ASK 4 HELP!
If you're reading this blog post, chances are you're industrious.
You haven't stumbled across Leon! solely for our amazing animations and hilarious blog posts (of course, I crack myself up, so maybe that's not 100% objective.)
You're probably in the process of building or improving something right now.
You may work for a company and have to create a showcase to round up investors. Or you're working on branding for your site and are searching for guidance on 2D animations.
Regardless, you're a "go-getter" and probably used to handling most issues yourself.
So much so that you've found yourself overburdened from time to time. You've stressed getting this or that done by X or Y deadline. Maybe you've found yourself constantly missing out on the gym or eating badly well because you're just overworked.
As hard as that may be to stomach, the right thing to do in these situations is to ask for help.
Learn From the Pencil
Even in our modern world, something as simple as a pencil requires way more people than you realize to assemble.
Only four core components make up the average pencil: graphite, cedar, rubber, and metal- that's it! Yet, even with those components, it would only be possible to assemble a pencil with the help of MANY others.
For instance, it takes the interaction of several million people to produce the stained cedar boards that make up the pencil's naked body. If we start at the lumberjacks as a focal point, we need to consider the thousands involved in making the tools they use: saws, rope, boots, jeans, and shirts.
Then we need to consider the components of those tools: saw blades, screws, nuts, bolts, washers, twine, plastic handles, springs, and fuses.
Then we consider the roads laid to transport all of those things too.
You get my point.
Nothing in this modern world exists in isolation. Not even something as simple as a pencil, which without exaggeration requires millions upon millions of actions in concert to produce. So if you’re stumped on a project right now? Who are you NOT to ask for help?
(For a deeper dive into the depth and complexity of pencil manufacturing, check out I, Pencil.
Leadership Requires Help
I started Leon! as a solo animator, and it worked being alone for a time.
As the business grew and, with it, the need for more digital real estate, I needed assistance to meet the growing demand. There were too many projects for a single animator to handle and certainly too much animating for me to do myself while maintaining a healthy blog, reaching out to clients, signing contracts, dotting 'Ts' and crossing "Is".
It was all too much.
So, of course, I started building a team, and as the group expanded, I found myself moving away from a direct animation role and into more of a leadership and management role. By getting help, I grew the amount of work we could deliver to clients.
Even This Blog Post Needed Help
Though technically written in my voice, this blog post has a lot of elements that aren't solely by me.
I put together the outline and intent and provided elements of inspiration for our new copywriter Jhanai. A 25-year-old resident of Trinidad in the Caribbean. Who then used his word wizardry to tie the ideas together in a witty, entertaining, and jaw-dropping masterpiece of a blog.
(Writer's note: Not publicly praising myself- no shot.)
The blog's 1st draft is then done by myself and forwarded to our team, who brainstorm ideas for the graphics. The team includes:
Elena: Gloriously skilled in 2D animation with a CV that even Leo (the founder and voice of this blog post) is jealous of.
Iago: The King of character animation from Brazil.
Alex: The man who puts almost too much character into his characters.
Ray the Scriptwriter: We're still amazed we get to work with this agency heavyweight, but we're enjoying every minute of it.
Laura: The creative genius behind Leon!'s branding.
Of course, several other team members do things like voiceover acting and illustrations.
Without our fantastic team, content like our blog posts and 2D animations wouldn't exist! Not to mention the countless others behind the coding that we rely on at every level of our operation.
See the Forest Through the Trees
Expertise tends to make us surprisingly shortsighted.
When tackling problems, it's common for us, experts in our respective fields, to become entangled in our assumptions about handling a situation. At Leon! times like these call for an outside perspective.
Whether the perspective comes from another expert or someone in an entirely different field tends not to matter too much so long as they can get a clear grasp of the components of the issue.
Often, outside perspectives lead to simple solutions that everyone has been overlooking.
Too Many Cooks Spoil The Broth
At the same time, asking for "too much" input can be just as problematic as having no extra information.
Knowing what is "too much" is subjective- but an excellent milepost to pay attention to is whether or not you feel yourself moving "forward" in problem-solving. Has the additional insight kept you feeling a sense of "unraveling", or have you instead spent 3 or 4 hours lost picking the correct opinion to follow?
If you're running in circles from opinion to opinion, it's time to start narrowing down your guidance to a top 3 or 4 pieces of advice. If you can't assess which direction is better or worse, default to experience. Prioritize suggestions from those who have been in the field longer or have risen to a higher status.
Wrapping it all Up
Don't underestimate the power of help.
No man, woman, dog, cat, cow, or other is an island.
If you're stuck trying to "figure it out" and have been there for some time or are overburdened by sheer volume, asking for help is the wisest move. You'll save time and stress and add some years to your life.
Are you stuck in an animation rut? Need something put together for a presentation? You may have got a complicated message to share- ASK FOR HELP! Click on the picture below and we'll build an animation that solves your problem!
Check out the rest of Leon!’s Simplification Commandments here.