Creative Musings Column
by Stephen Zimmer
Go With the Flow, After Full Preparation
I was having dinner at Pete’s Wok, the delightfully wonderful eatery that’s my favorite in Lexington, last evening, and I received a very interesting fortune cookie that summed up nicely one of the core things that I hold to. Before we continue further, this is the message of the fortune cookie:
“Over prepare, then go with the flow.”
This made me think of that famous serenity prayer, the one attributed to the theologian Reinhold Niebuhr, about having the courage to change the things you can, the serenity to accept the things you can’t change, and the wisdom to know the difference. ,
There is a lot to be gleaned from both the fortune cookie and the serenity prayer when it comes to the often topsy-turvy, unpredictable world of the arts. In truth, the insights apply to just about anyone making their way in any sphere of activity.
Preparation is always the best foundation for success. It’s like they say, good luck is when preparation meets with opportunity.
For many of us in the arts, whether writers, filmmakers, illustrators, game designers, comic creators or others, that opportunity can seem very elusive, often maddeningly so. Sometimes that opportunity seems so close at hand, and even manifests in the lives of others who are close in association to you.
For a great many of us it is a long road, filled with hills and valleys, and enduring that road requires the right kind of mindset. The best skyscrapers are built with the ability to sway. A rigid skyscraper simply won’t endure in the long run. Flexibility matters and sometimes you really do have to go with the flow, adapt, react, adjust and make the best of situations.
If you are shooting a film and have a day scheduled outdoors shooting exteriors, you might get unexpected bad weather. Going with the flow means that you have an alternate plan set for shooting some interiors on short notice, if that inclement weather situation arises.
If you are an author and are attending a bookstore signing, you might arrive to find out that there is a big event going on in the town that results in very low traffic to the bookstore that particular day. Going with the flow means you spend your day getting to know the store owner, book sellers, engage everyone who does attend, find out about local writing groups or reading clubs, and make the most of leaving a good impression by the time you leave. You might not have many sales, but you will have achieved a successful day for your big picture.
If you are a musician, and find yourself on stage in front of five people as the opening act on a Wednesday night gig, going with the flow means you put on the best live show you possibly can, as if you are playing a sold-out Madison Square Gardens. If you walk off that little club stage in the same way you would a big arena one, it’s a sign you have been preparing yourself in the right way.
Being prepared and going with the flow has a lot to do with making sure that you bring the best version of yourself to the table, and then be flexible toward what comes later. There are so many things that happen that are out of a person’s control and it gains nothing to dwell on those things, brood, become angry, and expend energy on what cannot be changed. Negative energy is useless and does nothing to advance you.
Yet nobody has boundless energy, even of the more positive sorts, so apply the lion’s share of your effort toward the things that you can do, and can change. Have a plan B, C, and even D in mind, so that you don’t get frozen with disappointment if your A plan or scenario is not panning out on a given day, or week, or month.
Prepare. And by prepare I mean prepare in all phases. Know your industry. Hone your craft. Invest time and resources into your chosen path, whether that’s getting the best equipment you can, taking advantage of educational or networking opportunities, or promoting yourself in a professional manner. Take care of yourself as best you can in terms of your health, both physical and mental. All of those things are a part of being prepared, some aspects of which I’ve had to refocus on at times.
Then, after staying prepared and going with the flow in a way that has kept you moving forward, not stagnating, and growing, you just might find yourself encountering that opportunity. That’s when the good luck thrives.
Over prepare, and go with the flow. 😉
Loved this article. Life has up and downs and yes we must adapt and prepare or we lose sight of the enjoyment life can bring us. Keep yourself positive and karma will handle the rest. Upward and Onward as the great Zimmer would say.