Luck Be a Lady
The idea of luck is somewhat frowned upon in the Church but welcomed in the arts world. Christians pride themselves on wishing “good Providence” and “Lord willing.” Meanwhile anyone who’s been in a show knows theatre superstitions abound. Don’t say “Macbeth” in a theater. Say “break a leg” not “good luck.”
But in both groups, there can be an over-acceptance that success lies in someone else’s hands. Too often we accept the theology, “And so the best that I can do is pray, Luck, be a lady tonight.”
In the article, Luck and the Entrepreneur: the four kinds of luck, Marc Andreessen discusses the work of Dr. James Austin and how it applies to the business world. I couldn’t help think about its encouraging implications for the artist.
In his book Chase, Chance, and Creativity, neurologist and philosopher, Dr. James Austin outlines his theory of the four kinds of luck — or, as he calls it, chance. He defines chance as “something fortuitous that happens unpredictably without discernible human intention,” a definition that can align with Christian ideas about God, the Sovereign Orchestrator of creation.
Within this great orchestration, Austin observes four major forms of chance attributed to four different reasons.
Chance I is effortless, blind luck.
In Chance I, the good luck that occurs is completely accidental.
It is pure blind luck that comes with no effort on our part.
Chance II adds motion to accidental luck. When an individual “stirs up the pot” it enables more “chances” for chance to occur. Random ideas collide into fresh combinations.
[Chance II] involves the kind of luck [Charles] Kettering... had in mind when he said… “I have never heard of anyone stumbling on something sitting down.”
Chance III is blind luck combined with unique perspective.
Chance presents only a faint clue, the potential opportunity exists, but it will be overlooked except by that one person uniquely equipped to observe it, visualize it conceptually, and fully grasp its significance…Chance III involves a special receptivity, discernment, and intuitive grasp of significance unique to one particular recipient… Louis Pasteur characterized it for all time when he said, “Chance favors the prepared mind.”
He goes on to note the accidental discovery of penicillin; Fleming’s mind was prepared before the opportunity occurred.
Chance IV is the chance of individualized action. The rarest form, Chance IV is reserved for solving complex problems, occurring only when the other forms haven’t hit the target.
Chance IV is the kind of luck that develops during a probing action which has a distinctive personal flavor.
Whereas the lucky connections in Chance II might come to anyone with disposable energy as the happy by-product of any aimless, circular stirring of the pot, the links of Chance IV can be drawn together and fused only by one quixotic rider cantering in on his own homemade hobby horse to intercept the problem at an odd angle.
Austin recaps the favour of the four types:
Chance I is completely impersonal; you can’t influence it.
Chance II favors those who have a persistent curiosity about many things coupled with an energetic willingness to experiment and explore.
Chance III favors those who have a sufficient background of sound knowledge plus special abilities in observing, remembering, recalling, and quickly forming significant new associations.
Chance IV favors those with distinctive, if not eccentric hobbies, personal lifestyles, and motor behaviors.
In response, Andreessen prompts four points of personal evaluation,
How energetic are we?
How curious are we?
How flexible and aggressive are we at synthesizing?
How uniquely are we developing a personal point of view—a personal approach?
How essential for the artist.
Energy: Are you committed to motion?
Are you willing to put yourself out there? This may be obvious, but it doesn’t make it easier to put into practice. Energy requires fuel. How are you fueling yourself towards sustainable motion?
Curiosity: Are you willing to play?
How are you working to remain curious? For Christian artists, our curiosity about Him can easily pour over into our work. If we lack curiosity, perhaps the state of our faith is the first place to examine.
Creation: Are you willing to do the work?
In regards to synthesizing, Andreessen describes a hard skill that can be consciously improved through creative exercise. Rather than relying on an expert’s predetermined answer, apply your own experience and knowledge.
So, we must keep learning; continue to grow your experience and knowledge. Then rather than accept the default approach, employ creative solutions.
Actors often approach their work with this rigid idea of “how it should be done.” This (often elitist) mentality results in copy-of-a-copy performances, rather than authentic creation developed with good technique. Worse, it doesn’t allow for collaboration within the rehearsal process.
Originality: Are you willing to bring yourself?
The artist must be flexible without succumbing to passivity. In our concern for a general ability to fit roles, don’t surrender the unique tools you have to offer to that role.
Andreessen encourages developing “a personal approach—a personal set of ‘eccentric hobbies, personal lifestyles, and motor behaviors’ that will uniquely prepare us to create.” This isn’t a challenge of how many unique skills you can add to the bottom of your résumé, but the authentic and unapologetic investment in your personal life.
We’ll never be able to fully control luck. There are hugely talented people who never make it big (and vice versa). God “sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous”; we cannot manipulate His blessings. However a wrong idea of fate cannot eliminate our responsibility to make use of the opportunities provided.
And in our smallness, thank God we pray to a much greater Source than the fickle Lady Luck.
Sources/Read More:
Luck and the Entrepreneur: the four kinds of luck by Marc Andreessen
Luck and Chance by Justin Long
