Being A Producer/Producing A Being

Recently, the people in my sphere have been doing a great deal of pondering. Among the topics considered, are simple subjects that include their relationships to their partner, their kids, how to stay in shape and what the hell is up with work? I am no different, but have had some interest in the overall question that seems to be underlying these questions. I am trying to figure out my place, my worth and my passion.

Thinking about how to navigate these demands and achieve a state of flow, I keep coming down to one question, one which comes to me as an inspiration, a thought to consider that I cannot answer. I wonder how to “be” a producer.

That question is serious on many different levels. It is serious enough to warrant a public expression of my thoughts, possibly here on this forum. The idea is that, by expressing my ideas publicly, I will have the responsibility of having to live with them and the consequences they create. These thoughts can and will likely be ugly, malformed and at times employ terrible syntax…I am willing to put up with exposing myself to the comments that may come from memorializing my thoughts.

Although titles can easily betray our intentions easily…the question I have is yet to be asked as a single, cohesive thought. As a result I am going to take the title of this post as the two questions that will lead me to the ultimate, most important question.

Well, then. Here’s the start…Am I a producer?

First, what is a producer? I seem to understand that people are, for the most part, either a consumer or a producer. Producers are adding to the world…very simply. From a very high level, no person would ever be all one or the other. Different time periods in our lives will undoubtedly be marked by a leaning more one way than the other. One of the most obvious examples of this is a parent. Parents begin by producing the offspring biologically, but parents that are not biological “producers” still are producing a very real part of this human experience…they are helping to produce the next generation; actively producing in the manufacture of children’s ideas, self-worth/self-loathing, cultural context, morals and basic human decency just to name a few of the complexities in the production of a member of society. As a result, when I address the question of what is a producer, I define it as somebody who is consciously, purposely trying to create for themselves and others.

A producer will see the world as an opportunity to expand their influence, share their point-of-view or build something new. It is often said, “There is nothing original,” and I believe this statement to be as true as any. That is not to say that there are not new manifestations of old ideas, concepts and schemes. We seem to be constantly re-inventing ourselves using just a few age-old concepts…. when we tweak the concept by as little as .0001% in any one direction, we create something that seems entirely original.

For example, at the end of today, I will have produced a number of words that will need a number of inventions to support them in order to be read. Of the most modern, they will need electricity, advancements in forestry, long term and short term constructions, hydrology, a myriad of products of metallurgy, plastics, mining tools and computer hardware/software just to name a few. All of these will combine in a unique pattern to make/influence a group of words that have never been written exactly the same way (unless you believe in parallel universes). I am not doing anything that hasn’t been done for centuries…I am just tweaking the words, process and platform in a new way.

So, in the end, today I will have been a producer…but can I sustain it? Will it always be in this voice? Should I try something new? What is my style or my niche?

Here goes the test.