How Artists Make It Look

An artist makes it look easy to others.

At dinner the other night with friends and our daughters, someone said how great they are while eating out. I couldn’t help but laugh. We made it look easy. They didn’t see the conversations we had about timing of dinner, the analysis of the toys we brought, the food schedule we applied, the seating placement we considered, the expectation-setting we had in the car leading up to it, the amount of steps we put in to tire them before dinner….I could list another dozen decisions we made to ensure a smooth dinner.

That’s the work of an artist who knows what they want, though.

A friend of mine is an actual artist (the kind of artist you thought when you read the post title). He’s been quoted in the local newspaper about how easy he makes spray painting look. But I’ve seen behind the scenes. I’ve been someone he’s vented to about how much work he’s put into just being able to afford better cans of paint so his work looks better. …Again, I could give a laundry list.

That’s the work of an artist who knows what they want, though.

It merely begs one question: are you an artist that knows what you want?

Stay Positive & Keep Makin’ It Look Easy

Upfront

Even the word upfront makes us feel uncomfortable.

But that’s what we’ve gotta be if we’re going to make progress.

Upfront about what we want. Upfront about what’s holding us back. Upfront about why we want it.

The magic of vulnerability is that once it’s present, it can’t be ignored.

And 9.9/10 times, someone is will to listen, to assist, and to respectfully challenge.

Stay Positive & Have You Been Upfront Today?

Critical Thinking

You can’t manage what you don’t measure.

There’s no point in measuring vanity metrics.

The quantitative data is missing the qualitative edge.

Your perception isn’t the same as the target audience’s.

Your target came in frustrated today because someone cut them off.

You’re trying to be better person, which means growing in your career, which means trying to manage your work better.

But you can’t manage what you don’t measure…

Stay Positive & Sometimes The Answer Isn’t The Point, The Thinking Is

Giving A Damn

Making it clear you give a damn is the best signal you can send in any attempt of progress or elevation or attraction.

You don’t have to be the smartest in the room.

Don’t have to wear the shiniest of jacket.

You don’t even need to be the one with the microphone to make a difference.

There’s simply no other emotional action that resonates with others as much as making it clear that you give a damn: about the mission, the future, them, yourself…. which is really the long way of saying that you give a damn about the moment.

Stay Positive & Do You Think They Know You Do?

Familiar Faces

One of the best feelings in the world: seeing someone you know.

It’s what powers conference attendance.

But it requires one thing: you have to have met someone already.

So the challenge of any organizer is to decide: are you building something that connects people who don’t know eachother? or connects people who do?

So the challenge of any attendee is to decide: am I here to connect with someone new? or to connect with people I already know?

Oh, how we forget that one leads to the other.

Let’s not.

And I forgot to mention another best feeling in the world: connecting two people who you know but don’t know eachother.

Stay Positive & What Connecting Will You Do Today?

Seeing Is More Than Believing

Watching the sun rise results in more than your belief that the sun is rising. It’s uplifting, positive; it changes your perception of the day. You’re a bit more optimistic.

Seeing ant and cockroach chemical spray bottles from the drive through window did more than make me believe there was a pest problem; I haven’t been back to the coffee shop since.

A messy house sends a signal. A website sends a signal. The gift you send sends a signal.

And the thing about signals? They ignite emotion.

It’s on us to make sure they ignite the emotions we want.

Stay Positive & What’ll You Show Today?