With the hype around the London 2012 summer Olympics abounding
I had a Eureka moment recently: Olympic athletes and digital interactive
professionals are extremely similar performers. Farfetched you say? Then read
on young computer jockey.
Specialization and
the Mere Mortal
Each position in the digital production world suits a
different individual, just like each sport suits a different athlete.
A runner is not going to do gymnast training, and an artist
is typically not going to be proficient in programming. Of course there is the
occasional cross-over, but that person is a machine and a god among mortals. If you
are one of these people, let us know because we’d all like to praise you.
Trying to do it all usually results in the infamous burnout. The metrics of trying to do 4 things at once delineates to 25% of your effort
to each thing. Specialization is a good
thing and will have you playing with the big dogs at expert level eventually,
with some help from our next point...
Focus and dedication: uncompromised, unconditional and
uncanny. As Dr. Marco Cardinale, head of sports science and research of the British Olympic Association puts it,
“What separates Olympic athletes from the rest of us is their mind set and
dedication.” And really, what other professional has no problem staying up for
24+ hours working on a project? We are amazing.
A clear mind accompanied with hours of training and fine
tuning to the industry skills creates a gold medal winner, hence why DIG pulls the best of the best
to coach and share their knowledge.
Stay Fuelled
This just in: without proper nourishment the body and the
mind cannot perform at optimum levels. Both Olympians and desktop athletes are
versed in this principle. A level of fitness is required to do any task no
matter how small, and being free of injury permits the creation of the good
stuff. A balanced diet, fitness regimen and adequate rest will go a long way in
making sure that you are running at full speed: keep your head in the game!
GOOOOOOOAL!!1
The feeling of scoring a goal in any sport is the adrenaline rush that a
completed website or game creates in digital interactive gurus everywhere. The
ultimate score and the end goal is to improve performance, that may mean honing
skills and earning some medals before levelling up or just becoming stronger in
general within a defined field.
To be the best, you gotta train with the best and ally
yourself with the people who have scored game winning goals and are giving out
the medals. At the DIG arena, we put our
attendees through rigorous training and hours of physical and mental activity
that is currently unmatched in this country. Just kidding, it’s not that
rigorous, it’s just plain fun and that’s why we have the best jobs in the
world.
So when you are watching the 2012 Summer Olympics this July
I hope you have the same eureka moment as I did and realize, “hey bud, we
aren’t so different you and me.” While the Olympians may have the bodies of
Adonis’s the strength of Hercules we can stand to learn something and affiliate ourselves with the key points
that keep us all close to the flame.
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Katie Wilhelm is a Marketing and
Communications Coordinator at the London Economic Development Corporation. In
her spare time, she enjoys producing electronic music and working on her tan. Follow her on twitter today:
@KatieWilhelm
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