Risk isn’t just a board game; it’s a state of mind. 

This week I put on my big Guest Editor hat, wrest control of the IdeasMag steering wheel, and delve deep into this rather intimidating theme, asking: how important is it to experience risk in your work? Is it better to play safe and succeed, or risk and fail? And how do you know when you’re risking too much?

Without risk it is impossible to make progress. (We’re still talking about the concept, not the board game.) Had they not embraced risk, the Wright Brothers would never have taken to the skies; Picasso might never have started drawing really weird stuff; and Felix Baumgartner wouldn’t have proved that he is an epic badass. 

But this is all far easier said than done. It’s all well and good to say that you need to risk making a fool of yourself for your work, but the downside is that you look like a massive fool. Risk wouldn’t be risky if things always came up rosy. Regularly making work that might go wrong at any second isn’t something that just happens; it is a commitment, and it comes with added stress and disappointment that can sometimes feel disheartening or downright pointless. As ever, history remembers all of the winners and none of the losers. (All right, Icarus; you’re the exception.)

Risk in the arts often goes unnoticed. Audiences do not necessarily know when a performer is trying out groundbreaking and untested material, or – conversely – are often fooled into thinking that a performer is risking their reputation when in fact they have performed the same routine hundreds of times with exactly the same delivery. But is work that is risky inherently better? Are we in danger of being snobby about perfectly good work that ticks all of the audience satisfaction boxes? Do audiences actually care about risk? I will be talking to comedians who regularly live their comedy life on the edge, and seeing what advice they have to offer. 

As well as risk in the arts, I will be investigating risk in life. Many of you will at this very moment be considering swapping an office job for an artist’s life. I’ll be asking: is it a good idea to dump that “proper” job for the freedom of going freelance? Do we achieve anything if we constantly shy away from risk, or are the best things in life those that are fraught with uncertainty?

I will be speaking to a host of performers and writers who risk not only life and limb but also their precious self-esteem for the sake of their work. But I would also love to hear from all of you with your thoughts on risk. Do you go out of your way to produce “risky” content? Do you find yourself paying to see work that has a whiff of risk about it? And do you fancy playing the board game?

To kick things off, read and add your responses to the question, What's the biggest creative risk you've taken?

Or get in touch on Twitter @ohhiralphjones @IdeasMag