Media 6 Week 4

This week’s reading talks about some ways of approaching work. There are two mindsets introduced: the craftsman mindset and the passion mindset. The craftsman mindset is about honing your skills to the point of obsession every day, and really practicing whatever it is that you do until you’re so good at it that people can’t ignore you. The craftsman mindset is then a focus on what value you’re producing for your career, and the world in which you aspire. On the other hand, the passion mindset focuses on what the world you’re aspiring to has to offer to you. That is, what kind of fulfilment and joy does the line of work you’re doing/want to do have to offer to you. Is that job the ultimate profession that can satisfy your needs and desires?

The author dismisses this second mindset because he believes the world doesn’t “owe you a great career… you need to earn it – and the process won’t be easy”. I agree and and disagree with him. I think it’s important to work on skills and whatnot, but at the same time you want to be working for a career that is fulfilling to you. He counters arguments claiming the artists were already passionate about their careers and then adopted his craftsman mindset by saying Tice and Martin had anxiety and felt insecure about their lives, and that the passion mindset were not on their radar and that they started honing their skills before they were sure they wanted to. This is something I don’t buy. I don’t see how anyone obsess over something if they’re not smitten by it. They’ve kept at it for the umpteen years so they are obviously passionate enough to continue with their job despite their concerns.

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