Doing something for the first time is scary. Especially when you’re doing it on your own. Now, this isn’t going to be some evangelical piece about how ‘nothing grows in the comfort zone’. Let’s save that for the motivational speakers and life gurus. What we have here is the beginning of a journey, where the intention is to document how I’m stepping well outside of my personal comfort zone with a new project.
This is the first chapter in the story of how I met your mother…
That was too irresistible.
Actually, this is a story all about how my life got flipped, turned upside down…
Ok, I’ll stop now.
Let’s begin at the beginning.
Opportunity Knocks
To revisit a quote I’ve used before “you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” If an opportunity presents itself, you’ve got to take it. Otherwise, you risk regretting it. Or, at the very least, you’ll end up always wondering, what if?
Some opportunities are just an extension of what you already do. A promotion at work. Or even a new job for a different organisation, but still within your own field.
These ones are easier to go for because the risk is mitigated. You’re surrounded by people to help and guide you as you find your feet. You already know the lay of the land. It’s just more of the same but in a different place, or with more responsibility.
But what about the ones where you have to go it alone?
Starting your own business, for example.
Or, taking over someone’s already established project.
These are the ones that are both exciting and quite terrifying in equal measure.
This is where you have to break out of your comfort zone.
What’s the Best That Could Happen?
This is the position I found myself in back in July 2020.
Here’s the context. The world was still firmly in the grip of a pandemic. However, lockdown restrictions were starting to ease. That said, many people were still urged to work from home. Many others remained on furlough. In retrospect, these were hardly favourable conditions for embarking on a new project.
Certainly not the ideal circumstances for running a community filmmaking organisation. You know, with all those restrictions and whatnot.
But, would the opportunity still exist once the dust had settled?
I wasn’t about to wait around to find out.
So, I applied to become the Creative Director at North Devon Moving Image CIC (NDMI).
And here we are.
What’s the best that could happen?
So Long, Comfort Zone
This is all very new to me. Uncomfortably new. And it’s exciting.
I’ve never run a Community Interest Company. I’ve never really had to source funding or write bids. Yet I have willingly thrown myself in at the deep end.
Because I’m not worried about the things I have never done. I’ll learn to do them as I go along.
I’m actually focused on what I can bring to the role.
Years of experience teaching media and filmmaking. A passion for creative expression through film, writing and design. And a wealth of digital marketing insight and expertise honed at Social INK.
It certainly helps to put everything in perspective.
Sure, I’m well outside of my confort zone in many respects. But there’s a lot involved in running NDMI that I should be very comfortable with. And, of course, if there’s anything I’m not sure about, there are plenty of people around me that I can lean on for help, advice and support.
So, in some respects, this is a departure from the comfort zone, with a safety line attached.
I may be running this Community Interest Company alone, but I’m not on my own.
All that’s left to do now is get started.
And see what happens.
