Not just two words that end in vity.
The work that we do as technical artists in the local church, tends to fall in the category of intense.
Not only is there a level of intensity around doing live events, but there is something about doing something different every week, that makes a lot of the process more last minute than any of us would like. Not surprisingly, this doesn’t make things less intense. Flying by the seat of your pants is how most of us end up working.
So not only are live events intense, and not only are different live events each week intense, but doing them in the church, where it is easy to get wrapped up in eternal issues, is where the gravity comes into play.
When you talk about creating a distraction free environment, it is because we don’t want anything to get in the way of people hearing the message of Christ. If someone isn’t able to hear because production is getting in the way, this weighs heavily on the technical artist in the local church.
I take my role very seriously, as we all should.
OK, so we’ve established that being a technical artist in the local church can be intense and be accompanied by loads of gravity. So if things are going to be intense regardless, I’d like to enjoy the process along the way. Levity.
I’m not saying that every meeting or each moment in the booth should be about cracking jokes, but I would say that there isn’t any reason to not have fun as we are serving the church together.
(Side note: I’m not talking about having fun at the expense of other people, which can be easy to do in the cynical world of the production booth.)
I have a theory that most people start serving in production because they like production-y things. They keep serving because they love the people on their team.
Creating a levity on your team could look many different ways. It could be a light atmosphere while serving together. It could be picnics or field trips outside the normal serving time.
For those of you who know me, you know that I love to laugh. I like to enjoy myself while working on a big project. This in no way diminishes my commitment to our team’s missions statement: “to create life changing moments through the fusion of the technical and performing arts.” I am very serious about this lofty idea.
However, it does mean that I want to have fun while working really hard. The goal isn’t to have fun. The goal is to accomplish the mission, and having fun along the way is part of the journey.
Deal with the gravity of what we do by introducing levity into how your team functions. If I don’t enjoy the process, I will eventually be crushed by the gravity.
What are some ways that you can stop taking yourself so seriously?
Where can you introduce levity to your team’s experience?
How can you balance out the gravity of what you do with the opportunity to enjoy yourself along the way?
