How prolific are you and why does it matter?

I spent an afternoon recently hanging out with my 17 year old nephew and visiting exhibitions – both Dr Seuss and Banksy. It made me reflect on how little time I put aside to fuel my creative juices by taking in different mediums and ways of looking at the world.

One of the other things I noted was how prolific both artists have been. Theodor “Ted” Geisel (aka Dr Seuss) authored forty-four children’s books, more than 400 World War II political cartoons, hundreds of advertisements, and countless editorials. Banksy has produced over 600 works of art, as well as two films and self-published a number of books.

Being prolific is what gets us from good to great. While prolific doesn’t guarantee greatness, it’s what it gifts us that matters. When we’re prolific, we have to give up on perfectionism and apprentice ourselves to the practice not the outcome. Simply by getting out of our own heads, and the inevitable voices of judgement that reside there, we move ourselves forward by taking action.

So, a question for you:

If you’re going to stand out as a leader, what is it that you need to be prolific at in order to move towards greatness? Courageous conversations? Articulating your thoughts in language others understand? Developing others? 

Me, I’ll be writing more .. so watch this space.

Until next time,

Anne