Standing on the Shoulders of Giants: Julian Lennon

We all do it.

Anthony Mason - CBS Sunday Morning

From Sunday Morning’s interview on CBS, “Look around you, if those who have it tougher than you can get on, the least you can do is honor them by doing it yourself.”

Regardless of your opinion about Julian Lennon’s work – musical or photographic – few have been judged harsher than he, not by others and evidently, not by himself. Think about how you might deal with criticism and rejection, then add the pressure of heredity – that is Julian Lennon. He reached great heights before his career’s beginning which translates to a hard fall if he doesn’t validate.

For him, sorting out comparisons means:

“gettin’ on gettin’ on – plow forward. Believe in yourself and plow forward. It’s easy to get overwhelmed; you wonder if you can make it or if you can get through but somehow you do.”

An inwardly facing fight of fear. He’s where he is because of his dad, he’s standing on the shoulders of a giant.

It remains a gauge we all take: do I measure up. Perhaps your water mark is a relation, a well known virtuoso, or a mentor, but more likely it’s an entire market of competitors and your own reputation. You’ll never get past the comparisons.

Extreme pressure and panic; Julian is going to be judged on yet another creative element in his life. Will he pull through if he is rejected? He’s sure to hear: first he thought he was a musician, now he thinks he’s a photographer. It shouldn’t matter but somehow it does.

Julian Lennon’s story is substantially the same as the rest of ours no matter how remarkable his life circumstances have been. There is a transition that happens: Ignorance gives you courage and later on, wisdom gives you permission.

Permission To Suck Manifesto Laws that apply:

6.    Your creativity is about your heart, not their surface. Creativity is your world view filtered through your talent. It’s your passion, experience, expertise, inspiration and your rules that drive you to create wonderful things that you’re destined to hate because they’re not good enough, and others are open to admire because they couldn’t do it.

9.     Everyone is creative but only a select few can deal with the risk of ego crushing rejection that inevitably comes from the direction you least expect.  If your work is worth more to you than the safety of groups or a secure fortune then you’re “a creative”.

10.    That road block was dropped there for a reason; it’s so you learn how to maneuver or to accept the pain of hitting it.  Either way, if you don’t survive the test, it wasn’t worth the trip.