As Adunate wraps up its momentous 10th anniversary year, perhaps one thing most satisfying (amazing, actually) is that I’ve stuck with this creative business of mine for ten whole years!
Yes, there’s the statistics factor: According to Business Journal, 50% of businesses fail in their first five years. But mostly it’s the focus factor, or lack thereof. Lest you think me flighty and irresponsible (I’m neither), let me explain the short attention span under which I and so many other creatives operate. We jokingly refer to it as a creative attention deficit disorder. Basically, our ever-curious minds impulsively dance from one interesting thing to another (and everything is interesting!) and it’s often hard to stay on task.
Some people consider creatives hard to live with (what, who me?). Others relate creative personality traits with ADHD. I like to focus on the positive aspects—things like independent thinking, openness to new ideas, versatility and adaptability, traits that Leslie Owen Wilson, Ed. D., lists in his article “Characteristics of Highly Creative Individuals.”
Hang in there!
Wilson also stresses the importance of persistency. Here he says, “One thing I would like to stress about thinking and creativity is that in order for creative ideas to become realities there is the necessary component of persistence.”
This, my dears, is what’s hard for us creative types. Sometimes Adunate gets boring. Many times it’s hard. Other times I feel like it’s going nowhere. But if I’ve learned anything in ten years, it’s to take pause for a breath and a prayer. I realize if I just hang in there, the flicker of enthusiasm will once again catch into an ongoing flame.
Hey, I’m hoping to hang in there for Adunate’s 20th!