The Day Investment Potential Killed Potential Investment

I felt the burn of the finger tips, and whilst I still have a breath in my lungs and a second of free time before exams, I am going to expend some energy on writing another blog post.

I read a creativity blog (I’ll call it creativity, because we seem to like the idea of categorising blogs nowadays) which was talking about how in our day and society, we have a considerable lack of support for the activity of ‘making’ things. I’ll expand. He was on about the having of a career in the production of something, and how it seems there are very few people who actually manage to do this and get paid for it. We all know it’s well supported to have a hobby where you use your imagination and create things, but what’s it like for the business and professional world?

And the truth is, as he said, it is very much less plausible to make a living out of making things. The art of production. The fathom of creativity. He says the most of us pursuing that area end up in marketing, offering a service which is most often not a physical thing. He goes on to say some other things too, but I won’t steal all his glory, so you should read that if you’re interested. Thanks, Justin Kownacki.

Anyway, the reason I picked up on this, is I wanted to explore some of his points. The blog post he wrote is mainly about the physical production of something and how that as a career has decreased in number, but I would go as far as saying that any creative career path is in jeopardy at the moment. From the word go, through school, through college, you have a sort of fear drummed into you about the risks of the professional creative arts. And I’m sure that a large element of the lack of success in the creative areas, is that people don’t try. They get side tracked or they make a conscious decision to play to safe, to have security. And understandably so. But is there something almost oppressive about the sort of fears installed in us?

Now, I’m not saying everybody should quit their jobs and start drawing cartoon characters they had thought up from their childhood. I’m just saying that maybe the scare of the professional world should be given a little perspective, or the world itself changed to make the scare less. It’s a sad thing if nothing’s ever created in the world unless its a forgone conclusion of success. You have to try things, you have to fail, you have to discover. There’s a storm coming (, Harry!) if people never invest in potential (whether it be there own or somebody else’s) and always go for the already winners. The already winners won’t always be winners. And chances are they don’t even need half of the investment they’re given to survive. Potential needs that investment.

I’m hugely into film making. I’d have probably chosen it as a life’s path if I hadn’t found the beautiful subject of Physics (yes, it is beautiful) at school. I know that quite of a few businesses and networks have discovered that championing upcoming talent or circles is actually quite helpful. Chop down a tree, plant one. And all that jazz. That’s good to know. But I think the world needs to be careful not to get too fond of the pass-the-parcel papery substance embroidered with famous faces that we call money. Otherwise we may end up playing the one step forward, two steps back game unconsciously. At least in creative integrity anyway. Or any kind of integrity, for that matter.

EDIT // I coincidentally just watched the film, In Time, which turns out to be well more worth the watch than any critics let on. It’s a pretty revolutionary film, actually. And it just happens to address some of the points this blog’s touched on. I did a review here. // EDIT

And quickly, for life matters, I’m planning to do a interview experience and advice blog (how intriguing) in the coming weeks (after mock exams) to help anybody who needs it, as I got a lot of help from other people’s posts on these topics. From now on, I’m revising instead of breathing. So, tally ho!