Gone Fishing

I like to take my son fishing.  He is only 8, but he has what it takes; mostly patience.  Unlike most people who fish, or say they fish, he can cast and reel over and over again for as long as it takes to catch a fish.

What is best about this is the running dialogue he has with himself and you while he is doing it. "I think there is one right over there", he will say with absolute certainty.  "I just missed one.  Oh yeah, that was the moster we missed last week" he cries.  Or he will inquire in a thoughtful tone, "Do you think they are hungry or do you think they are guarding their babies?"

I love his mind and how he constantly thinks and inquires about what may or may not be happening under the mirrored pond. 

And I think these are essential for success if you work in creative or in advertising.  You have to be eternally patient and you have to continually ask questions; to yourself or anyone within earshot. 

Patience is essential because the answers don't come right away.  They arrive in bits and pieces and come from different places and people.  They tease you, arrive and then depart, jump on your hook and then swim away.  So you have to be patient and wait for that one that comes together at the right time and fully commits to your hook.  Like the fish, there will be no doubt when it happens and you sense an immediate rush.  Then all you have do is reel it in. 

Asking questions, by actually having conversations with others or by yourself is also critical.  You have to dilligently seek the creative answer your are hoping to find.  You have to see the problem from every possible perspective.  Attributes, audience, sub-audience, funny or serious: you must force yourself to look at the challenge in new ways.  You have to think like the fish, imagine you are the fish, so you can find the right solution that gets her to bite. 

So, why is this fishing story about my son of any value?  I think that if you find your patience and find your curiosity, pack them in your lunch and bring them to work with you each and every day, you will experience joy in your work.  You will begin to see how teamwork really can pay off, if you just take the time to allow it to work.  And you will find that curiosity brings new energy and clarity to how you look at problems and you will be amazed at what others around you have already figured out. 

Hope they bite.