the missing link

ideas, like meat, need to marinade.

my professor in Communication 2 told me.

i was struggling with the design theme of my new business venture.
in front of me was a list of maybe 20 possible concepts/themes.
half of them were conceptually and creatively fresh.

but none of them were The One.
it is hard to quantify or qualify it.
but you will know if the idea is the correct one, the idea strong enough to grab your enthusiasm, from which other numerous ideas can now flow from... developing the concept further.

i noticed that The Idea is closely tied to one's unique Creative Identity.
i sometimes try to be creatively fresh in an irreverent and playful way.
when i do that, the concept somehow feels fake, like it is trying to hard to be cool.

the Idea i finally chose somehow felt sad.
to be accurate, it began as something sad.
but was really about something flawed in transition to something better.
amidst decay comes beauty.
a constant metaphor or recurrent theme in almost all of my creative ideas and ventures.

i am a firm believer in my inherent capacity to transform.
and the inherent capacity of others to transfigure.
that inside all of us lies the potential to become something better and more beautiful inside and out.

the tricky part is to stay afloat long enough to reach transfiguration.
unfortunately, the call of the other end of the spectrum, the pessimistic one, is all too tempting.

a quote from somewhere said that we are more afraid of our own light than of our own darkness.
imagine being used to a dark room and then suddenly the door opens.
will the light not overwhelm and hurt your eyes?

walking towards the light is painful.
because it is too unknown, unfamiliar and intense.

i know i have a lot of potential.
but that too can be a burden.
because the thought of not living up to it can bring so much personal disappointment.

this internal battle between mediocrity and divinity tires me sometimes.
that i get stuck in limbo.

so when i get asked why a person should even bother reaching for the light when being mediocre has its benefits (such as a sense of comfort and stability), i am unable to answer.

frankly, i do not know why we should even strive to become something better and higher than what we already are.

what i do know is that some of us need to reach for it.
because once tasted, it is hard to forget.