“The essential part of creativity is not being afraid to fail.”- Edwin H. Land
I love this quote for so many reasons, one being that it reminds me of how subjective creativity is.
When it comes to staging a home, you have to be willing to look at things in different ways and see what works. Some ideas will “fail”, though it’s not a failure because everything you try gets you closer to the “right” answer. Which brings me back to the idea of subjectivity. If you paraded 10 home stagers through a room, the chances are each one would do something slightly different.
While most will notice that there is too much (or too little) furniture, or that there is currently no focal point, they will each bring their own creativity and ideas to the situation. In other words, there is no single perfectly “right” answer to the question, “how can I best decorate this room to help the house sell quickly?”
Recently I wrote a post called, “Home Stagers What Would You Do in These 4 Rooms?” I shared some typical “before” shots from my various home staging clients and asked home stagers to test their own staging ideas in four different rooms. There were tons of great comments from readers about how they’d address the typical home staging problems I showed. It’s a great spot to read some excellent tips to help you as a home stager.
The other thing I love about the above quote from Edwin H. Land is that it reminds us that the more creative solutions (and the most exciting results), come from not being afraid to fail.
When I’m choosing colors for a client who isn’t moving, I’ll often come up with two decidedly different looks. I’ll tell them, “this choice will work really well and I know you’ll find it easy to live with. This other alternative is much more daring. There’s a risk that you’ll hate it when the room is painted, but at the same time, there’s a big chance that you’ll love it and really say ‘wow!’”
In other words, the “wow” results come from pushing your limits and trying something more daring!
That’s kind of true of life, isn’t it? We can always stay on the safe and expected path and never rock the boat by doing anything remotely surprising or adventurous. We might be totally bored, but at least we won’t “fail”. Or so the thinking goes.
In my mind, never stepping out of our comfort zone to learn or try something new, IS a huge failure! To be bored is to die a slow death as far as I’m concerned. What do you think?
Debra Gould, The Staging Diva®
President, Six Elements Inc. Home Staging
Debra Gould knows how to make money as a home stager and she developed the Staging Diva Home Staging Business Training Program to teach others how to earn a living doing something they love.
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Appreciate your presentation of Edwin H.Land’s quote. I needed to hear it. I think I am araid to fail, but you are right – it’s more of a failure of a person doesn’t just get out there and give it a try – whether it’s decorating a room or starting your home staging business. Thanks, Debra.
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