other produce. They’re too busy doing what they do. They don’t allow jealousy to take up emotional and mental space."

-Sean Tucker

I snapped this passage from a magazine to share with my team. Beyond just being for a video director, these are good thoughts to contemplate regardless of our position - serving the artistic vision and the thrill of live production when supporting and enhancing art and communication

I have been thinking a lot about team. I suspect that many of our attenders would love to feel less overworked and stressed that they never get to breathe as they move from event to event to event with no end to tunnel of expectation. I suggest it’s actually a simple fix if there is a paradigm shift in what the job is. A true FILO ought to always be thinking about how our real job as Production Directors (or discipline leads for that matter) and is not to "do" a task, but rather to lead volunteers into a place they can serve as part of the Body of Christ. Let’s encourage our attenders to focus their energy on praying (Matt. 9:38) through who they invite with them to partner on the project. Let’s challenge our FILOs to see success as "working themselves out of a job" by training a volunteer to find their greatness in task rather than stooping to the lowest common denominator of finding identity as doing the task themselves.

Related, it’s important to remember that what we do with our "clock punching" and serving may be a virtuous thing, but it is vital to maintain the perspective that it is not the Work of God (John 6:29) - the Work of God is to believe in in Jesus, "ministry is simply a context for us to lift up Jesus as we help fill our position in the Body of Christ.

Initial ideation:

What about ideas of seeing the difference between a "one man band" and a conductor of an orchestra?

Just read this this morning after conversation with a friend I’ve mentored and hoped for for more than a decade now. I pray for us to have oneness. I pray with grand hope for humanity also... I will work hard at the former that I may have some bit of actual control of. I will pray for the utopian hope as well...

A friend recently messaged me on my thoughts of how we evaluate our product after each event. I voice texted the following:

An indication of success is the observation of team celebrating that they had the privilege of experiencing the events together. That members of the team would offer self critique of the things that they individually remember missing and proposing their plan for how to improve it because they want to improve the overall win. That they would encourage the others in their successes in a posture of gratefulness to serve alongside such talent and attitude.

The greatest single indicator is joy. Do people like being part of the team? Do they celebrate that? Do they celebrate one another, even if they weren't part of the element? Is it a privilege to be part of the same team? Are they thinking about people that they want to invite along to the experience?

Another is adaptability. Are they willing to follow the leadership on a last-minute course correction without gripe or grumble or stressful freakout; but rather peace and even excitement.

Finally, and this is certainly more of a long-term evaluation: Are people working themselves out of a job? If the true culture is discipleship, then it will play out in the entire context of the persons life. Even to the point of training others to replace you in task and responsibility. The body of Christ is always evolving. Are we openhanded to however the spirit will move people and grow people?

My goal as a leader is to never say "no." Rather even if I know with certainty that "no" is the correct choice, I prefer lead through the situation by considering the possibility of a yes. I try to lay out the best few options that we can see and what the benefits and consequences are from each.

Most choices to try an enhance a plan requires a choice to abandon another part of it. If someone does pose a truly good idea, we'll all probably agree that it's an improvement. If the culture is created that all ideas are considered, then there will be a better chance of good ideas being offered.

If change is always squashed, then ideas for improvement will never be revealed and we will die in status quo…

If an idea is suggested that I know (either because of intuition or previous experience) is a poor choice, I am a better leader if I steer them (be they a subordinate, a peer, or a superior) toward realizing the choice on their own.

Summarized, I'm the best leader when I am optimistic and disciplined enough to choose not to say "no."

A stream of thought listing things I consider with every design:

Sometimes the best path is nonlinear. Process matters. Effective is more important than efficient.

Life is too short to allow people to cherish the lesser. Break paradigms. Call people to the higher standard.