Ernest S. Hemingway, not to be confused with Ernest M. Hemingway, a famous American author who I suspect to be rather incapable of tailoring for spiders. Though it is a rare skill I must say and requires a life of dedication to really master the art.
That reminds me of something I read somewhere once. It was talking about the 10,000 hour rule, have you heard of it? It’s pretty much the theory that to master something you need to spend 10,000 performing that something, whether it’s music, singing, art, writing, etc. They’ve looked at a bunch of the experts, the success stories and such like. People who really reach the top and supposedly, at the 10,000 hour mark (give or take a little), they hit masterness. Their work is great and they will be successful.
That means guys, yep, I’m going to try and put 10,000 hours into my work. Geez that sounds like a lot.
I wonder how much I’ve done already…. I’m guessing around the 2000 hour mark. That’s 20% down. That ain’t bad. Just means either I have to start working more intensively or I won’t make it to “master” until I’m 37. Dear me, I cannot fathom being 37. If I worked at comics full time I could fast track that down to 25. That sounds MUCH more appealing…
Sad thing is though, I just can’t do it. I’m sorry. I have this job, and these bills, and this dancing, and family I have to see, and friends, and kitties to pat and oodles of foodles to cook and eat.
That’s the thing about life these days, and I think also it’s a Kiwi culture thing. We give everything a go, so we’re diverse, we have a range of hobbies and so it’s not often that someone in our society really becomes a master. Not like the way of the world years ago, back in the renaissance, where people worked at their trade and did little else. Where people reached the 10,000 hour mark early on in life and when on to bless the world with their mastered skill for many years. Today’s society relies on personal drive and commitment and almost an exclusion from all else to become a real master. The amount of people willing to sacrifice and work for such things doesn’t seem to match that of old times. Unfortunately, that means we lack the gifts of these masters in our society.
Not to say our society isn’t rich, and a kind of renaissance in itself. More of a renaissance of technology and entertainment. Times are a changing. So many industry experts are hailing these times as the end – when piracy runs rampant – the sky is falling, no one will pay for things they can get free, the artists will starve, etc. It’s not at all the case. Check out this, I found a little while ago, pointing out why in fact we’re going through a time of massive growth in terms of money going into entertainment, and more importantly going direct to the artists and creators themselves (not being sucked out by piracy or the gatekeepers/publishers etc.).
I’m sorry about this serious rant. I’m just feeling like there’s so much potential in the world at the moment. Let’s go and make our dreams happen. What have you always wanted to do? Now is the time. Seriously.
Bungee jumping? Do it. Film it. Whack it on YouTube and share it with your cousins in Alaska.
Writing a cookbook? Do it. Get it printed (companies will do that for you…yes you need to pay them). Sell it or keep it on your shelf as a personal collection.
Learn to speak Japanese? Do it. Jump on a plane and go there, immerse yourself and why don’t you keep a diary of your experiences…who knows it could be a feature film any day now.
COMPLETE SIDE NOTE:
I just want to remind everyone because I think this is brilliant, if you’re in Auckland and you’ve got a library card check out what the library are doing! They’ve teamed up with Freegal music. If you have a library card you can go ahead and download three free and legal mp3s a week from the Sony online store. You can pop them in iTunes or onto a CD if you’re that way inclined. It’s an awesome set up and it makes me feel that little bit better about paying my taxes.
Pop over to the Auckland Library website and do a quick search for Freegal, you’ll find all you need to know. Absolutely worth checking out.
I’m amped.
Discussion ¬