Priorities (philosophy)

This was written some time ago and never published. I thought it was interesting.

You will most certianly observe- that:

 the IMS web pages cover a wide array of projects that are in various stages of development. 

    Some have been critical of this and have chosen to respond in a negative fasion. Those persons obviously don't understand the nature of what is being done at IMS. 

    It's good to see the weeds in the garden so you can pull them out. The fact of the matter is that, as the Artistic Director, it is my job to develop ideas and to determine which ones may fit into a long term plan. I've chosen to use the internet as an arena for developing this work, not for any personal engrandizement, but for the simplicity by which other persons may participate in the process, both to assist in the goals of IMS and to share in the enthusiasm as they may find a forum for the expression of their creativity.

      The reality is that I'm lucky if I have another twenty years of useful service left in me. Twenty years is not a long time. So with that reality facing me, I've determined that the best thing I can do is to convert as much viable information about these larger projects onto the the web pages, if for no other reason than to archive them in the event of my demise.

      At this point, there are tangible and somewhat mundane tasks which need to be performed to completion which directly effect the ability to move into active production. These tasks build upon one another to the point where one can turn around and see absolute results, yet in the process, they seem like nothing more than a necessary distraction. I've developed the ability to see the chain of events and anticipate the process & the energy required to achieve a goal. Along with this ability, I've come to expect a certian level of complexity and the inevitable unknown. 

      The contingency fund is gaining increasing volume to meet the inevitable, of course both remain unknown, but non-the-less the unknown factor must be recognized as significant. With an understanding and respect for this unknown, the known factors become clearer and more easily managed.

      Priorities can only be based on known factors but they must be flexible enough to remain intact in the face of the unknown. Their position on the scale of importance is only what changes. The change in position of importance occurs because of multiple factors and the way in which they are compounded upon one another.

      As a project progresses, the level of complexity increases. Certian goals require fulfillment of previous objectives. The goals withing a project are defined with a wide brush and the individual aspects of those goals are gradually expanded as resources & knowledge allow for that to occur. 

      Within a project, indeed within an organization as well, the priorities find their own level. The director of a project will set objective goals and move to achieve those goals, but it must be understood that the unknown factor is so significant that in many ways it controls the outcome of the effort. 

     The secret to endurance on any project is to be flexible enough to be able to respond to that unknown and to have developed enough options where one can shift ones energy to another aspect of the project and continue to move forward, while contending with the unknown that has become a factor needing attention.

      And so, the priorities can be set down as objectives, with the hope and expectation that those goals will be met, but in the larger scheme of things, the fulfillment of those objectives is heavily contingent upon, not only the resources available, but also the sequence of events which can only be anticipated to a certian degree of accuracy. 

The largest factor in the fulfillment of goals is commitment.

AG