I Won’t Work With You
Collaborating with people is something people do all the time. It’s a great way to share an audience and expand your reach, but I have this strange thing about collaborations.
No matter how talented or how awesome of a person they are, sometimes, I just can’t get myself to work with them. I respect their craft so much that…
I simply just want to be a fan.
When people become good friends, or they get very comfortable with someone, they start forgetting how great the person was when they first met.
During my lifetime, I’ve observed countless number of people coming together to work together and developing friendships. After a while, I noticed their interactions were very different from when they first met. They were not as friendly, not as respectful, and just tactless.
There are definitely very talented people in my life that I am lucky to have as acquaintances with an added bonus of being considered their friends. I believe some people can pull this off (I think it depends on personalities and a high level of maturity [on either or both parts] ). In my opinion, I don’t think most people can pull this off because most people aren’t thinking in this frame of mind. I’m sure you’ve heard advice from many successful people saying “do not mix friends/family with work”. This is true.
I think understanding this concept of “becoming comfortable” is something that everyone should keep in mind when working with someone who can potentially become a friend.
friend n.
1. A person whom one knows, likes, and trusts.
I’m going to go ahead and also put the word “respect” in there. That’s my definition.
So for me to prevent this entirely, I choose not to work with some people even though I would like to. I would rather observe and keep the same level of respect, and mystery about people I admire.
I won’t work with you.
Let’s just be friends.
