We all are guilty of it. We lose focus of what got us into what we do in the first place. In my case I actually did not get into the Boston video production world in order to make a career. I wanted to make videos because it was intriguing and cool. It even had a sense of ‘calling’ to me strange as that may sound. And yes, it was fun.
Over the years I have caught myself at times feeling disheartened about what I do. Many times I’ve been asked about what my job is and when I tell people I make videos and commercials they almost always say something to the effect of “Wow that’s cool!” It sometimes hits me then “yeah you are right, it is! What is wrong with me that I’m feeling so bland about it?”
How about you? Are you doing what you love? Did you love it once? It may seem cheesy and maybe a bit too ‘touchy-feely’ to talk like this, but we have to realize we are far more productive, effective, and creative when we find passion in what we do. It’s a known fact and one we all have experienced. As it is crucial for the entire video production team to be ‘into’ each project whether the crew, the talent on camera, or the branders behind the scenes, I want to lay out 3 things to help get us back to a place of heart-filled engagement in it.
1. Get Around Passionate People
Are there people that you feel are just always upbeat and energizing at your place of work or on your team? Maybe they are outsiders, authors, podcast makers, bloggers that you feel get you back on the inspired track. Get around them. Maybe just sit and listen to your team members or relationships in your life that make you think outside the box you feel stuck in.
Take time alone but also as a team to just sit and brainstorm in a setting other than your office. And don’t do it with any ‘heavy’ agenda for once – just have fun with it. Crazy? It will pay dividends.
2. Take Time to Learn and Grow
Do you work ON your company or brand or do you just work FOR your company or brand? There really must be both, hand in hand on a consistent basis. And I am suggesting not just a working on your company but a working on yourself as a team member within your brand.
At Waves Media we have subscriptions with a couple online learning platforms you probably have heard. We weekly (heh, sometimes daily) get on Lynda.com to learn technical things for our craft but also to get inspiration. Our latest favorite site is MasterClass.com which is an online selection of classes full of inspiration and education from literally the world’s foremost experts in an ever growing variety of creative subjects. And on top of these sites we follow bloggers, podcasts, YouTube channels that don’t just waste our time but keep us focused on our specific path of creativity.
3. Stretch Yourself Boldly
Don’t live safe all the time. Risk takers are the true pioneers. Nobody ever has said they were thrilled they never took a risk in life. And no one ever said money fulfilled them while being nearly bored to death. Are you ready to take on your next creative project? Well don’t do it like you always have. Don’t get stale. Change it up and incorporate some of those crazy ideas you’ve been stewing about as a team. Who knows? You may break into something that takes it all to a whole new level. Heh, you probably will.