"Follow Your Bliss"

Are you a fan of Joseph Campbell? I've got this great distinct memory of being in a Humanities course at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette (the wonderful Mr. Kinsella being my professor and mentor) and watching The Power of Myth, a film about his seminal non fiction text. Near the end Campbell has this wistful moment where he says something to the effect that if you do what you love, doors will open, opportunities will manifest. At the time I was about 21, and basically just half assing it to get through my degree in English so that I could go off and do Theatre (where or how, I had no clue). Mr. Kinsella knew that, and he knew how skeptical most people around me were about my hopes, and how hard I had to fight to keep pursuing it; how really, on some level, I just felt like some pathetic lumpy piece of dashed dreams. Mr. Kinsella gave me a knowing look; I teared up. He knew how powerful that statement was to me.

Producing Fringe is effin terrifying. It's huge, complex, mathematical, political; everything. It's also just so sweet. While I still might have my day job, being able to work on this feels so right. This week I was feeling a bit of the old self doubt creeping in. Can I really do this? I say to myself...

But then things happen that can only be described as coincidences to the some, and mythical to a few. I tend to view things as the mysterious option in life personally. Makes it more fun.

We've been trying to put together a fundraising event for this fall. I wouldn't say any of us are proven experts. I have put several together in the past for my former theatre company, Tantalus, but I wouldn't say they were exemplary.

Then I specifically get an email from a woman with and outstanding resume who SPECIFICALLY states that she is very interested in fundraising. I also start to think that, hell, there are bound to be people at these Meet N Greets who would be great on a Fundraising and Events Committee. Ain't life grand? I don't need to worry about every little detail. If the last few weeks have taught me anything, it's that people are pumped for Fringe, and happy to volunteer their mad skills to making it happen.

So for me - passion and vision are key. Those qualities attract people to us who DO have the specific skills we're missing. Not only is it going to happen, but it's going to be great.

I just realized that this post probably sounds like The Secret (I've not read it) and you probably just lost all respect for me. Alas.