Art, Ask, Art – Freedom, Appreciation, Being Yourself
1. The Artistry of Freedom – This article grew on me instantly because of one single quote that it started with:
“Entrepreneurship, like relationships, is intense; it’s not for the faint of heart. You have to go all-in on something that not only provides no certainty, but it destroys the illusion of certainty, and you do it all because there’s a bigger mission and vision that’s calling you. This is a big leap we’re taking. It’s scary.”
In July this summer I was facing a deep calling to startup something new. I was also being challenged to get out of my comfort zone and to explore new opportunities and perspectives. It was indeed scary, and it felt crazy to even think about it but reading through this article made me think in new perspectives. It helped me gather the courage to explore, take action, trust the moment and let go. The result was a great new friendship and the beginning of The Art of Hosting Education in Bulgaria. The article introduces a beautiful model of commitment to something bigger than life. It gives you the steps and the rhythm to dance through it with lightness and grace.
“It’s okay if you’re not perfect. Integration is a dance. The goal isn’t to be perfect, it’s to be dancing.“
2. Leading by Asking the Right Questions – A story about the difference it makes to focus on appreciation and the positive aspects of a situation and to look holistically at it, rather than always analysing what went wrong. Both of the articles I am sharing today along with this one are constructed around questions that provoke and inspire new thinking. This article goes a little bit on the meta level to explain the logic behind asking the right questions and why those questions are usually focused on possibilities, desires and appreciation of what already is.
3. The Art of Being Yourself – The perspective of art is one that I am taking more and more often in the last couple of years, because art is all about personal expression. There is no right or wrong way to do art, no rigid rules or mechanisms that will ensure success. It gives me the liberty to improvise, make mistakes, experiment and have my own perspective and aesthetic on the things I do in life. And this is why I see the title of this talk as so relevant – because art is about being yourself. Caroline McHugh puts things in a beautiful perspective that grants us the permission to let go of the easiness of one of the most common pieces of advice we give each other:
“Darling, just be yourself. ‘Couse when you’re yourself, you’re fabulous.”
Because being yourself is not easy, just like making art is not easy, even though there are no strict rules or criteria that make it good or bad. Is there a criteria for how authentic someone is, by the way?
Instead, she opens up the space for deep internal inquiry and gives the framework and questions that will help us go through the journey of a lifetime starting with the question “Who do you think you are?”