Mastery

On ashoot I directed a couple weeks ago, we were working with two fo the top stunt motorcycle riders in Hollywood.  What impressed me most was just the extreme professionalism and mastery these guys had.  Every take they did was right.  They moved the bikes like Yo Yo Ma plays the violin. 

There is something about mastery which is fantastic to be around and you can sense the mastery consciousness on someone. 

Anytime I've known someone who is a master of their art or craft, there is always one element.  It is part of their life.  It isn't something they do, it's something they are.   If you remove the craft or art from the person, they are no longer the same person.

When trying to become a master of something, you can reverse engineer the equation - if you can become totally defined by the craft, you are on the path towards mastery.  The next key component would be to make sure that the time you spend perfecting this craft is production and progressive.  Many people will spend months and years imagining they are dedicating themselves to something without make any progress.

Some essential elements to making progress:

1.  A willingness to be wrong, see that you are wrong, and learn how to do better.

2.  A willingness to spend more time than anyone else would in working on your craft.

3.  The interest enough in the craft in order to dig deeper and explore other related facets which will support the craft.

4.  The focus to avoid the related facets which do not support the learning of the craft and, therefore, are only a distraction.