Creating Your Dream Team
By Jahan Mantin of CulturFPhile
Sandra O’Day, the former Supreme Court Justice, said: “We don’t accomplish anything in this world alone… and whatever happens is the result of the whole tapestry of one’s life and all the weavings of individual threads form one to another that creates something.”
For the folks who prefer to work alone, I get it – I used to be that kid in elementary school who snubbed group projects. Working alone meant I didn’t have to rely on my classmates, who I secretly thought wouldn’t be able to get the job done the way I thought it should be. This sort of ideology found its way into my freshmen year of college where I would inwardly groan when the professor would assign team projects. Why work in a group when I could just get it done alone? I didn’t need jack shit except myself, the library and our “intranet” (pre-world-wide-web days).
Although I had always been outgoing and loved to be in and part of groups, working with folks registered differently in my mind. Hanging with friends was fun but work was work and I didn’t trust others to be able to get it right. Basically I just wanted to control the outcome and was arrogant enough to think I knew how to do it best. Plus, I was on some lame woman-of-color martyr tip I still haven’t fully outgrown. My ideology started to change (mostly through my experience of communal living when traveling abroad) and I went from “why work with others when I can do it myself” to “working with others allows for new perspectives and the creation of something better than I’d imagined.” I actually now love the process of collaboration, exchanging ideas and seeing an idea translate into something tangible – where everyone can say they’ve had a hand in its creation.
Sure, writing in papers in college is totally doable alone and there is value in that – but what I believe the former judge is referring to is about creating something truly worthwhile, building a legacy and creating value in our lives. And for that – you need others. It’s a good quote because it speaks to our larger ability, as human beings, to co-create with one another whether we’re co-parenting, creating a business, starting a movement, or cooking a group dinner.
So, how does this all relate to your own art, passion project, creative idea or business? Read the rest HERE.