Cool Gentlemen With Guns

I had a sudden urge to draw men with guns. I don’t think this is any passive aggressive manifestation of stress or anger. I think, sometimes, men with guns can be cool. Perhaps it’s Freudian. But I’m pleased with the noir look of these pen and ink sketches.

Ben Wilson wrote this post from his small room in his small house near the ocean. If you enjoyed this, you might like to sign up for his free communication tips. The newsletter also has less talking in third person.

Inappropriate Office Attire

There is a school of thought that suggests that we should prefer comfort over professionalism. I don’t think this is always true. Appropriate clothing is a costume that people can hang their first impressions on. Even before you speak, you have been categorised, and the right clothing makes sure that first impression is right.

The right clothing is different for everyone. Less and less is there a call for suit and tie, but we still can’t get away with pajamas in the day time. Sadly. Make your clothing authentic, true to you, but like any message you send, craft the authenticity so that it matches what your audience expects.

It’s hard to break that first impression. Be authentic, but respect your audience. And please, no white socks and black shoes.

Winter Carrots

Winter carrots don’t grow much. They aren’t exactly hibernating. The leafy tops still caress the winter air, a splash of vibrant green in the twilight. They simply have no desire to move in any direction, no desire to stretch out of the snug cradle of soil they have formed for themselves.

It is hard to be a carrot in the winter. Storms lash the green tops. Frost hardens around the roots. Sunshine is in short supply and the nights last forever. If only they could find the energy to grow, they would have strong roots to stretch down into the warm soil. If they could find the strength to grow, their tops would sail in the wind, spreading wide to gather in the rays of sun.

I am a winter carrot. Spring is coming, my strength is building. It is time to grow.

The Guiding Light of a Difficult Conversation

After an fascinating conversation on Twitter with @coachbythesea (Randi Buckley), I found this phrase very compelling. We were talking about the value of empathy in difficult conversations, one of Randi’s specialities.

Randi believes that empathy decreases the fear in a difficult conversation. If you approach a conversation with compassionate intention, then you will always be able to move forward. Such intention becomes your “guiding light.” I asked Randi if some people, without a natural empathy, were always fearful of difficult conversations, but she believes that such people would actually approach the conversation armoured with facts, and so be without fear. But the conversations would not progress to a resolution smoothly, if at all. The good news is that most people can learn empathy.

The sea and shore image comes from a trip I took to Raglan on the west coast of the North Island. I embellished the view with an imaginary light house.

John Chen in Concert

John Chen in a remarkable young New Zealand pianist, who gave a concert under the Tauranga Musica program last night. It was a brilliant evening, demonstrating Chen’s technical ability and his grasp of the emotion in each piece. Notably, he played the entire program without any sheet music.

It was also the first time I have heard the new Steinway concert grand piano. At NZD292,000 it had very shiny wheels.

Taking out the Trash