The art of 'un-failing'

In life, failure is the default.

When you start something new it is nothing more than an idea or object full of possibilities. A sculptor has a blob of clay. A parent has a newborn that screams, throws up, and can't walk (reminds me of some folks during the Fourth of July downtown). A baker has bags of flour, sugar, and spices that, independent of each other, can taste awful. To craft something into a success is a long process with many key elements and lots of help.

We are fortunate enough as a city to have many brilliant people who are experts in the art of un-failing. Two of these legendary un-failers are Marty and Barb Mueller. They are best known for their work with 3D-IMAX cameras. At one point they installed cameras for NASA on the international space station that captured over 13 miles of film and gave the world an amazing front row seat to space in the IMAX film, "Space Station."

During a recent interview at the Innovation Collective Fireside Chat, I asked Marty about his work with NASA and the film. All I can say is the smile on his face and the tears he had to hold back about the shots from space spoke volumes of how proud he is of this project. By anyone's standards it is a massive success.

When asked about the process of becoming experts in the art of un-failing, both Marty and Barb immediately attribute their success to help received from others - and an insatiable curiosity.

With precision, Barb shared her thoughts on asking for help:

"A dialogue, whether it is for processing what you are thinking or getting input from others, is an important part of the progress towards the success of a project. When people get over the thought that asking for help is a sign of failure, or not being smart enough or playing some old tape that has negative connotations, that is when the real magic happens."

In Coeur d'Alene, we should have a culture of being ready to help anyone that we have the ability to without hoping for something in return. On the flipside, we ideally would also all be humble and wise enough to ask for help from those we respect and be ready to show our gratitude.

The resources are plenty but oftentimes we are too afraid to ask. If you could ask for help, what would you ask for?

Marty and Barb Mueller know exactly the help they would ask for. They want help making a playground of lathes, CNC mills, 3D printers, plasma cutters, and any other tool used to "make." This concept, which can be found in Los Angeles, New York City, and San Francisco, is often referred to as a "Maker Space."

So how can you help? You can email Barb at barb@gizmo-cda.org if you either have time, tools, or money to donate to this vision that is scheduled to launch in 2014.

Let's help create a better Coeur d'Alene together by asking for and giving help freely.

The next Innovation Collective Fireside Chat is April 1 from 6 - 8:30 p.m. at The Cellar, 317 E. Sherman Ave. in downtown Coeur d'Alene. We will be hearing from Mr. Tom Power, president and CEO of Sunshine Minting, which employs over 450 employees and has an annual turnover of $1.6 billion.

Follow Innovation Collective on twitter @innovatecda or email us at innovatecda@gmail.com for more information.