Home Is Where The Heart Is

Hello, players.

I've been thinking a lot about motivation lately. It's one of those deceptively simple matters. You know the kind. The sort of thing that ends up being very important to everything we do in life. In order to accomplish something – anything, really - the first step is to understand what you want. But wanting to do something and doing it are different things, separated by a long and rocky road. 
 

Whatever you choose in life, make sure it's something
that ignites your passion. Photo by Miri.

Whenever we set out to do something that takes a lot of work it is vitally important to be motivated. The task itself could be almost anything. It could be climbing a mountain, or surviving in the wilderness. Perhaps you want to become a great painter, write a good novel, or a ground breaking scientific thesis. The goal itself is up to you, the individual. Like me, I'm sure you have your own aspirations in life. My passion is to make computer games that reach out and mean something to people.

There's a phrase that I see used a lot, namely, “Execution is everything”. The corollary of that statement is, “Ideas are cheap”. From personal experience I believe both these sayings to be true. It doesn't take much to dream up awesome ideas for games, books, comics, or films. We've all done it! It feels good to do it. It can even be a little addictive. But still, coming up with ideas isn't the master skill. (The master skill regarding ideas is the ability to recognize a good idea, not dreaming one up. Think about it.) Executing on a good idea is where it's all at. A teacher of mine once said, “Art is 10 % inspiration and 90 % perspiration”. Another teacher later told me the same thing, only he claimed it was a 1/99 ratio. I never liked that idea at the time. It seemed to me that being inventive should count for more.

Drawing is a skill that takes time and dedication to develop,
but anyone can learn it if they commit themselves fully.

The more I work the more I believe my teachers were right. Rather, at this point in time I think of it like this: if you want to achieve your dreams, you can't ignore any stage in the process. You need a great idea coupled with great ability to execute that idea. You need skill, perseverance, a clear head, hard work and luck. That's the best part of working in a team. I've yet to meet an individual who combines all these qualities to the level that's needed. However, in a team you combine your personality and your skills with those of other people. If you get a working team together the sum is greater than its parts.

In a team we can afford to have many different motivations, too. One member is passionate about becoming a great writer, while another strives to become the best artist possible. Some members can be passionate about technology, while someone else is busy making sure the game reaches its audience. The cool thing is that in a team all these different ambitions are not only useful, but necessary.


This is the best part of my job as CEO. Nothing beats building a great team where people are burning with desire to create awesome things. A strong team is also a real win-win situation for its members. Why? Because most people feel good working with others toward a common goal. The occasional conflict or frustration is a small price to pay. There is a beautiful feeling in overcoming obstacles together and realizing that you and your team can do anything you set your hearts on.

That's why it's important to be passionate about the projects you embark on. For us, MilMo is the adventure of a lifetime. I love getting up in the morning because I know that awesome challenges await. Every obstacle is a chance to grow and every success is something I can share with my co-workers and shareholders.

Myself, Calle and Sara discussing MilMo at the lunch table. 
Awesome stuff in the making.

Be warned though. Being a member of a team does not take away from your personal responsibility; to be good at what you do and to solve the problems that fall under your responsibility. You'll always have challenges and sometimes no-one else can help you. Maybe you wake up with a headache. There could be a problem in your love life. Every now and then you find that you lack a vital skill and have to learn something new. At times like these, though friends may support you, you have to work the problems out yourself.

Being a professional means being highly motivated and to produce a consistent level of quality, sometimes under adverse circumstances. There are many skillful amateurs whose best work is equal to what the professionals can produce. The true mark of the pro is to be able to produce to that level even on a very bad day.

To have the strength to produce that quality you have to know that you're living the life you desire. Even on a horrible day, you should be able to stop, take a deep breath and smile because this is the life you want and there's no other place you'd rather be. When you can do that there is no stopping you. You'll be able to walk that long, rocky road of doing what you dream of doing.

All the best,


Ola

Today's post is made by Ola Holmdahl, game designer and CEO at Junebud. Ola's previous career includes teaching game design, doing game design and creating concept art. In a previous life he was a freelance artist and an academic (but not at the same time). Follow him at twitter.com/Olaholmdahl