We live in a world that leads with the finished, filtered, final product. But everyone’s awesome ending, dramatic view, major success, and perfect finale starts as a humble beginning. An idea. A concept that precedes the creation. A small impact in an otherwise massive universe.
A poet named Eddie Cabbage once wrote:
“The puzzle piece that completes a masterpiece is always the first sentence, the first brushstroke of paint, or the first note played on a jazz piano.”
On a recent walk to work I passed the mural shown above and was reminded that “here” is where I am, where we are, and it’s all we’ve got. What you do with “here” is what builds to everything you’re chasing over there.
To bring this down from a very esoteric 30,000 ft. place to something that applies to our creative process at Proof, the “right here” attitude is something that I – and we – all work hard to keep intact. That amidst discussions on goals and future aspirations, we don’t lose sight of what’s being presented and what’s being created for the right people right in front of us.
Every brand pursues that perfect final ending. A beautiful recognizable logo that lives in the hearts and minds of millions – a business that’s synonymous not with a product, but with an experience. Creating something that’s bigger than the sum of its parts is what branding is all about, but those parts, each one, that we have in-hand right now, is meaningful and important.
Don’t get stuck pursuing tomorrow’s “better” at the sacrifice of today’s best. “Here” is where you are, and what you do with it today is what builds to everything you’ll do tomorrow.