I always imagined the dreamer alone in her room. The stars and moon her only companions. With a singular resolve and tenacity she brings forth her dream like some sort of Herculean epic. I admit, it is a bit romantic, the singular artist striving for perfection. Yet every artist and every dreamer will eventually reach a point in which going it alone is no longer practical. More often than not, we will need the help of others.
This month the NCAA basketball tournaments are taking place, and like the dreamer this championship cannot be won by just one person. There are several components to team sports that I have failed to grasp throughout my years. I can’t tell you the difference between a point guard and a post player and a wing, that is for the sports writers to explain. What I can understand is that each person is out on the court for a reason. Each player brings a skill set and a purpose that is designed to help the team as a whole. If one player is not doing their part well, it could spell an early exit from the big dance. This is team work, each person doing their part to further along the shared vision, the dream of winning the national championship.
As a writer I once thought that I had to do everything on my own. The writer is often depicted in movies and television as some sort of recluse. Locked away, sacrificing time and money for her art. Reality does not bear this out. I would not be the writer I am today without the help of a whole gaggle of really great people. Don’t get me wrong, the bulk of the heavy lifting comes from these fingers and this brain, but I might not even be writing if not for others. I started writing at the behest of a friend of mine many, many years ago. When I need someone to critique a piece, someone to check grammar (no, spell check does not catch them all), someone to tell me if a story is any good, I turn to a team of wonderful and brutally honest readers. They see the plot holes I didn’t expect. They find the grammar that I think looks just fine and ok. mistakes that need to be addressed. They provide objectivity to a process that I cannot provide.
You too will one day need the help of others to see your dream through to the end. You will need a team of player who bring something unique to the vision. Those who provide assistance in areas that you are weak. Those who understand topics that you are clueless about. Those who can come along side you and help bring about that crazy vision you have in your head. Every dreamer must carry their dream, that doesn’t mean that they have to do it alone.