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"'Mix' is the word! Make your own – anything. Out of anything."
About ten years ago I met Danny Gans at a pharmaceutical industry event. Danny was the evening entertainment for one of the big drug companies. Today, Danny is the headliner at the Mirage Casino & Resort in Las Vegas. You've probably never heard of him, but he was recently named "Entertainer of the Year" and his show is the hottest ticket in town.
So what, right? Here's what. Danny readily admits to not being the best: the best singer, the best comedian, or even the best impressionist. "But," he'll tell you. "I put them together with a lot of heart." And that passionate combination, that mix, recently brought Danny Gans a multi-year contract with Steve Winn worth more than . . . are you ready for this? . . . $150 million!
I'll be heading out to a gig in Las Vegas in a few weeks and I'm hoping to score a seat to see Danny . . . again. Primarily because he's incredibly entertaining. But also to remind myself that success lies not in being the best at what you do, but rather in being the best and most passionate about how you do it. Mix is the word!
"A movie is not about what it is about. It is about how it is about it." - Roger Ebert
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Tom is timely, thought provoking and all about the new brand vision packaged as a Seinfeld stand up. I went to school on his ideas.
Jeff Taylor, Founder, Monster.com and CEO, Eons.
'Passion with a side salad of process' is how I describe it Tom
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Trevor
Posted by: Trevor Gay | May 16, 2005 at 05:02 AM
Sage advice. I have several talented artist friends who are leading the "down and out lifestyle of an artist." Not surprisingly, no one has heard of them or likely ever will. It's all in the way you present yourself and your passions/talents.
A great deal of "making it" is being willing to fail and being able to recover from blows to the ego.
Posted by: Aleah | May 16, 2005 at 10:59 AM
Aleah, perhaps your artist friends are not living their lives so that others will hear of them. Perhaps the process and the lifestyle is its own reward. Perhaps being deeply engaged in your life is already "making it".. whether or not others decide to shower money on you.
In fact, "failing", Id say, is just a word.... a word that usually implies other people's judgement. Stop worrying about what other people think and "failure" is no longer failure... its just an interesting result.
I think its more productive to look at "failure" in this way... as a scientist doing pure research.... because it removes the emotional baggage and frees us to explore strange paths.
Posted by: AJ Hoge | May 18, 2005 at 02:18 AM
sorry, aj, i know that this is not what you are saying... still... i hear the monotonous beat of a petshopboys keyboard in the distance and neil tennant's voice singing:
"it seems to me there's something serious beginning:
a new approach found to the meaning of life.
deny that happiness is open as an option
and disappointment disappears over night.
say that love is an impossible dream.
face the facts, that's what it's always been
relax, what you see is what you've seen
what you get, is a new philosophy:
miserablism ... is is and isn't isn't
..."
a great song by the way...
and it works :)
Posted by: jens | May 18, 2005 at 07:29 AM
AJ, I hear what you are saying, and I completely agree with the misuse of the words failure and success. I don't mean to imply they failed because they did not achieve monetary success. I recognize the significance of how we measure value and its implicit prime directive.
However, I am a poet (along with my day gig as a business owner and ghost writer). I would love to make a living doing nothing but writing poems - but I cannot think of one poet who does not teach to supplement their income. I realize the reality of living a life as a poet. What my artists friends (those who I am referring to specifically) are not willing to compromise is their concept of the artistic life. That's fine and all - But they are also the first to complain that they cannot make rent or travel or...whatever. My patience wears thin when I hear this.
Point being: Whether the benchmark for success is defined by society or by the individual, at the end of the day we are responsible for our needs and wants. If you cannot pay your bills and complain frequently to others about how society won't support your artistic lifestyle, I would challenge your decisions.
Posted by: Aleah | May 18, 2005 at 09:50 AM
Aleah... absolutely. I know the type you speak of, who whine about "society" not supporting them, etc...
Such a life, I think, must be lived with audacity and determination. Otherwise the victim mentality creeps in and poisons everything.
Self-reliance is as important to the poet as it is to the businessman.
Posted by: AJ Hoge | May 19, 2005 at 12:34 AM
Poetry extends beyond the page. Washing dishes can be poetry, if you choose to see it that way.
I've been out of school 18 years and I'm still working on "making it" as a writer. Even if I had a few successes I could point to, I believe the process is key, not the result. Thus, the art always at hand is living the poetry of an aspiring writer.
Posted by: David Burn | May 27, 2005 at 05:09 PM