A Founder Prepares

A Founder Prepares

BY Peter Buchanan-Smith

An Actor Prepares, by Konstantin Stanislavski, was a bible for some method actors (James Dean, Al Pacino, Marlin Brando, Marilyn Monroe). I imagine Stanislavski's book as part of a bigger series: "A Farmer Prepares", "A Carpenter Prepares", "A Chef Prepares", "An Angler Prepares". I was recently inspired reading how author Lauren Groff prepares:

"When Groff starts something new, she writes it out longhand in large spiral notebooks. After she completes a first draft, she puts it in a bankers box — and never reads it again. Then she’ll start the book over, still in longhand, working from memory." New York Times

The importance of preparation is nothing new, but in a world that is so consumed by end results, preparation is easily overlooked and diminished. And now that equation is truly imperiled by AI.

I have to constantly remind myself to slow down. Yes, sometimes life demands there is no time to prepare. Just getting something done, getting it out the door and off the to-do list is like a drug.

As I forge ahead on this new chapter of Best Made I'm committed to preparation. And trying my best to seize this moment, before we relaunch. As someone once said: "Measure twice, cut once".