Overcoming Adversity

It’s not your situation, it’s your reaction.

There is a testament to the human spirit’s ability to adapt. We all have a choice in life, we can choose to sink, allowing unexpected obstacles to overwhelm us. Or we can choose to swim, face adversity, embodying improvisation, and resourcefulness. Faced with a dilemma we are coerced into ingenuity to overcome problems, it’s our survival technique.

Creativity holds no bounds, but often unexpected circumstances test our resilience and adaptability. As creatives we often have strong ideas of what we want to achieve, and these can act as barriers when nature has other plans. Perhaps the climate is against you, perhaps the light just isn’t right and sometimes everything just falls flat.

It’s at these times that we must begin to look deep within ourselves to problem solve. As we navigate our creative journey, we must embrace the obstacles and make them work for us, not against us. Indeed, most often, these situations can guide us to even better possibilities.

Take my latest video concept. I envisioned a beach BBQ, made from driftwood on a balmy summer evening, comprising wide sea scapes and a poetic vibe. I negotiated the weather forecast and set the best day aside. I baked my Fig & walnut Loaf, wrapped it up, collaborated my props and packed my bags.

But first I needed to pick my homegrown tomatoes, and film myself doing just that. As I stepped out, I was presented with a mass of beautiful shiny orbs, all verdant green and fresh…. yes, 20 minutes before, my mum had harvested our ripe tomatoes and enjoyed them on toast……

I could have scrapped that scene, and cut to my BBQ, but I so wanted that organic, homegrown footage that I am known for.  So, I placed a vine of shop bought tomatoes amongst my unripe green ones and nonchalantly filmed myself picking them… a big tick on the shot list.

So off I set for the beach…

The skies darkened and the wind whipped up around my legs and a damp sea mist filled the air. A storm was brewing.

I had a choice, turn back, unpack, and settle down with a book, allowing adversity to overcome my creative plans. Or I could intrepidly continue, problem solving as I went and see what emerged. I did just that, and the result, some of the content that I am most proud of to date, not for its technicality, but as a personal reminder that If I can dream it, I can do it.

I stood on that beach, freezing cold and a little wet, my damp hair whipping my face, I collected the only 3 twigs of driftwood to be found on the 2-mile stretch of beach and I filmed myself doing just that.

Then

I returned to my garden and found a little pebbled patch under the shelter of the apple tree, and I set up my beach BBQ. Comprised of apple wood twigs, logs and my 3 driftwood twigs, I suspended my grill with chains and set up my tripod. No, I couldn’t capture those wide sea scapes I dreamed of, instead I kept my shots tight. The resulting footage was dramatic, focused on the flames themselves, I became drawn in by the changing textures of the grilled vegetables, as they slowly blackened in clouds of smoke, I was mesmerised.

It was at that point I had an epiphany; life is what you make it. Every Adversity carries the seed of an equal or greater benefit. Having the courage to continue despite the difficulties shows tenacity and forces us to channel into our deepest creativity.

So next time you’re faced with a stumbling block, take time to take back and have an open mind, how can you turn it around to your advantage? In what way can you better your outcome beyond your wildest imagination.

The world is your oyster, it’s up to you to find the pearl….