Finding Projects To Achieve Success

In 1987 the movie The Secret of My Success starring Michael J Fox hit theatres. The plot unfolds around a young mailroom clerk, Brantly, who mistakenly answers a telephone when he shouldn't, which leads him to proving his metal in a major company and eventually taking over the top seat and winning the woman.

This week's article isn't going to focus on the film. My point is to suggest that answering the telephone (or answering the call) to become involved in projects is sometimes the best way to achieve your goals.

In my own experience, I have achieved some success by going after what I want. But what happens when you hit a wall, or all the streets seem to be leading away from your desired destination?

The best thing to do is relax. Time and patience will always win over aggressive search and conquer missions (that often turn out badly) to achieve a goal you've been imagining is possible.

Much like when you are lost in the woods, the best thing to do is focus. Make a list of your expertise, your skills, etc. Take into account the various things you have experienced in your life. Is there anything you've done that could lend a hand in diversifying your skills and helping you to achieve a desired end?

For instance, a good friend of mine is an actor in New York City. He has been going to auditions for years. He's done some plays and tested for pilots and felt generally happy with his roles and also professionally "stuck" at times.

One day, after having auditioned for a part in a big production, he was again stymied by more experienced actors. However, after the audition, he overheard a stagehand telling another stagehand how to mix two cans of paint that shouldn't be mixed together.

My friend stepped around the corner to address the potential issues with mixing the two paints and he ended up with a job as a set designer. Now, it wasn't acting, but he was a part of the production. This led him to other jobs that in turn have led to other jobs.

Now, another example of adapting ones career is Dan Futterman, screenwriter of the movie Capote (2005).

Before Dan hit the big-time with Capote, he was primarily an actor ( Will & Grace, Sex In The City, Judging Amy ) of sometimes-small parts, including (but not limited to) "Second Punk" in The Fisher King .

In a recent interview with Creative Screenwriting Magazine, Futterman addresses his changeover to screenwriting. He says that the chance meeting of his future wife on the set of Homicide: Life on the Street was a catalyst to his eventual success with the screenplay.

As it turns out, he courted her with the idea he'd been kicking around for the screenplay. It was in the gestation stage, but ultimately Futterman was given the nomination for an Oscar for his screenplay about Truman Capote.

"In 1959, Truman Capote, a popular writer for The New Yorker, learns about the horrific and senseless murder of a family of four in Holcomb, Kansas. Inspired by the story material, Capote and his partner, Harper Lee, travel to the town to research for an article. However, as Capote digs deeper into the story, he is inspired to expand the project into what would be his greatest work, In Cold Blood ." (IMDb)

Much like Capote, Futterman, and others, one secret to success is often deviating from your current course. It can be difficult. It can be successful, but ultimately it's your decision as an artist on whether you are going to take a chance on another form.

In some cases, this is easy enough. Projects land in your lap and you dig in. At other times, you have to look for something to work on, a project to get attached to.

The key here is how deeply you dive into the water provided. And then, how well you swim.

CLMP + NorthernPros = Bright Future

NorthernPros begins this week on the heels of an announcement by The Council of Literary Magazines and Presses that NorthernPros and Cadillac Cicatrix have been accepted into the prestigious fold of independent literary journals worthy of the CLMP (i.e. Good Housekeeping) seal of approval.

“The Council of Literary Magazines and Presses serves one of the most active segments of American arts and culture: the independent publishers of exceptional fiction, poetry and prose.

“Literary magazines and presses accomplish the backstage work of American literature: discovering new writers; supporting mid-career writers; publishing the creative voices of communities underrepresented in the mainstream commercial culture; and preserving literature for future readers by keeping books in print.” www.[clmp].org

Being a part of this organization is a big step for NorthernPros Creations.

Taking a look back on a few very special moments in our history when we have been inspired to continue plodding along at a very satisfying and deliberate pace, I am humbled to realize that NorthernPros has maintained a budding importance in the lives of the writers and artists that we support.

(Some of you might recall the old days, when NP was a fledgling chapbook publisher in Upstate New York, promoting weekly poetry events in Boulder, Colorado, or a book restoration service in Iowa City, Iowa.)

Our mission statement has always been to feed good writing to hungry readers and to support writers and artists and organizations that seek or support a career or lifelong hobby in the arts.

Of course there are no roads worthy of traveling if the road is smooth and tame.

Learning what it takes to be an altruistic businessman has been a meditation on patience and an exercise in persistence (most times in lieu of financial success).

All that said, with this announcement by the CLMP, NorthernPros takes another deliberate step toward projects that nurture and encourage the community that feeds our spirit.

We are glad to be here. We are happy to help. Our work is only beginning.

Stay tuned, keep writing.