failing harder

failing harder

Within the walls of Wieden+Kennedy lurk some of the most brilliant, creative and, I would argue, tortured minds. For them, it is all about "the work" and as a byproduct of continually encouraging creatives and clients to push the proverbial envelope, their work never ceases to inspire. I genuinely miss being a part of the organized chaos.

As you walk through the suspended catwalks in the Portland office it is hard to miss the 150,000 push pin mural on the 4th floor that reminds passersby to "Fail Harder". The message reflects one of Dan Wieden's sayings, "You're only good to me after you've made three tremendous mistakes."

James and I aren't your average Joes (not that being average or named Joe is a bad thing, by any means). I sometimes crave routine and stability, but that quickly passes. We thrive when things are moving slightly off kilter. We embrace change, failure, success, ideas and creation. We understood that as wonderful as Portland was, our dreams could not be achieved there. So, we left and said hello to Race City, USA last year.

It has been an obviously rough year, life has had no kilter of which to speak, but this little piece of WK that we've recreated in our living room encourages me. It reminds me that we are here in Charlotte for a very specific purpose. We are here not to get comfortable, but to continually push the envelope. We are here to take the road less traveled, potentially failing tremendously along the way, but it is all in an effort to achieve greatness in the end.