Being Open and Closed.

Being Open
It’s trendy. It’s cool. It’s important. Doesn’t matter who you are- creative or not. Being open is what allows us to grow as human beings. This month I had the pleasure of being able to host my first ever official event under the name of “The Click” contrary to what people may think from it’s name, it’s purpose was to be inclusive of creatives, and music lovers of all kinds. Without an open mind I can confidently say this event would have not only failed, but it would not have existed.

Idea Birthing
When the idea of creating a community event for Nashville’s local creatives hit me, I thought to myself, “This is a crazy idea- and is going to be really hard to pull off”. With that being said, I had to lean into my open-mindedness and allow myself to trust that the statistically improbable was possible. 

Sure enough, after many long days, hours, and months of planning- a crew of 15+ (mostly young) people pulled off an event that shouldn’t have worked. A wise person once told me that you can plan everything right and things will still go wrong- when it comes to events it’s more about how good you are at overcoming the last minute obstacles, not preventing them. 

The Lesson
The lesson I learned from the experience is that I needed an even bigger team, that I needed to have a smaller budget, that I needed to assume larger rates for everyone, that I needed to do a better job with branding, that I needed to be better at marketing, and the list goes on. The point is- engaging with an open mind is the only way that those lessons can be learned. 

Being Closed

On the other hand, being closed has negative connotations. It’s not trendy, sounds mean, and uninviting. What if I told you it was just as important to the execution of your ideas, and loving people well? 

Having a closed mind would actually be better described as having a persistent and determined mind, but closed makes the title catchier. The reality is that not accepting defeat and stopping giving up from becoming an option is something that only a closed minded person can do.

Without the leap of faith to make the event happen. It would not have happened. There would’ve been too many variables and reasons to give up. 

The True Beauty
Truth is that as human beings we often try to take a side and say, “I’m open to everything” or “I’ll never change the way I do things because tradition is king”. To each of those people I’d say open (and close) your mind to other possibilities. Understand that the most rewarding mindset to have is a beautiful paradox of both.

Being closed enough to hold on to the hard truths, dreams, and possibilities while also being open to what that journey looks like. If you want that new job… get set on the job. Refuse to give up, but at the same time maybe expand the timeline you deeply desire. Set yourself up to accomplish your goals. Write them on a whiteboard. Why? So you can erase and modify if necessary, but at least there’s a constant reminder of the goal for your life.