“Courage isn't just a matter of not being frightened, you know. It's being afraid and doing what you have to do anyway.” – The 3rd Doctor (Jon Pertwee), Doctor Who
I recently have been getting job interviews and have been very busy lately! I am so excited for what is to come, as the keys to the kingdom are tossed in the air. I am open to the possibility and foreshadowing of a new beginning.
As I write this, I may be nursing an emotionally heavy state from a brutal rejection.
However, despite the heartbreak from that. I must look at it from the perspective of learning. Remember that it's competitive and it’s not entirely personal as much as it can feel that way when Interviews and Design tests are involved.
It’s not the end though and there are so many exciting things on the horizon.
It’s not over. I am quite excited and trying to stay as confident as I can! Even if there are some cracks in it.
As I say this, this blog post isn’t about my reflections on job interviews and heartbreak. It’s a reflection of confidence and I wanted to use an example to really get this ball rolling.
I know you can’t answer back, but I am going to work it as you can.
Have you seen Spiderman: Into the Spider-verse?
Brilliant! What a great film! The atmosphere is spot-on, and the animation is top-notch. It's visually stunning, and so is the sequel.
If you haven’t seen it. I recommend you go see it! It’s probably the best Animated Spider-Man film I have ever seen!
I wanted to talk about the theme of the movie.
Into the Spider-Verse helps us to learn the importance of relying on people and fighting through life's adversity to save ourselves and the world. Resilience is the process of adapting to adversity, the ability to bounce back after difficult experiences throughout life.
I think this film can speak to a lot of us in so many ways.
I did want to talk about one scene in particular.
It’s a scene simply called the What’s up Danger Scene
What an incredible scene! I still get chills the same as when I saw it in 2018!
The "What's Up Danger" scene is when the protagonist, Miles Morales finally embraces his powers and takes a leap of faith to become Spider-Man. It's a powerful moment that shows Miles finally accepting who he is and what he's capable of. The scene is also accompanied by a great soundtrack that really adds to the emotion of the moment.
The song featured in the scene which is what the scene is named after.
What’s Up Danger by Black Caviar and Blackway
It’s a song about confidence and embracing risk-taking. The song tells the story of someone who travels far and wide in search of adventure and faces the dangers that come with it. The protagonist is not scared by the ‘ominous vibes’, as they understand that taking risks often leads to amazing results. The chorus repeats several times, ‘What’s up, danger? Don’t be a stranger’, which implies that instead of being scared off by danger, one should embrace it - take risks, move forward and trust in yourself. The song suggests that taking risks can lead to success, that you don’t need to fear the unknown, and that you will be rewarded for your courage.
It's a song that is paired with the scene perfectly!
There are also quotes from Miles’ father and Peter Parker that is fueling the build-up to the leap.
Awesome, Spiderman is cool. That scene is powerful.
What do What’s up Danger and Spiderman have to do with this? What’s the point?
The "What's Up Danger" scene in "Into the Spiderverse" can teach us the importance of taking risks, embracing our true selves, and having the courage to step out of our comfort zones. It's a reminder that we are capable of more than we think and that we should never be afraid to take a leap of faith and pursue our passions.
“The Scariest moment is always just before you start. After that, Things can only get better” -Stephen King.
In my case, I may have had an interview I felt confident in and knew what I was talking about. Then another interview. I am nervous, have the shakes, and am trying to mentally process everything. I was terrified, but once I started talking to the lovely interviewer, I felt at ease.
Doing something even if you are scared! That’s true bravery.
Doing something that scares the shit out of you and still doing it and achieving great things from it. That’s fantastic! Also, True Bravery!
Doing something that scares you and still doing it, only to be met with failure. Guess what? That is also Bravery! Yeah, it may stink to fail or get rejected. Rejection may not be convenient at the time! However, you got to gauge whether the environment changed a little, and you learned what you could do better next time if you ever wanted to.
Hell, there is a version of the What’s up danger scene when Miles Fails! To show, guess what? We can still fail sometimes even when we accept our path and take the leap. However, he still got back up and kept swinging!
I am happy they went with the scene; it's good to see they had a few different versions of it.
In saying this, There is a design philosophy I learned at university. I know it’s not an exclusive concept to design but can be applied everywhere.
It’s Called Fail Fast.
A "fail fast" mentality is one in which mistakes are recognised and corrected as soon as possible during the development process, rather than being allowed to fester. Developers may quickly understand what won't work and pivot to what will by failing quickly.
If there is something to be learned from a particular setback, then the sooner that setback occurs, the sooner the learning can begin. Rapid failure provides valuable insights into what works and what doesn't, allowing you to fine-tune your project or development strategy accordingly.
Learning from mistakes.
I used it in the context of designing. We all learn from mistakes.
It’s when we don’t learn the true problem.
“Insanity is repeating the same mistakes and expecting different results.” - Albert Einstein
That quote has been featured in so many things like Ubisoft’s Far Cry 3 and even Alice in Wonderland, I think.
There will be times when we won’t know what we are doing wrong. It can feel like insanity, until one day the universe says, there you go. It clicks and you can move forward.
Once we learn from those mistakes whether they are big or small. We grow.
Miles takes a leap of faith after being told he wasn’t ready and couldn’t handle life as Spiderman. He realizes he must accept this regardless of the danger and fear.
“Miles Morales: When will I know I'm ready?
Peter Parker: You won't. It's a leap of faith. That's all it is, Miles. A leap of faith.”
Then Miles flies and the web catches as he accepts the path in his first swing.
So, I turn it to you: what is your what’s up danger moment? Has it happened already? Have you had multiple?
I can say I may have had a few already, whether it’s my first internship in New York or not. Believe it or not, I had a buildup to the event of extreme doubt. Some people say I couldn’t do it, not believing in me. I was afraid of it not even happening. Until it happened and the first day, I was nervous and excited while freezing in the streets of Manhattan in February 2019. I can imagine the song I was listening to was probably a song from Hadestown or Hamilton to hype myself up.
I know in my life I’ll have multiple opportunities to take leaps of faith. Job interviews in themselves are leaps of faith.
As much as I love the song What's Up Danger, it’s a great hype-up song.
I can imagine my What’s Up Danger scene being something more rock-based.
Something between Old Town Road Cover by Natewantstobattle and The Distance By CAKE
Really owning the riding the Horse metaphor. Maybe it’s because horses are cool, and I just love horses. Haha
When My What’s up Danger Scene happens, I will be I'm gonna take my horse to the old town road
I'm gonna ride 'til I can't no more and he's racing and pacing and plotting the course
He's fighting and biting and riding on his horse He's going the distance.
Or maybe an eagle will scream when I take the leap of faith.
So, Mote it be.