The best of a generation - Saracens
I love combining Art with Sport and business - I'd love to share a recent well-timed collaboration in the world of Rugby and for a great cause! It's well timed, you see as former England and British and Irish Lions centre Will Greenwood has dubbed Saracens the "best of a generation" after they won their second successive Champions Cup on Saturday.
Tries from Chris Ashton, George Kruis and Alex Goode, along with three Owen Farrell penalties, clinched a 28-17 victory for Saracens over Clermont Auvergne at Murrayfield in a breathtaking final.
Owen Farrell celebrates with the trophy after playing another pivotal role in victory
One of their key ingredients, aside from their values of club core values of Honesty, Discipline, Humility and Work Rate is how they come out of every changing room believing they are going to win. Twenty minutes before the Champions Cup final on Saturday, they were playing crossbar challenge!
"You are supposed to be in a zen like state of preparation: 'this is the biggest game of my life right here, right now', and Brad Barritt spoke about it afterwards. They've found this ability to understand that it's only a game, and to treat each game initially on its own merits, and with that have that ability to relax.
Seems like a great balance of their ethics and dare I say, FUN! How dare the macho rugby go all zen-like and emotionally intelligent on us! Bravo I say and at a recent leadership workshop I was pleased to co-host one of days where we asked the attendees to cite great example of leadership and what makes a great team - Saracens came up several times! Saracens director of rugby Mark McCall says his side can still improve despite securing back-to-back European titles, remaining on course for an historic 'double-double' of continental and English crowns.
"If we're hungry enough and humble enough, then there's no reason why we can't get better," McCall said.
So what's all that got to do with art? Well the fact that creativity is a key ingredient in business and at times, sport I enjoy not only painting with various walks of life from the world of sport and business but also pulling together stories that people can relate to, whatever their field of expertise.
So, the case in hand, my on-going rugby collaboration that is on it's way to the framers at the end of the month. It all started learning about the charity Joining Jack at a fund raiser at The Media One Hotel, Dubai...
Just over 4 years since being introduced to Andy Johnson, founder of Joining Jack, at the Hotel. I'm really grateful to James Gosling for initially making me aware of this great cause and for the gang at Media 1 for integrating it into the 2013 Dubai $ Project....
With Joining Jack founder Andy Johnson : JJ Salute
Times really marching on and time is of the essence as Joining Jack is all about promoting and funding research into the study and cure of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy which his son, Jack has. Meet Jack here talking about what he wants to be when he grows up....
Powerful stuff that I've seen reduce grown Rugby players to tears with a pin-dropping atmosphere every time this is played. One of the highlights of 2014 bash was presenting Andy with the funds raised for Joining Jack in a rather creative way....
Dec '14 : Presenting the 11 pegged Dirham 1,000 notes to Andy Johnson
With the cash unpegged from the artwork itself with the canvas being auctioned for nearly the ams amount again, with an impressive turnout....
It's the Joining Jack salute!
With a few more thousand AED getting raised at The Ivy at the lunch the following day...
Fund raiser lunch with Martin 'Chariots of Fire'
With these Dollarsandart originals showcased for this great cause.....
From Left to right : Golden Moment$ - Acrylic on canvas (76cm x 76 cm), Rugby Entertain$ - Acrylic on canvas - 80cm x 80cm & 11 PEG$ with each peg holding AED 1,000 notes.
How could I top 2014 some 3 years on?
Times marched on since and thankfully at the last JJ event I attended I bid for a signed Saracens Rugby Club Jersey! It's the first thing I've ever bid for at an auction and I really need to do something about that twitch I have.....
The item in question was the signed Owen Farrell Saracens rugby jersey, signed by all the players, presented by England Ruby ace Owen Farrell...
So it was only right to get him to sign the $ bill with me! Owen is a great ambassador, still at the top of his game at the highest level and for Joining Jack giving the salutes pretty much every time he works his magic on the field having done so much to raise awareness.....
Farrell recently won his 50th cap against Italy recently, with stage two of his England career approaching, earmarked as a strong candidate for the 2019 World Cup captain.
He's also been announced in the 2017 British Lions Squad for their 3rd June - 8th July tour of New Zealand.
Helping convert attitudes....
So with the signed Saracens Jersey, I'm going to work on this combining the signed Owen Farell signed $1 bill dated 1.12.15 $....
Outpacing Owen Farell as he signed the $1 bill for the Artwork entitled '$ARACEN$'
Artwork in progress as Art tells a story with original '$ARACEN$
The shirt and a contemporary twist making it 'Art with a story' as the signed Saracens shirt becomes the canvas, with the Owen Farrell $1 bill with the acrylic paint being added in the weeks ahead.
The idea is to capture the energy from the shirt and spill that over onto the canvas without detracting from the Jersey itself but rather making art the channel to colourfully connect sport, business and basic virtues.
Money doesn't grow on trees but Art in the right context, with the right collaborations at the right time can be a great fund raising vehicle to do exactly that!
The '$ARACEN$' art is coming along quite nicely and I'm learning more about the philosophy of this great club. It's a canvas I'll be tinkering with fresh from the 6 nations and intend to dig a bit deeper! More to revealed in due course when completed, framed and the right moment comes to find this piece the right home.
Saracens - more than just a rugby club, brimming with philosophy and exciting times ahead for Owen Farrell!
NEXT WEEKS ARTICLE : Adding value with the Art of mindful collaborations
Meantime if you're interested in buying the Artwork featuring the Owen Farrell signed $1 bill and Saracens shirt just contact me directly and we can haggle. If you'd like to get amongst it with creative and change workshops or would like to dig deeper with dollarsandart don't hesitate to drop me a line [email protected], by pigeon carrier, telegraph, fax, phone, postcard, linked in message, billboard, loudspeaker or through channelling intentions of the highest order on your rich journey of self-actualisation.
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