When a piece of work doesn't work

The Shawshank Redemption, when released, bombed the box office. Many reasons were attributed to its failure - competition from other movies like Pulp Fiction, lack of female characters, and the fact that it was a prison film. Today, it ranks as one of the most popular films of all time.

Today, there is one school of thought that says the life span of a piece of work is short. That's true, but only partly. This begins a race to create work based on short attention spans and trends.

But there is another approach - work that resonates has a longer life span. People share it, remember you for it and it leaves an indelible mark. It might not get the most eyeballs but people remember it.

This isn't always apparent at the start. If a piece of work doesn't gather steam when you put it out, it can be labeled a disaster. Or you can give it time and breathing space.