Adam Thurman has a great post today over at Mission Paradox about using a "who's next" strategy to recruit board members, like if you want to recruit a lawyer, instead of looking straight to the partners, maybe check out "who's next" in the succession line.
This reminded me of something a super-successful director once told me - that no matter what he's working on, he always has a "what's next" ready, like "I'd love to direct a version of King Lear in Sarajevo", or "I want to do a water-ballet version of The Trojan Women", or "I want to direct my friend's script about food poisoning". (None of these were his actual idea, which was so great I don't want to spill the beans on him.)
I am now addicted to "what's next". I love my job, I love going to school, but I know exactly what I would do if someone offered me $10,000 (or $100!). I know how to express my dream in one sentence. I'm not a director, but I think this is a brilliant way to approach any career in the arts.
Like your company just launched a successful new-play festival. What's next? A full production of one of the featured plays? An initiative to add a playwriting fellowship to next year's programming?
Or you just got a job at an organization you love. What's next? Thinking about going back to school part-time? Using your newfound fiscal stability to start a reading series? Writing a blog?
Or you were just selected for a prestigious directing fellowship. What's next? Setting a goal to re-mount one of your shows professionally? The Trojan Women as water-ballet? (Just kidding.)
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2 comments:
One could argue that by constantly thinking of "what's next" you're missing out on "what's now".
In the arts, especially considering that art projects are almost always of a definite time frame, it's definitely necessary to think about what's next. But sometimes I wonder if we focus on what's next at the expense of what's now. Has that ever happened to you?
That's a good point, and I think either side could probably be argued effectively.
I've definitely watched an overzealous "what's next" mentality get in the way of creativity and productivity. I'm kind of an obsessive planner, so I can't say it's ever caused any problems for me in my own life.
I think the point my friend was trying to make was more about knowing what you want most in the world, and having the answer to that question ready for anyone who asks (and maybe has the resources to make your dream come true). Instead of just looking around and saying "ok, what's next", actually considering what you would most like to do, and seeing if you can connect the dots from here to there.
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