Race Against Time

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This weekend is for me a race against time. It is one of those weekends where everything decided to fall together. If you are reading this in the morning EST,  as you read this I’ll be probably loading, or at least trying to load a truck with our stuff because we are moving tomorrow. It is going to be a great workout. If you are reading this a little later in the afternoon, I’ll probably be speaking about Online Media Tips for Artists at The Gallery at Elemar in an event organized by Project Storefronts in New Haven, CT. Right after 5:00pm I’ll be back at loading until who knows what time. If you are reading at night that’s what I’ll probably be doing.

Saturday is the official day of the moving and it just happened to be the same day of my son’s championship game. There will be more loading in the morning followed by the game and then more loading. Hopefully, we can leave before it gets dark so we can start the wonderful task of unloading the truck into the new place. I bet the process will continue through Sunday as well. There is still so much to do and the more I think about it the more tired I become. It is difficult to focus on each of these things. I just hope we get enough help to get it done soon.

I’ll prepare myself to give you a description of the experience at the gallery with the presentation if I get any time to write today. I am also thinking about writing a little about a very curious experience I had this week at an art exhibit and a comment I received in a previous post in relationship to modern art. That I guess is going to be fun. I am not a fan of modern art so before I write about it I have to prepare myself to be objective and unbiased. Also, I want to write about a very pleasant social experience I had this week which is totally unrelated to the aforementioned subject but I believe it is worthy to be shared. For now I’m back to the task at hand.

Connecting With People

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Listening to people talk about being shy and how it is difficult to establish a conversation with someone sounds very alien to me. I mean no disrespect, I honestly enjoy connecting with people so much it feels almost inconceivable not to use any opportunity to do so. At the same time, I am constantly surprised when some individuals appreciate to be acknowledged when most people interact with them as if they were invisible. It is always an honor when people contact me through calls, messages, or in person who remember me from somewhere or because someone told them about me. It is good to know that approaching people and giving them the value as human they deserve is rewarded and highly regarded.

I believe it comes down to differences in personalities in most cases, but sometimes we do not take a moment to acknowledge the people around us, or simply certain social behaviors have been forgotten. Yes, people is different but some things are common sense and an understanding of what is socially acceptable behavior. Eye contact, for example, is almost a myth in our society nowadays. A “good morning”, a simple “hello”, or a casual “how are you?” is not going to kill you. On the other hand, replying to these salutations is also a simple sign of education, manners, and respect, and again, it is not going to kill you either.

Online relationships are not so different from face-to-face relationships. Similarly is with networking and business relationships. It is important to maintain a good attitude towards others. People can fake being ‘nice’ when it comes to business but there is a better way. To avoid the need impulse or need to be fake and find yourself with a falling mask it is important to be yourself. I am not saying that everyone should be the light of the party or the talkative person, but we all can show manners. Manners can take you a long way.

Artists are Communicators

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There is misunderstood belief that artists have to be isolated from society instead of being connected to it. Some artists believe that art should speak on its own and if people don’t connect with their art there should be no need to provide explanations. As artists we speak through art, I agree. People should connect and find meaning in the content of an art piece on their own. However, we can provide insights in our source of inspiration, our creative process, our artistic influences, methods, and techniques. That gives us power to be communicators. Not everyone is educated in the arts. We have the power to be influential and an inspiration to others. If we decide to connect with people and share our knowledge and feelings (funny coming from a man) we can expand the power of communication of our art. Artists gave away this power to agents who turned the art into a market trade product with no substance of life behind it.

1378061_10150322435744956_1463205766_nIn Frames of Mind: Theory of Multiple Intelligences, Howard Gardner mentions interpersonal intelligence as the skill to connect with others. As in any field of practice, you can be successful and have all the skills but by not having interpersonal intelligence you might be closing doors to yourself. It is fine to let art speak by itself. It is a great experience. Nevertheless, it is not a license to be a contemptibly obnoxious person or a self-made social reject. Some artists need an ego-check. There is a very fine line between eccentric and just plain weird. If people can connect with you, they will connect with your art. It is time artists come out of obscurity and mingle with people and be more than a signature at the corner of the paint, to regain an influential social status and use our sensitivity to guide others and inspire future artists, and why not? Future clients as well.

Influence and Influenced

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AQUA

AQUA

We influence our environment as our environment influences us. We are not in total control over our circumstances but neither totally controlled by our circumstances. This is something I aim to project in my artwork. You may notice in my work the composition of a calm figure with a peaceful demeanor surrounded by a very dynamic and often chaotic environment. We can’t control what happens around us but we can choose to assume self-control and self-regulation to influence our environment. This is one of the principles of  Social Cognitive Theory (SCT) and Triadic Reciprocal Determinism (TRD). It might sound a little complicated but it is not.

For several years now I’ve been immersed in trying to understand how people learn. I know it is not as cool as being an artist but learning and teaching are areas in which I’m very passionate about, and it is also part of my research. According to SCT and TRD our perception of who we are and what we can do is determined by the interaction of 3 factors: environment, behavior, and cognitive factors. I will explain in greater detail how these factors interact and how they affect our perception of ourselves and our capabilities. These factors also affect how we interact in social settings (Stay tuned for that post)… I bet you didn’t know that! Well, yes, I am a scholar too.

Today is a good day to consider how the environment is influencing us. Are we letting our circumstances take total control of who we are? Have we consider our role to influence our environment? We are not in control of our circumstances, I understand that. Nevertheless, we cannot be controlled by our circumstances. In the middle of the craziness surrounding us we can still be in peace and making a difference not only in our lives but the lives of others.