What Are You Waiting For: Produce Your Dream Project

I attended a talk last fall entitled The Science of Happiness by Dr. Catherine Sanderson, a psychology professor who teaches at Amherst College. She gave the following suggestions of how to increase happiness in your life.

Do things that give you pleasure.
Engage in what you find meaningful.
Seek out and discover what gives you a sense of purpose.

One of my greatest sources of happiness – besides spending time with the people I love, traveling and eating chocolate – has been producing creative projects.

I have produced everything from international photography exhibits, award winning CD compilations, documentary films and even an animated short about cocoa farmers. When I worked in the music industry I produced websites for major artists and put together a world music lecture and performance series. I have conceived of and created chocolate tasting fundraisers and workshops on financial sustainability for nonprofit and social enterprises. Next year I will be self-publishing my first book called Discovering Ganesh. The Hindu deity Ganesh is known as the Lord of Beginnings, Patron of the Arts, and Remover of Obstacles.

For those of you who haven’t produced your dream project yet - yes...that big scary one that matters the most - there are usually two things standing in the way.

Not knowing how to get started
The fear of failure

Below are a few examples of my creative projects. Some made it to the commercial world with great success; others did not. When I wasn't able to secure a commercial release for a project, I felt a deep sense of failure. But over time what I learned was that what mattered the most to me was not being known for my projects, but taking a dream and making it a reality.

Photography Projects

Music Projects

Other related Skillshare classes:

Project Guide by Shana Dressler

Founder of the Social Innovators Collective

Shana Dressler’s career began as a documentary photographer and producer spanning a wide range of forms, from stills to video to multimedia. In 2004 she founded Swimming Elephant Productions, a multimedia company which produces all of her artistic projects. 2004 also marked her transition into the... view full bio