Why the Devil Hasn't Cut You a Deal Yet: The VAlue of HArd Work

Force equals motion. - Isaac Newton

I am regularly approached by a lot of people who want me to 'help' them become better creatives. They want the cell numbers of celebrated/famous people I know. They want me to write about them in one of my columns. They want a tweet, hooked up with gigs, want an acting job etc. They seek favors but very few are willing to work hard towards what they want.

Ever since I FINALLY started designing lights, I have had a lot more people approach me asking to be taught about my trade. They want to make magic happen on stage and since this black guy, one of them, has finally gotten into the system, then it is easier for them. True.

So I invite them for free sessions of training where they apprentice me from the initial design moments of a show, putting pen to paper, to climbing ladders, carrying and hanging the heavy equipment, focusing, getting burnt by the hot lights, etc. It is no heaven. It is not sitting somewhere in the dark just pressing buttons. That is just the aftermath of hours of hard work that would have been put in.

Needless to say, none of them has ever returned despite the fact that they were really keen to learn about the trade and acquire the skills to enter the industry. No one is prepared for the hard work to their dreams. They are unaware that it took me a year and half of volunteering in theater before someone taught me the names and functions of the different lighting fixtures. Hell, I anonymously volunteered one year at the Harare International Festival of Arts. And after that there were a series of unpaid gigs that I had to balance my day job and learning.

Life is offered on silver platters to just a few lucky ones. For the rest of us, we have to work our butts off to have the results we want to see. The amount of force you put into pushing a stationary motor car is the same force with which it will move. No room for miracles.

Similarly, you cannot expect the devil to cut you a deal to super stardom when you have only one song out which is not even worth of radio play. You cannot expect a booming business a week after launch when you didn't write a plan for it. You cannot expect to gain weight when you do not eat.

Nobody owes you a favor except yourself. You owe yourself a lot of hard work and commitment towards your dream. Work very hard, put in the hours and Broadway will be on the phone with you for a show and your itinerary of yearly travel will include places you only saw on foreign television. You owe yourself at least that much.

Here is to doing yourself a favor by relentlessly chasing after your success. At least when you do finally attain perfect, you will owe it to no one.

Imakando Musho. (www.imakandomusho.com