Success And Failure: Motion Design Insights

Success in our industry is a term that seems to be decided for us. A definition measured through finance or clients, because they have metrics that we can be certain. They have numbers and are tangible. But what's frequently overlooked is how you define success. Things such as fulfillment, freedom, and overall state of mind are elements we need to reconsider. Now more than ever, we're overrun with advice based on what and how to attain things, but things such as fulfillment, unique to us, we need to find out through introspection, rather than reading another 10 secrets article. There's an idea I want to explore that might help you define this for yourself. A common thing to want growing up was to become an astronaut, and that's an amazing goal. But the danger in continuing to think like this is to create a very specialized, focused, and romanticized goal. There's a huge amount of power and opportunity in the shift from becoming an astronaut, to I want to study astronomy. Artists think that they need to reach the singular goal to define success. To become the astronaut. To be a director. Like the rings on a ladder, they feel the need to get to the top. But by making that small shift, it makes all the difference. Taking yourself from, I need to present myself as a director, I just really want to explore and refine a style. It opens a completely new world. Rather than building skills vertically, like the ladder, we may want to consider building skills horizontally, because it may be the place to find our definition of success. Success can actually be measured in failure, an idea that we all have a hard time digesting. It's an overused statement that failure creates opportunity, but it's the truth and it puts you at a huge advantage. The way that you make failure work for you is by reflecting and absorbing it, creating something from it. It's that critical point that makes it an advantage, because you have unique knowledge that others don't. If you've never failed, you haven't had the chance to really strive. So for example, perhaps you've lost a client and you probably want to mourn. One thing to look at is what you did right to earn and keep that client. You want to accentuate that. What might have led to the loss? Do you want to adjust that? Make a point to put these things into practice, and eventually you have the workings of a business plan. So just some end thoughts. Right now we're experiencing an influx of new content from individuals. Streams of new work, advice columns, and recordings such as this. They set bars for you to reach, but they can only provide you one option, one idea. How to get more clients, not should you get more clients. How to make more money, not do you need more money. Consider these things as only a fraction of measured success. The one thing to take away from this is success doesn't always equate to being busy.