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2 of my ex-clients are their own worst enemies. In one case, it might be deliberate. One of those subconscious self-destructive tendencies that there is no cure for but therapy. If someone is out to sabotage themselves, they'll succeed and there's nothing anybody can do. All you're going to get if you support, forgive, and overlook the behavior is to wind up on the list of things they have to drive away or destroy to achieve the alone-and-miserable status they think they deserve.

The one ex-c, as I said, is a question mark on that score. The other definitely is not, and that's good news/bad news territory, because GOOD-it can be fixed. BAD-if it isn't, then he too winds up in the alone-miserable-failure heap when he doesn't need to be.

The failing both ex-cs have is GIGO: Garbage In, Garbage Out. They tend to hire crappy people who come cheap - and there is a very good reason for that. It's like the restaurant with nothing but empty tables: sure, you won't have to wait - but you might want to think about WHY before you sit down and order the shellfish. It's called false economy. If you hire unprofessional no-talent wannabes, here is the likely result:

• They piss off the good people you do have, who are in all likelihood doing you a favor in giving you their first class abilities for a fraction of the cost. (Note, I said these are former clients, that's why in one case.)
• They deliver a shitty product. As Yoda explained it so eloquently: Bad people lead to bad shows. Bad shows lead to bad word of mouth. Bad word of mouth leads to bad box office. Bad box office leads to no money for quality cast/designers/support on future productions... more bad people/bad shows. (Note again, I said these are former clients. This is why in the other case. The beast ate its tail and they're out of business.)

If challenged, these guys will inevitably say that the bozo contingent is all they can afford. But the above reality is why that is just not an acceptable stopping point. You literally cannot afford to hire bad people because it all but guarantees failure. It's a slow painful way to go, too. Like starving to death in a supermarket.

Okay, the same applies to creative endeavors, be it writing or visual arts or making movies. Garbage in, garbage out. If we fill our heads with crap TV shows with wooden dialogue, forced relationships, and trite plots, we lose the ability to distinguish between a good line and a bad one, a good idea and a bad one. Seriously, I've seen it happen. Taste is not resident in the DNA, it can be elevated and developed - and it can atrophy. One or two guilty pleasures isn't going to turn a Picasso into a Darwyn Cooke, but enough of them will - and considering very few of us are starting out at Picasso's level, we really shouldn't be rolling those dice as often as we do.