KEEPING OUR CREATIVITY ALIVE AND THRIVING
Pic.: Ruma Chatterjee
Presently, I am reading the book – ‘Pour Your Heart Into It’
– by Howard Schultz (Chairman and CEO of STARBUCKS). ‘How STARBUCKS Built a Company One Cup at a
Time’... the byline of the book reads.
Some two years ago, when STARBUCKS had just opened its
first outlet in Mumbai, someone had given a copy of this book to me, and I had
immensely loved it. Howard was not the founder of STARBUCKS. He was the one who took it over
and made it what it is today... In the book, he tells us as to how he – and his
wonderful team – made it ‘one cup at a time’... Yes, pouring their hearts into
it!
Incidentally, two days ago, I was having a discussion with
a photographer-friend of mine. The discussion centered around the subject: how
to keep our creativity alive in us.
Just the day before, my friend had accompanied a very
well-known photographer, his idol, to a scenic setting in the outskirts of
Mumbai... It was a spontaneous decision... There was a strong hunch... the
place was calling... So, the said photographer picked my friend and drove over
three hours and ended up clicking some amazing shots...
During our discussion, my friend told me that, in spite of
the stature the said photographer held in the market, and in spite of the earnings
he made, he still believed in taking one good shot a day... and taking it for
himself. Mind you, not for clients, not for sale... but for his own joy and satisfaction...
just the way he had started it all, decades ago!
When I heard this, I went into a silence!
Many years ago, when my son had joined an institute for
preparing for design schools such as NID, the institute had called the students
and parents for an orientation. The speaker was a young-man, and he spoke with
loads of conviction. What I loved the most was the emphasis he laid on ‘making
one sketch a day’ if you were an artist...
My son was an artist all through his school, and that had
instilled loads of confidence in him to choose what he did. But, here was a
wake-up call... The speaker was urging all the talented aspirants not to take
their God-given gifts for granted... “The only way to remain creative and be
good in it,” he was telling them, “is by creating one piece a day, pouring all
your hearts into it.”
That was over five years ago. My son has, now, just come out
of a design school and all set to take up his first job. It will be a creative
world for him, all along his way. The only way to remain creative and be good in it for
him, will be – by doing one sketch – or one whatever it is – a day... and do it
for himself... yes, do it pouring all his heart into it!
And, that is the only way for my photographer-friend, too,
to keep his craft alive and thriving...
Yes sir, that’s the only way for you and me, as well, to
keep our respective crafts alive and
kicking... all the time.
GERALD D’CUNHA
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-- Pratam