Why Business Leaders Should Act More like Artists

I thought this article was really great: Why Business Leaders Should Act More like Artists.

Since I’m trying to act more like a business leader this year, I may be in a Victor/Victoria scenario if I follow the advice contained in this article.

Julie Andrews: “A woman pretending to be a man pretending to be a woman?!”

Inappropriate

Here’s a helpful tip:

When you are at a bridal shower, especially with the mother of the bride and your ex’s new girlfriend present, do not speak of the groom being breast-fed by the bride. The wine gives you confidence, the set-up for the joke may be there and all the other comments leading up to yours seem like they’re paving the way. But it really does not go over well and you stay up till 2 in the morning fretting about it.

Does That Come in Vegan?

Image from ReadyMade

No, it certainly does not! I am back on the (semi) vegan chain gang — I mean, train again — but, boy, does this tempt me! I can resist the pull this time, but if you’re game (and eat game — I’m feeling punnier than usual this morning), I want to share this delectable-looking recipe for creme fraiche coffee cake from ReadyMade. Enjoy, and Happy New Year!

How the Official Becomes Officious. O, Boy.

Official statements are nice. They are to-the-point and oh-so clear. Easy to dispense, disperse, digest.

“My favorite color is orange.”

“I don’t want to date.”

“I have no fear of failure.”

Spend enough time binging on all those official statements of your life and one fine day they’ll sucker-punch you in the groin. Full disclosure time on a couple of things:

Unofficial/Actual: “I don’t really have a favorite color. Tend to stray away from purples. Gravitate toward blues and greens. Think orange makes a real … statement.”

Unofficial/Actual: “To be honest, I have very little appetite for anything these days, much less romance. Admittedly, there are pockets of time when the loneliness is so palpable I feel like it’ll swallow me whole (How is THAT for disclosure?) but, generally, I’m thoroughly content to hang out solo in the malaise. Shut up already and pass the chips and salsa.”

Unofficial/Actual: “I failed really big at something in my life and it hurt like hell. I’ve come to embrace the experience over the years and even wear it like a badge, but if I’m being really honest I think I use it like some kind of official document. You know: “I’ve already been vaccinated so I don’t need another shot.” Or: “I already passed the test so when will you be mailing me my certification of completion?” Secretly, I’m still afraid of failure, maybe even more so, because I know how hard it was. Yeah, the sun still came up in the morning and life went on but there was also the gut-wrenching tears and self-doubt. I guess I haven’t quite recovered from the insecurity.”

I hadn’t done much self-analysis on the failure thing in awhile and I got that sucker punch. The problem with the too-oft dispensed official statement is that it becomes part of your personal folklore. You forget where it came from and why it’s there; it just is. I spent so much time (earnestly) spreading the mantra of Failure: Fear no More, or How Helen Showed Her Undeniable Inner Strength and Wisdom that I forgot to check in and move on.

Recently, I was, uh, strongly encouraged to confront this unofficial yet actual truth beyond the facade. So I ordered a glass of wine. Sometimes I think best when slightly inebriated. Anyway, I had created such a persona of the One Who Survived that I never questioned how I felt about the next big adventure, failure or success TBD. Instead I reveled in little ones like eating out of dirty bowls or jumping out of a plane or heading off without forethought to a foreign country where I didn’t know the language or any of its people. Glass of wine half-finished, it dawned on me that maybe I am still scared of failure. This was a surprise and a revelation. I assumed that being the One Who Survived meant I was immune. I mean, jumping into the unknown isn’t too scary — it’s sort of become a specialty of mine, in a way. I realized that I’m afraid of the known — those tears, that self-doubt. I’d rather stay in and watch back episodes of Dexter. Pass the chips and salsa. OK, fine, forget the chips and salsa. Maybe a sip of water. I always drink water when I feel demoralized. I had gritted my teeth through the trenches of a ginormous life lesson and thought I passed with flying colors. Realizing that the fear was still there and that it may have kept me from moving forward felt pretty crummy, like I was back at square one.

Square one … Seems like a pretty drastic step back. Maybe I’m in denial but I can’t believe that I didn’t learn that life lesson. I may not have perfected it but I am still the One Who Survived and that’s gotta count for something. I just have to collect myself and take a chance. The known and unknown alike come at me and I’ll be ready. Maybe. Hopefully. Who knows. The wine is gone. It may be time for another. You’ll get an official statement from my people soon.

Or better yet: No statements will be issued at this time.

Facebook Portraits

Facebook portrait by Matt Held

I’ve been thinking about portraiture for some time but haven’t really moved to action beyond taking a life drawing class at PCC a few moons ago. I do have a self-imposed assignment of doing some rough-and-tumble portraits by this coming Thursday, though, so we’ll see what comes out of that. I came across a painter who — due to circumstantial and creative restraints — has been painting portraits based on people’s Facebook profile pictures. Interesting on several levels.

I wasn’t able to embed the video so please click here to view the documentary (TRT 3:47). For more short docs on artists and their practices: http://www.babelgum.com/radar

Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween, friends and strangers who this way come. I extend a warm welcome to you through the fog of my no-blogging status with this moldy jack-o-lantern (truly sorry if this grosses you out — I shuddered a little myself). Poor thing, couldn’t last till the 31st.

City Sippers

We parked our car and headed down the street toward City Sip. Two young guys were walking our way.

“You girls are pretty.”

Annoyance and mild elation.

“But too old for me.”

Mankind Is No Island

This is the sort of thing that inspires me most. Not mammoth gestures or grand facades or saturated beauty. Sure, there’s a place and time for the aforementioned things, but it is said that even God comes to us in a gentle whisper. Humble and quite acts in the midst of the common that amount to deep connection and beauty:

Happy Birthday, Shannon

Through the mirror of my mind
Time after time
I see reflections of you and me

The rest of the song doesn’t fit so well but I couldn’t help but hum the pre-bummer lyrics while looking at this fun photo.

Common Senses

I went up to Santa Barbara for a day with a friend. I haven’t been in the best of spirits, which means I haven’t been feeling all that motivated to be out and about in the world. Ironically, being out and about and filling the senses with life is what often helps lift the spirits. I realized this as I walked around the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden. At first I was disappointed that chunks of the park were closed off due to the recent fires but this became a gentle, comforting reminder about the importance and inevitability of life’s march onward. The ashes lingering in the air reminded you of the recent trauma, as if the visible scars weren’t evidence enough. Yet, how the dogged vibrancy of the living among the dead ministered to my spirit!

*Click any of the images to see a larger version.