Artist or Asistant?

I had a client come over and give me his feedback on a piece I had thrown together. I had to add in another music piece at the end, and I liked it.

Granted, it was a bit more... "intense" than was really called for, but I really liked it.

Of course, I really like things that are more intense.

He watched the cut and then said, "Wow. ...That had more drama at the end than I was expecting."

'Cool,' I thought.

"Let's see if we can get that other music piece to fit there."

'Doh!'

Over the next two hours we fiddled with the cut, flipped music around, added graphical elements. Well, I did it while he made suggestions. He was changing my cut.

But it didn't bother me. This was his project and I was the person who was there to make it happen. I, of course, added my input and make his suggestions work--when it was possible--but he had a very clear picture of what he wanted.

So, sure, I could have been an "artist" and gotten hot and bothered about his tweaks, but that would have made things rather miserable. Instead, I got to see myself as the assistant who actually made it happen. I was an empowerer. I made it possible.

Keep that in mind as you work on other people's projects: You are the expert in your field, so definitely use your talents and share your opinions to make the piece better, but if it's not your project, remember that you are the assistant to that project. Your job is to make their dream reality.

~Luke Holzmann
Your Media Production Mentor