Day 294: Perfect is the Enemy of Good — “Hey, whatever happened to that Lee guy?”
I’m proud to say that high school was kind of awesome for me: class valedictorian, accomplished in leadership and club activities, solid core friends and acquaintances with everyone. Things were … almost perfect.
After high school wasn’t —perhaps even downright embarrassing. Many people I went to college with went onto become proper professionals who thrived their twenties and never struggled.
I don’t keep in contact with a lot of them, perhaps for the best.
But … maybe it didn’t turn out all that bad, or even better than I thought.
My career in a nutshell
Phase I — Television in Portland
Early in my career during college and back in Portland, I learned how to pick up a camera, splice footage, mix sound, even direct others to do the same — but I felt nothing and uninspired. I need something … smarter.
Phase II — Grad School and “Vietnam”
I applied to graduate school for anthropology — a relevant choice later in life. I found a great filmmaking community in Southern California and Vietnam and even a found a contributing niche as an aspiring “brain.”
However, I couldn’t write at that esoteric level, so I quit.
Phase III —Da ‘Burgh and Startups
Effectively pushing the restart button on my life, the startup community of Pittsburgh revitalized my optimism and kindled an new interest in technology. However, I never fully developed as a technician — I developed a reputation as a community-builder, facilitator, and communicator.
Phase IV — Data-Driven in Seattle
Now, in Seattle (and beyond), I work at the nexus of education, technology, and community, and the best of all — my work is now incorporating more of my filmmaking sensibilities from the past. Am I a filmmaker? Maybe.
I find myself trying to pick up a new skill or, as the case is with this Medium account, push myself to write and draw every day because I can’t just sit still and say that this is … it.
It’s good … but it’s not perfect.
Explore all of the chapters below (some are under development)
Intro | Part I | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9
— Lee
