Ignore the cheap seats

“People who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those who are doing it.”

~George Bernard Shaw

As a preamble, let me say this post is more an admonition to myself than anything else. Getting that out of the way will allow me to just say what I want to say without a fear of coming off preachy. Frankly, all of my posts are exhortations to myself with a hope that others may find them useful. I feel better already having said that.

So, now to the point. The world is filled with naysayers. But, what would this world be without the people who fearlessly went to the edge of knowledge, art, and technology and pushed those boundaries as far as they could? It seems inevitable that anyone who dares challenge the status quo will be met with a din of derision from the naysayers. However, the creators with real vision are unmoved by detractors and press on despite the people who say ‘it cannot be done.’ I love the George Bernard Shaw quote because it speaks to that unbreakable spirit or self-belief that great innovators possess. I imagine a hypothetical innovator saying, “stay out of my way, I am changing the world, you cling to the past if you like. But, I am creating the future!”

My goal is to create more and do more original work. What I know is that some of what I do others are not going to like. I cannot concern myself with what the naysayers have to say. So, if you have been wondering what would happen if you did an instrumental mash up of David Guetta’s Titanium and Pavane by Gabriel Fauré, I would suggest you do that. One will never know if it works until it is attempted. If you think it might be cool to mix violin virtuosity with dance (where you are performing both at the same time), it won’t be hard to find people who say that’s a dumb idea. But, we won’t know until someone tries it. Or maybe you think a tool in the fight against malaria is to shoot the wings off mosquitoes with tiny lasers. Well, that sounds a little crazy to me. Again, we won’t know if it really is nonsense until we try. We should note, however, the upside could be huge for humanity. I, for one, think it is a good idea to test boundaries to see what happens. Further, I applaud those who have the courage to try whether it proves to be genius or not. On that note, there will likely be more misses than hits, but I have heard it said that failure is the tuition for success. So, we can pass on learning and growing so that we don’t fail, but we cannot truly succeed unless we are willing to take a risk and fail.

Have there been things that you have always wanted to do, but were afraid to try? I have a list. I am going to chip away at it. I am going to pay my tuition by having a go, and not worrying about those who say I am wasting my time or fearing the failures I might experience. I will not bet the farm right off, but I do hope to increase my risk over time as I pay my dues with small efforts to innovate and create. Wish me luck!