The Rules of the Game

Once upon a time I worked for a man I didn’t understand. And being the book worm that I am, I went to the library to do research about how men think and found a business-related book for women surrounded by men. It was interesting, and fairly eye-opening from what I remember (although I have since forgotten the name of the book). What I recalled over the past weekend was the book’s message about unwritten rules that women unwittingly break.  Rules that, according to the author, boys learned when they were against other boys while playing games and girls were peacefully playing together with dolls.  This won’t become a nature/nurture discourse, but I do want to explore the idea of breaking unwritten rules.

Being an improviser, I feel incredibly attentive to unwritten rules. A big part of improv is discerning the patterns as they unfold (since it is all improvised), or quickly learning the rules of the game so you can follow or exploit them. But if you don’t recognize the rules, you can’t have fun with them–whether to follow, break or exploit them.

Lately, with a lot of changes in every aspect of my life, I find myself in a space where I don’t know the rules of the game. So, I’m in uncharted territory as it were. This leads to a little second-guessing and slowed forward movement, which makes me ponder how many creatives and clients feel they are in uncharted territory.

When we don’t know the rules of the game, do we second-guess our steps instead of moving with bold confidence?  Does the act of not knowing waste our time and energy, instead of helping us move forward together? Where are the unwritten rules written down for the curious and eager? How do we follow the rules if we don’t know them? And what happens when we break one of the rules?

There are no answers in this post, today. Only fodder for exploration. So, please, feel free to share your thoughts or resources on where creatives and clients can learn more.