Pickles, Camels, and Stinky Cheese

I am in a pickle of a sort. It's vexing me sorely. I am trying my best to un-pickle this pickle, but it's proving difficult. I am not feeling flexible about this pickle, and that's also proving difficult. At some point we have to take a stand, or life will flatten us like a steamroller.

The thing about taking a stand is that you have to be ready for the fallout.

I'm remaining hopeful that the fallout is minimal and the result of my stand is a positive one for all involved. We have the same ultimate goal, just a momentary disagreement in how this will be best achieved. Lest I be overreacting, I've taken a poll among my closest and most trusted confidantes, and they all concur with my assessment concerning this particular pickle.

This is what one might call an obtuse blog post. Do forgive. 

The thing about being creative is that if you hand any of your control away, you risk losing all of your control. Yet, in order to survive, thrive, and succeed as a creative, you often have to partner with manufacturers, publishers, websites, retailers...and all of these organizations have teams of people who are involved in bring your content to the marketplace. Once you've handed your control away, your messaging and your branding can easily become derailed by someone else's vision or more likely, by the horse that became the camel.

This is the old adage: A camel is a horse designed by committee.

It may sound extreme or alarmist, but I've been at this for a while and it's happened to me many times. You have a team of people with different goals all getting involved in shaping the delivery of your content. However, you, the creator whose name is attached to the creation, take the brunt of the burden if their vision does not serve what you've created. 

In case my mixed metaphors proved confusing, my horse has been turned into a camel, Thusly, I find myself in a pickle. I did not want a camel, I wanted a magical unicorn. I do not wish to be in a pickle, I want to be on a sparkly cloud of excitement and anticipation. I am tired of being disappointed after pouring my heart into my creations. I can't always do it all by myself, I have to partner with people on occasion. Or maybe I don't, because this pickle is sadly familiar. 

People wonder why Martha is a 'control freak.'

I don't.

She's learned, likely the hard way, what happens when you lose control of your message. You end up in pickles astride camels. You have to watch out for you and your vision. You have to be willing to take a stand on occasion.

When women take a stand, they are often labeled as trouble makers. The times when I have taken a stand have not been fun. I've found myself standing alone, like the cheese. I supposed that makes me the stinky cheese, but the stinky cheese isn't long ignored even if it is not well loved. 

Pickles, camels, stinky cheese...the metaphors are proliferating around these parts along with the mounting frustration. 

Just this once, I'd like a magical unicorn on a sparkly cloud of excitement and anticipation. 

Is that so wrong?

xoxo,

Madge