Everyday Visionaries

My love of the work of psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi continues. Csikszentmihalyi is noted for his work on happiness and creativity, and is well known for his concept of “flow.”In his book CREATIVITY, Csikszentmihalyi surveyed many creative people to cull from their experiences to form a template of the paths that creatives must tread in pursuit of their respective visions. In the book, he notes:"[C]reative individuals usually are forced to invent the jobs they will be doing all through their lives. One could not have been a psychoanalyst before Freud, an aeronautical engineer before the Wright brothers, an electrician before Galvani, Volta and Edison, or a radiologist before Roentgen. These individuals not only discovered new ways of thinking and doing things but also became the first practitioners in the domains they discovered and made it possible for others to have jobs and careers in them. So creative individuals don’t “have” careers, they “create” them."I find this language to be inspirational. In the past, I have thought of visionaries such as Jeff Bezos or Steve Jobs as the exceptions to the rule. I viewed the ability to see beyond the confines of the traditional, the ordinary, and the usual course of business as a rare commodity.But Csikszentmihalyi makes me believe that visionaries walk among us every day. These everyday visionaries may not achieve on the scale of a Freud or an Edison, but by pursuing their individual visions they change the “business as normal” paradigm inch by inch..Take my friend Elizabeth, for example. Elizabeth is a mediator, a mediation trainer, a coach and a shaman. Every day, Elizabeth uses some or all of these skills to help people get unstuck. By combining all of her skills, she is able to run a very successful business and be the primary caretaker to her three children. To me, Elizabeth is a role model.Truth be told, I aspire to be one of those visionaries. Every day, I move a little further outside the traditional lawyer role so that I can find new ways to support the theatre development process. And I have to admit that I do hope to change the role that lawyers play in the theatre industry beyond negotiating contracts and acquiring rights.  I aim to be a true contributor to the creative process by using mediation and coaching skills. It satisfies me to think that I am blazing a new trail that others may follow.I suppose that’s why working with creative people is so exciting for me. I enjoy observing the ways these everyday visionaries pursue their individual visions, and I am thrilled to help them reach their goals.