A Season of Change - Stumbling through Social

How do we get past the clutter, both in the mind, in the activities we engage in and the relationships we forge both business and personal? Any great achievement begins with some form of discipline and not giving energy to things that don't serve us.

I am just now at the age of 58, coming into a place where I can see the structure of what is to come from the outside instead of being lost in details. As a creative, I am finding clarity.

If you've read Kira Day's posts on LinkedIn-she is a mentor that helps people rediscover their passion and I would highly recommend her program at the Passion Centre . Her words of encouragement and the classroom work have already opened my mind to my full potential and I am only in the beginning of the course.

For myself, it is all about multiple tasks all shouting simultaneously. I am learning how to boldly and confidently access the parts that I need for the specific moment instead of multiple thoughts and ideas all demanding immediate attention.

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Social: Beginning of Finding One's Way in the Art Community

No one is looking for your creative work, they will not look for you in your neighborhood, they will not see you amidst all the other social media avenues-it is a necessary presence as is a website but the true ability to reach people is to go and find them and connect.

This is a difficult task to many of us, especially when we are more interested in creating than mingling. We have every excuse not to get involved and for years I've found every one. Recently it started with a Meetup to the Omni Hotel which lead to a figure drawing class and finally a meeting at a gallery downtown.

This past week I went to a gallery exhibition at LBT Collective Gallery at the Tower Club downtown Dallas. On the previous open gallery I meet a lot of artists, it is an amazing feeling to listen to other artists sharing their stories and very inspiring.

This past week was a meeting where art enthusiasts dominated the audience and it is a totally different atmosphere and learning opportunity, to see how others see and appreciate art and to speak to the artists about their work in front of those admiring them-you truly get perspective.

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Obstacles: A Brief Description of Fear

Visiting downtown Dallas at night can be a very vulnerable experience and it will test your patience and nerves. My creative endeavors seem to be connected to this apprehension. The first show was a Canine Conversations put on by Business Council for the Arts- a wonderful show but a long way back to a car I couldn't locate in the pouring rain with a dead phone.

The next trip was to the Tower Club- the first visit to the LBT Collective Gallery-a dead phone again-a common occurrence for this creative mind. You can't get back into a garage that uses a QR code for access-live and learn. Thankfully I was able to buy a charger and charge the phone at a nearby establishment.

That was a pretty uncomfortable feeling which delayed future excursions. This past week-it was going to be different, A fully charged phone, parking on the street and the find your car app on my phone-fool proof right? Wrong-my "find a parked car" lied to me over and over again-got lots of exercise and after finally realizing the next street over was where my car was, I learned another lesson-don't trust "find your parked car" and take pictures of the place you parked it-embarrassing but there it is, awkward, clumsy and honest.

The reason I added this bit of foolishness-you will always find obstacles, things that don't work out, a feeling of being vulnerable, awkward and clumsy. It doesn't matter what happens during, it is how you move forward that counts.

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QR codes Are the New Business Card - SOCIAL NORMS

I have been preaching awkward and clumsy these days because that's what I feel we should be, in social situations, in business situations-to be real, to be genuine to ourselves and other people, often you're going to appear awkward and that's okay.

The more you push forward through this process, the more confidence you gain. I learned about QR codes and how they replaced the business cards and luckily for me, I need new cards.

Half of the battle is just showing up-Show up, trip and fall, get up and show up again. This evening it will be figure drawing class-my second time. When you live without boundaries of fear and doubt, the world becomes yours, a grand collection of people, places and activities but bring your sketch book and notebook with you, you're going to learn a lot very quickly-just make sure your phone is charged.

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