The other day I was staring out the window in my office (code for spare bedroom so we can say no to certain unwanted guests). Anyway, as I floated around in dreamland, I was remembering the feelings of immortality I felt especially in my late teens, early twenties. I’m sure anyone out there over 50 knows what I’m talkin’ about…right?
Suddenly, time flies when just a few years ago it seemed to just plod along.
So back to the dream…I remembered some things I read in grad school about how good managers/leaders who cared about the future of whatever they were involved with didn’t protect their turf from the young’ens salivating over their leader’s departure. No…a good leader developed those young folk, helped them focus, helped them learn whats what…taught them ropes.
The ropes they were learning were not tricks or manipulations the ropes were, things like how to get up when you’re knocked down or that everything has an end, and what about learning that you ain’t the only one in the universe feelin’ what you’re feelin’!!
That good leader takes the cubs out to hunt, helps them use their mistakes as the next step towards the next adventure and then makes room for them to shine.
So..now that we got the leadership thing down…part of what I was thinkin’ was who’s going to replace us? Ya, you heard it right what is going to happen when all of us old hippy Saturday Market creative types leave the planet? I look around and I don’t see a lot of young faces breaking down the gates to sit in a booth all weekend and go home with enough cash to barely cover the entry. Or willing to put their work up in a fancy gallery only to lose a major part of each sale to “commissions”.
I know there are lots out there who are…what ya call it… mentoring ( whatever that means). Let’s call it what it is… an intellectualization of what should be a heart to heart transfer of wisdom…doesn’t that make sense? Who wouldn’t sign up for that?
Hold on! There is a moral to this story, I just haven’t gotten to it yet.
Anyway …as my dreamland was blown away by a loud jet skimming my roof, I was struck with a very, very sad feeling, one you’ve heard here before, it is a feeling that if WE don’t do something before we kick the bucket the world we leave behind could be very gloomy. Because…we haven’t been rigorously pursuing ways to pass on our creative and artistic wisdom to those young’ens wandering the wilderness confused and starry eyed while anxiously clutching their identity and creative juices.
So find somebody who shows an interest in letting their creativity out of the bag but feels to shy to do it and …show them how it can be done.
Oh… and that person doesn’t have to be young there are plenty of mommies and others who are dreaming of the day they can leave the cube farm. And in the mean time they are playing at “getting in touch” with their creative juices These folks would give their wisdom teeth to get just a little bit of your time, your wisdom and believe it or not your permission to play for real!
So, once again I challenge you to drop your fears, intellectual hoity toityness or whatever you want to call it and start working to replace yourself. You might like it and decide to stay around for a while longer.…
