Today, I stuck my head up and looked around after a whole week of head down and getting on with it.

The world is a fascinating place.

I wandered around some streets today, headed to a swimming pool, had a swim, and had an afternoon to reflect, and then I popped out for some simple street food.

While I was snacking on my food, I noticed a group of lads discussing how to photograph the local theatre. Two things to add here, I don’t speak the language, but I could tell by their gestures what they were discussing. Also, the big feck-off cameras they were holding was another clear signal to my assumptions. Second of all, the local theatre, a movie multiplex and an acrobat show, believe it or not, is a decent building, but not the most inspiring. I could see from their animations that they were egging each other on to capture the best shots. It was all on action, and it looked like the shots they were taking would be genuinely awesome. I was inspired. They had great energy, laughter and curiosity that led them to take up the most peculiar of positions. 

All great to watch from a distance.

This was when it dawned on me. I am working in a vacuum. I do not have someone to bounce ideas off. I have been so focused on my own projects and my own direction that I have not had the time to reach out to other like-minded people. 

I have a couple of associates that I share some ideas. Still, I have not yet got that camaraderie that would allow me to open right up to the joint exploration of the creative pursuit.

That’s a gap in my future planning. I need to build a network where I can learn from and hopefully contribute something to. Networking will be vital if I want to develop that life of travel, video blogging and writing. I will need to know people, and right now, I don’t know anyone. I am watching from afar. I am in a vacuum, and that needs to change.

The aforementioned is never easy when just starting out in a new pursuit. If you had taken me back a few years to different times in my life, I would point to networking success and failures. The point in saying that is that I know I can build a network, but I have to be driven for it, and above all, it needs to be allocated some time from somewhere else in my schedule. 

My evening research has now taken a different turn. I will be looking to see who else is in and around Beijing who might be working on similar creative projects, and I will reach out to them.

The question I might need to get beyond when I connect with other people is whether they are the same as me. Are they happy being that way, or are they looking to change? 

Are you looking to connect?

Without saying it out loud, I would need to try to find an answer to that question I asked of myself recently.

Are you working in a vacuum?

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