Years ago, on a road trip with friends, I was driving along a winding mountain road through the Ouachita National Forest in Arkansas when we hit fog.
It was late afternoon, but the fog was so thick it felt like dusk. In the daylight, the road had been a dream, twisting its way through the vibrant autumn foliage and we gleefully chased it like a slalom skier on a gold medal run.
Now, however, with visibility limited to just 30 feet or so in front of the car, the mood had changed. The carefree vibe had evaporated into the mist and been replaced by a dull, throbbing tension.
For five minutes, then ten, then fifteen, no one spoke. At some point, the CD in the stereo reached its end and we simply drove on in taut silence.
Headlights materialized out of the fog with little warning before being immediately swallowed up again as they passed. While the cars were alarming, I was more concerned about the deer or elk I was sure would appear in the middle of the road at any moment with no headlights to signal its presence.
We slowed down, and thought about stopping to try to wait for the fog to lift. But with the fog already having its way with the late afternoon sunlight, we didn’t want to see what it would do with the night.
And so on we drove through the fog.
• • •
Looking back years later, I realize we made the right decision that day.
There are certain locations that are predisposed to fog. In these places, if you decide to try and wait the fog out, you need to be prepared to wait a long time.
These fog-inclined locations are often found in valleys, around mountains… and seemingly everywhere on our creative expeditions.
We often hit fog when we begin to climb in elevation. From the base of the mountain we can see the peak in the distance and eyeball the route we’ll take to get there. As we ascend, however, we quickly become engulfed in confusion and uncertainty.
We know our destination is somewhere above us, but can see nothing more of the route leading there than the 30 feet in front of us. Unable to see where we’re going and what obstacles are waiting to materialize out of the mist, we often choose to stop and wait for greater clarity.
This is a mistake.
Without any change in the external conditions, the fog will continue to sit low and heavy indefinitely. This means our only option to escape it is to move either up, toward our destination, or down the way we came.
The thing about moving through fog, however, is that while we might only be able to see 30 feet in front of us, if we travel that 30 feet, we can count on being able to see another 30 feet ahead of our new position.
Shaan Puri has an approach to project navigation he calls the ABZ Framework which illustrates perfectly how to move through the creative fog. In the framework, A is where you are, Z is where you want to go, and B is the next step in front of you.
We often think of clarity as being able to see every step of the journey ahead in crystal clear detail, from A through Z. But to move forward at any point in time, we only really need to be able to see B, or the next 30 feet in front of us.
With this in mind, we can choose to view our creative expedition as nothing more than a series of 30-foot segments, each one coming into view as we move through the previous.
In the end, what’s more important than vision when navigating the fog is trust. Trust that by moving forward 30 feet, the subsequent 30 foot stretch of road will come into view ahead.
We all face regular patches of fog on our creative expeditions. Sometimes we get stuck in what feels like a sea of fog. When we do, we might be tempted to hold tight and wait for the sun to burn through.
But in the end, the only way to move through the fog is to move through the fog.
Explore how to navigate a creative life that matters
This article originally appeared in my weekly Creative Wayfinding Newsletter. Each issue is the product of a week of work, and contains something not available for sale.
A fresh perspective, a shot of encouragement when you need it most, and maybe even some genuine wisdom from time to time.
Each week, we explore a different facet of the question “How do we navigate the wilds of creating work that matters?”
It’s something I’m proud to create and I’d be honoured to share it with you.
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