Creativity and the art of juggling
Lately, I’ve been having a hard time managing all of life’s responsibilities. Like juggling, life rarely seems to let me be focused on one, single thing for an extended period of time. At least at this point.
I remember thinking, early in my career, how important it seemed to learn how to manage multiple responsibilities. Design, like many fields, isn’t reliant on knowledge and expertise in a singular area of focus. That’s a characteristic I love about my field, there’s so much room for diversity in ideas and unpredictable explorations due to the variety available.
But it can also be overwhelming. There’s an ever-present debate in the world of design, pitting the idea of specialization against being a jack of all trades. I’ve wrestled with that a lot. I still do.
I think most of us find our own sweet spot somewhere between the two. Like many other apparently competing values, the extreme ends call for extreme lifestyles and lead to extreme results. I love the idea of extreme results, but I’ve never been on-board with the idea of an extreme lifestyle.
That’s just me, though I would bet some might consider certain things I’ve done extreme. It’s just not a mainstay of my life. I choose not to abide there, so you won’t see me skydiving or trying to climb Everest anytime soon.
To put it a different way, you won’t find me jumping from one extreme event to the other. I like my downtime too much and relish any opportunity to leverage stability for study and deep thought. That’s not very extreme, is it?
But the funny thing is, even an extremely dedicated life of specialization doesn’t remove the need to juggle life’s responsibilities. It might even require it more. Specialization requires focus and clarity, both of which are enhanced through efficiency.
Truth is, we all have to deal with a unique blend of issues in our lives. We all have more than one element to keep in the air, and life just keeps through more at as us time goes by.
The beauty in all this is the opportunity it provides to exercise and expand our creativity.
The issues of life are opportunities that can draw our creativity out of us. Just like jugglers practice and increase their capacity, we need to do the same to experience a life of creative fullness.
Be Gracious With Yourself
We’re not born with a natural and uncanny ability to hand everything life throws our way. We learn to manage life over time, as we grow, mature and develop.
It’s inevitable that we’ll drop something, somewhere along the way. That’s not meant to be demeaning. Instead, it’s a call to accept reality and to do so with a humble perspective.
If that’s too hard to accept, just consider the fact that sometimes other people mess things up. Even circumstances. This isn’t about refusing to accept responsibility, but it’s a reminder of the sometimes chaotic world we live in. It’s also a reminder that we don’t control everything. And we need to be alright with that, which is a mark of humility.
While I could tease this out with a “this might just be me” line, but I’ve known too many people, myself included, that have a hard time getting over a sense of personal failure.
What’s important, and can help us get over that, is to recognize that failure comes when we give up. Getting up and having another go isn’t a failure. It’s actually the opposite. When we decide we’re not going to stay down and wallow in a self-defeat, that’s called victory. Something that seems so easy to grasp as a kid, but can somehow get twisted and disfigured as we grow older.
Start Over
As a kid, I might have mastered the art of the do-over. If I didn’t like the way things were going, I’d just call for a do-over and start again. Whether it was received or not.
While I’m writing this, I can’t pinpoint a specific moment when that changed. I’m guessing it was gradual though.
Like so many other aspects of growing up, we slowly let go of various aspects of our childhood that are stepping stones. Somehow we can end up pretending like we just arrived as adults, as though all those lessons and efforts of childhood were just silly games.
Think about it, where would you be right now if you didn’t learn and grow and develop as a child? It might sound like a silly exercise, but the bizarre outcomes should make a powerful point. If we didn’t build on the lessons of childhood we’d still be completely reliant on our parents, or others. Walking wouldn’t be a thing, not to mention running and all the other complex activities we learn through sports and playing with friends.
Nobody just arrives. There’s no account of that anywhere in history. Everyone has to grow, mature, and develop. Along with that comes mistakes.
With every mistake comes a challenge, presenting us with a choice. Do we throw in the towel? Or do we call for a do-over and try again?
Our creativity urges us to dust ourselves off and try again.
And in case you haven’t heard it in a while, or maybe never heard it before, it’s ok to call for a do-over. No matter how old you are. Especially when it’s not showtime.
It’s not always showtime
We don’t have to be in performance mode all the time. In fact, showtime, for the most part, is a small percentage of our daily lives. Yet for some reason, we tend to think we’ve always got to have things together, whether it’s show time or not.
We need space to practice. We need space to fail.
And guess what, we need to be ok with the mishaps that occur during showtime too.
Noticing a pattern here?
It’s so important that we learn to allow ourselves to make mistakes. Life is tough, and we all slip up from time to time. We’ll only get better at it, like anything else, if we pick ourselves up and keep working at it.
Juggling is so impressive because it’s hard to do. It’s challenging to keep multiple elements floating carelessly above us without falling tragically to the ground.
But even the best jugglers in the world don’t always keep everything afloat. They make mistakes, just like us. But they work hard to make them behind the scenes when it’s not showtime.
They practice. They mess up. Then they practice more.
And you know what? Even when we do drop the ball when the lights are on, the show must go on. That’s all part of putting on a good show.
Put on a good show
I’m a little hesitant to add this note. Probably because I think we’ve created a massive cultural phenomenon that thrives on putting on a good show, even if it’s a complete lie. I’m not a fan of dishonesty. I think that hinders our creativity and holds us back in so many ways.
There’s a difference between living our best lives by putting on shows we’ve trained for and presenting ourselves deceptively as something we are not. It’s a big difference that can sometimes be hard to distinguish for those in the audience.
But it always reveals itself behind the scenes.
Being who we know we’re created to be, and putting on a show that we’ve trained hard for is nothing to be ashamed of. But even great accomplishments are best received with humility.
Remember, a life of creative fullness cannot be faked. We know the truth about ourselves, no matter how effective we might be at deceiving others.
When life gets to feeling like it’s too much, it might be worth taking stock of everything you’re been trying to juggle.
Write it out.
List out everything you’re trying to keep in the air.
Prioritize.
Take some time to evaluate what you’re juggling. Determine what matters most.
Decide.
Does the list seem manageable? Or is it too much? If it’s too much, it’s time to let go. More than likely, the things at the bottom of the list should be on the chopping block.
Begin again.
Now just pick everything up and start juggling again. Don’t wallow. Don’t embrace failure and the misery that comes with it. Get up. Get moving. Do it again. Stay committed.
Remember, everyone drops the ball at some point. It’s our creativity that urges us to pick it up and start juggling again. Don’t give up. Ever!