The "Not Yets"

There’s a tribe among us.

You won’t always notice them. Not because they’re quiet, but because they’re building. They’re sanding down the edges, testing chords, scribbling drafts, sketching blueprints, rewriting code, re-recording vocals.

They’re somewhere between the start and the breakthrough.

I call them the Not Yets.

They’re not beginners. They’re not amateurs. They’ve put in the hours. They’ve risked and failed and risked again. They’re the ones who have something burning inside but not enough fuel to make it roar just yet. Their ideas are developed. Their work is good, often great. But the traction, the moment, the shot, well, it hasn’t come.

Not yet, at least.

The Not Yet is a stage. A season. A tension. It’s the difference between “not at all” and “just around the corner.” It’s the pause between the dream and the doors opening. It’s not hopeless by any means. It’s hopeful. A waiting laced with work.

The Not Yets are not stuck. They’re just not finished.

They care too much about the craft to cut corners. They care too much about the audience to serve half-baked ideas. They’re not chasing virality; they’re building something that lasts. And that takes time. That takes tenacity. That takes, well, everything.

Including you and me. As patrons. As friends to artists. As not just consumer, but participants. Showing up. Showing off those we believe are on their way, have something that is special and worth saying.

The phrase “not yet” is deceptively simple. Linguistically, it’s written, that the phrase is a “negation wrapped in expectation.” In other words, a negative wrapped in hope. It says, “It hasn’t happened… but it still might.” It’s different from “never.” “Never” closes the door. “Not yet” leaves the light on, the work continues.

In literature, it’s a signal of hope. William Cullen Bryant used it in the Civil War to say our downfall hadn’t come as a nation, at least not yet. Jane Hirshfield turned it into a quiet prayer: not-yet-dead, not-yet-shattered. A hymn of gratitude for what still remains.

In my faith tradition, it’s the Advent tension. The “now and not yet.” The kingdom is coming. The promise is present. The fulfillment? Still ahead.

In music, gospel singer Donnie McClurkin turns “not yet” into a declaration from God: “Your story isn’t over.” In the movie Gladiator, Maximus’s friend whispers it to his dying soul: “I’ll see you again... but not yet.” And in Monty Python, it’s a punchline: “I’m not dead yet!” I love the dark humor built on the absurdity of premature endings.

All of these, whether sacred or silly, carry the same heartbeat: we are unfinished.

My coach/therapist/yoda, Dr. Chip Dodd, said to me the other day, “Erik, you see what others don’t see. You believe what others don’t believe.” He was referring to the artist creative. It’s my greatest love: to say to someone with greatness inside … keep going, you can do it, we need you, this will happen.

I know that most of us live in the “not yet.”

In between the idea and the audience.
Between vision and validation.
Between rejection and resonance.

We need to talk more about the Not Yets. Not as those stuck or stalled, confused or conflicted. But rather at those who need, like all of us, more support, more resources, more people saying, “Keep going.” And then backing that with whatever we can.

Because the truth is: many of the best creators don’t need another social post. They need a social network, a creative one mixed with other makers and more patrons. They certainly don’t need permission. They need partnership. They don’t need a billionaire. They need someone to say, “I see you. I believe in what you’re building. Let me help.”

What would happen if we built a culture that saw not yet not as failure, but as becoming?

What if we saw Not Yets not as outsiders, but as insiders in the making?

What if we built platforms, funds, and collaborations for them … spaces that understand the tension, honor the process, and accelerate the momentum?

What I’m Dreaming Up:
Not Yet – A Creative Network

Some Assembly Required is in the early stages of a new localized - city/region-based -platform called The Not Yet Network. It’s a creative exchange built specifically for the in-betweeners.

Part job board, part bulletin board, part lifeline … Not Yet is like a Nextdoor for Creatives.
Post a gig. Find a gig.
Ask for help. Offer some.
Share an event. Meet your people.
It’s a place to catch your breath and catch your break.

We are starting in Nashville. Then will expand to other cities. Invite-only to begin. Just the right people, just the right vibe. Makers, dreamers, freelancers, artists, and strategists who know what it’s like to be not yet, and are ready to help each other become yes now.

If you’d like to know more or talk more or meet up for coffee or a cocktail, let me know by leaving a message. I’d love to hear your thoughts and ideas.

Some Assembly Required was built for the Not Yets.
Because we believe the middle matters.
We believe good work deserves good backing.
We believe patience doesn’t mean passivity and hope is not naive.

And if you’re a Not Yet … I know many of you are as we’ve texted and emailed, zoomed and met-up. Well, you’re not alone. You’re not done. You’re not forgotten. Not in the slightest. Let’s make sure the “yet” gets here as soon as possible.

That’s my dream.