Beginners, Opportunities and Portfolios
Everyone was once a beginner in what they do, and we still are. I see myself as a beginner writer. I started writing small blog posts and articles three years ago. That might be time enough to move to the next, intermediate, stage but anyway I am here, so let’s move on.
In this post, by the term beginner, I mean the people who haven’t yet started. People who want to do something but haven’t yet got working on it.
This is a stage I have passed in my life, so let me tell you somethings about beginners and opportunities that I have learned while I made this passing.
Most beginners who are waiting to exploit certain areas or professions, tend to also wait for the right opportunity. They see it more like a tiger stalking to catch its prey than a mole digging its hole.
The tiger has to wait for the right time to pounce while the mole can start digging any time. Also, the tiger’s success depends on that single moment, while the mole’s success depends on the entire process.
Beginners tend to wait for moments rather than putting continuous effort into the process.
Beginner writers wait for the opportunity to get that perfect book deal or for the opportunity to get into that well-known publication. Right from the beginning, they want to be known and they want to earn. I don’t blame it, but this tendency prompts us to keep high expectations for things in a very short amount of time.
Most people in this stage completely forgets about the necessary practice period that all of us should go through to get to the next stage. This is the period in which you start building a body of work or what we call a portfolio.
In the present world, where the term apprenticeship has a completely different meaning, this period is extremely important.
The process of becoming a writer or an artist is not based on the right magical opportunity, it is not about getting published in a well-known magazine or landing a book deal or selling a record artwork or even winning a creative contest. Such breakthroughs contribute very less to the making of the writer or the artist that is yourself.
It is a process that goes on and on. Don’t wait for the opportunities that would magically make you great. Such things do not exist. Instead, put continuous and persistent effort into the process and build a body of work.
