The further I go into this producing, company-running malarky. The more I think about how foolish I was when I started. Not because I didn’t know the things I know now, but because I always felt like I needed to know more than I did: to be in a better starting position. Then I’d get to the starting position and realise there is even more to learn - an internal cycle of never quite knowing enough.
I used to view this as my downfall, the thing that people would figure out about me. I was so scared to share my thoughts because I didn’t want people to know that I didn’t have an encyclopaedic knowledge of the industry. But the reality is, we will never know everything; there will always be something new on a project. A few years in and I am still figuring some things out as I go. Although... something has changed in my perspective, it is exciting now and I know everyone is in the same boat!
I haven’t met a single creative who 100% feels like they know what they are doing within their new project, and this is one of the reasons why we want to be in this industry, right? We will never know what will happen next. We are constantly searching and finding new answers or things get stale. It is the beauty of this work and is by no means a downfall.
So, I have a challenge for you this month. If you are like me, and feel like you need to know everything before you jump, then I urge you to dive right into a project - that project you have been putting off because you don’t quite know a small detail. Give it a go and relish every new opportunity to learn. I am urging you to do this because upon reflection we could have started this company years before we did.
I know I have written a lot of blogs about what you need to start a company, but really, if you want to get going the most helpful things to have are:
1) Friends and creatives to lean on. Don’t be afraid to ask questions and work things out together.
2) Curiosity and a lot of scope to have fun.
3) A solid grasp of what you like to watch, read and what you want to see. Be confident in your opinion.
4) A log of anything you would do differently for next time so that you always have a better starting point.
Let us know how you get on with your new adventure, and if you need a creative to lean on, drop me a line. I will try to answer any questions you have. If I can’t, we shall figure it out together!