“Nothing stays still. Relative to the rest of the world, even something that’s not moving is changing. It’s tempting to talk about not making fast enough progress. But it’s far more useful to ask which direction we’re progressing. Often, people will point to the velocity of the change they’re making without pausing to consider the direction of that change. Strategy is the hard work we do before we do the rest of the hard work. Where to?”
— Seth Godin
These words by Seth Godin say a lot about how we stay and progress in the business as gallery directors. Over time, we can lose progress because of the day-to-day grind. We miss the little important details that could have a huge impact on our business later on down the road. So often it is tempting to focus on the “big ticket” issues and ignore the little pressing issues in our rush to get business done.
This passage emphasizes that change is inevitable during the speed of our day—nothing truly remains static. Even things that seem unmovable are shifting in relation to the world around them. There are advantages to noticing what is stagnant.
A Direction Home
The key idea above for a creative is that instead of focusing solely on the speed of progress (how fast we’re moving), we should be more concerned with its direction (where we’re actually headed). Many creative people become fixated on making rapid changes but fail to consider whether those changes are leading them toward meaningful, positive outcomes.
The final line reinforces the importance of strategy. Before jumping into action, we must first do the critical thinking to ensure that our efforts are aligned with our ultimate goals. Simply put: progress without direction is meaningless—strategy defines the destination.
Speed vs Progress
This passage also challenges the common mindset of equating progress with speed. We often measure success by how quickly things are moving. But real progress isn’t just about momentum; it’s about trajectory. Moving quickly in the wrong direction can be worse than standing still.
The first point made is that nothing is truly static. Even something that appears unchanging is evolving in relation to the world around it. This means that even in moments where we feel stuck or stagnant, change is happening—as a creative, we just might not be noticing it consciously.
Velocity and Direction
Another key idea is that people tend to judge progress based on velocity rather than direction. It’s easy to celebrate rapid change, new projects, or increased output, but without examining where that movement is leading, we risk putting energy into the wrong places. The real question is not how fast we’re progressing, but where to?
Creative Strategy
This ties into a final and most critical idea: strategy comes before execution. Strategy is the intellectual and creative work done before taking action—it’s the process to set a clear direction, to define meaningful goals, and to ensure that every effort aligns with a larger vision. Without it, we can spend an enormous amount of energy “progressing” only to realize we’ve arrived at the wrong place. The takeaway? Don’t just move—move with intention. The hardest but most valuable work is in defining why and where before worrying about how fast.
