The Short List

For years, I have kept a mental list of the people I would call if I were to be assembling people for a production team. I imagine all of us have people we have come to trust, who we know will make every project we do better, and who will have just the vibe we want around when we are creating. They are the people on our "short list."
 
What started as a "short list" has become a much longer one as I have worked in a variety of places. Most everywhere I go, I happen upon people I'd love to work with again, people I add to that list in my head. While it's possible that I will never hire my own production team, it's still nice to think about being surrounded by all the people who have helped me and taught me and enriched my work experiences for all these years.
 
What's particularly interesting about my "short list," I think, is that it is not just a list of experts. Though many of the people on my list have absolutely been my gurus in certain areas, others have been people who just help the team--newbies who have a great attitude, people who are eager to learn, people who respect what's out there and are always looking to make things better.
 
Making real use of my "short list"--now, a much longer list--may never happen. For now, all I can really do is keep track and keep an open mind. And hope that while I'm continuing to make my "short list," I remain on a few other people's "short lists" myself.