Creating
Lasting Impact Together by Wanda Reinholdt
I’ve
been doing a lot of thinking lately about what it takes to create something
that the community can enjoy, be proud of and that has a lasting impact. I’ve
been thinking about this because of the recent destruction of something that I
helped create for the community, which I believe was created to be in our midst
for the long haul. Even though I was initially discouraged, it has been an
enlightening journey. And I have come to a few conclusions that those of you
who are artistic and/or entrepreneurial at heart might find interesting:
First,
creating something that a community can be proud of and that has a lasting
impact requires courage. It takes “balls,” as some people say, to put oneself
out there – to take an idea and develop it into something that others can
enjoy. Along with courage, it also requires skill that comes with education and
experience. The more knowledge one has about their skill and the more this
skill is used, the better the result. Beyond skill, a great deal of precious
time is put into developing plans and then again to actually execute them. Money
is needed to purchase supplies and to pay a team of people who can assist. And
when it is complete, the support of leaders and media in the community is
needed to spread the news. In other words, a great deal of dedication,
commitment and resources are essential to making something happen that works
and exists for a longer period of time.
Once
community leaders support it, one must create something that endures what you
have a vested interest in caring for, promoting and advocating. In other words,
I believe that it is imperative that the artist/business owner/inventor is able
to guide the use of what they have created throughout the lifetime of the
product/service, as this will help insure that it lasts. I don’t think it is
good or wise for the creator of something to no longer care or remove
themselves from the caring of their creation. After all, it is part of who they
are and it is their vision. If it was not for them, whatever they created would
not exist. So the creator must continue to advocate for what they have created.
And, of course, promotion efforts must keep those who are going to use the
creation in mind and focus on the benefits of using their product/service.
Beyond the creator, I believe that to insure
a lasting legacy, the leaders of the town or county where the creation was made
must also take on some of the responsibility to promote and steward the
creation while, at the same time, caring for those who use the creation. The
reason is that if it is something that the community is able to enjoy and
benefit from, then the public will be impacted by the creation. If the public
interacts with what has been created, then safety and clarity of instruction
and use must be priority. In addition to safety, the public must become aware
of the benefit of the product/service that they are being offered. Promotion,
safety and clarity is partly the responsibility of the creator but also the
constituency that supports the creation. It is a partnership.
Lastly
and most importantly, I believe it is the responsibility of the public to
honour and respect the creation itself and the use of it. When an artist or
entrepreneur gives a product or service to the public for use, it becomes the
responsibility of the public to treat what they are given as something valuable
and as a gift. It is a gift because of all the effort, time and preparation it
took. There is great deal of sacrifice made to see something through from the
beginning to the end. The impact of someone defacing or destroying a creation in
any way is discouraging, frightening and tiring for all involved in stewarding
the creation or service. It is tempting to completely stop creating and giving
when this happens. And, unfortunately, it costs money for the community and the
creator to restore what is damaged. But, the good news is that most of us who
are entrepreneurs and artists love what we do and who we are and we cannot not
create. We find much joy from just creating for ourselves and sharing what we
create.
Even
though I have faced the destruction of my work, I am going to continue to
create because that is who I am. And I will continue to share what I create. I
encourage those of you who are also artistic and/or entrepreneurial to do the
same because when we do, we build up and teach. Those of you who are not
artists or entrepreneurs but use our services and creations, I encourage you to
remember that what you are using is a gift and came from someone’s heart and
soul and to care for it so that we can all enjoy it for a long time to come.
——————
Wanda Reinholdt is a local area artist and
creative entrepreneur whose passion and joy is helping individuals, businesses,
organizations, artists and municipalities through creating great story on
stage, film and canvas. Some of her work can be seen on www.reinholdtproductions.ca.
She welcomes conversation. See her at Hope Bridges www.hopebridges.ca Tuesday
through Thursday weekly.
Wanda
Reinholdt
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