Opportunity is subordinate to wherewithal
Obama famously said that opportunity is who we are. That the defining project of our generation is to restore that promise, and that no one is better positioned to take advantage of those opportunities than us.
I couldn’t agree more. The challenge, though, is that opportunity isn’t the only variable. There’s a larger creative equation at work that centers around the idea of wherewithal, meaning everything needed to buttress opportunity, including knowledge, resources and courage.
Because even though creating art is work, creating the opportunity to make art is work too. It’s a much more strategic, measured and entrepreneurial type of work. But it’s work nonetheless.
When I first moved to New York, I started busking in the park with my guitar. Not an activity I ever anticipated doing, but it created an opportunity make art, from songs to performances to this documentary film.
The point is, we get our start by giving ourselves a start. That’s where opportunity grows.
What is the opportunity is going to pass you buy if you don’t act on it?