Walking through my own downtown Nashville on Monday, I encountered a handful of street performers. This is common in many big cities, but seems to be especially present here in Music City, U.S.A.
I've never had a craft that lends itself to performing for free, unannounced, in public, but I think the idea of busking - another term for street performing - can apply to any line of work.
Busking: the word itself sounds cumbersome. Such a loaded and unsexy word brings out all the hard work, slogging, endurance, gumption, and risk needed to succeed. This is why shows like American Idol are deceptive. Busking doesn't lead to discovery there. You just need luck, the ability to wait in line all day, and usually, a good story.
You can busk as an accountant when you open your practice. Teachers can busk and so can sales reps, designers, plumbers, and landscape architects.
Leadership busks. It puts in the hard work, maybe for free at first, until people notice. And then once people notice, the creation, launching, and cultivation of a tribe of fans and supporters can happen.
If at first you don't succeed, busk and busk again.