The Happy Burro

As part of my 2007 goals, I signed up for a beginner’s art class at a local art academy.  I don’t see myself especially gifted as an artist, so I figured this would be a great way to find out how right I am.

Guess what?  There is a process to drawing!  It isn’t just trance-like inspiration.  The master artists, Cezanne, Picasso, Calder; they all started with drawing.  It is the beginning, the genesis of all great paintings and sculpture.  I learned more in that two hours than in the past two decades about lines, angles, apathy (danger!), and perfection.

1.  Relax

2.  Concentrate

3.  Draw lightly

4.  Big shapes first

5.  Compare back & forth

6.  Turn it upside down

7.  Find mistakes

8.  Put arrows down (next to mistakes)

9.  Turn it right side up

10. Correct mistakes

11. Erase arrows

12. Check positive & negative shapes

13.  Correct mistakes

14. Stop & rest

15. Check it again

16. Correct mistakes

17. Raise your hand & ask for help

18. Ghost your line

19.  Add details

20.  Ask for help one last time

Perfection, as defined in art, is ‘done right’.  Perfection in business tends to go down the road of ‘analysis paralysis’ or delays to a product launch while everyone worries about getting everything “perfect”.  This isn’t what we’re focused on. 

As our instructor mentioned, “Everything you draw or paint, it should be able to be displayed.  Work on it until you’ve perfected it.  Apathy is your enemy.  There are a lot of crummy painters out there.  You don’t have to be one of them.”

Joe Raasch :: Jan.23.2007 :: Leadership, Life, Performance Management :: 1 Comment »

My wife Dawn and I are enjoying a quiet Sunday afternoon reading at home.  There is a knock at the front porch door. Standing outside is a man with a shovel, wanting to clear the few inches of snow that have fallen throughout the day. 

“Do you want to have this guy shovel for us?  I think he did our walk a few times last winter,”  asks Dawn.

“Nah, there isn’t that much snow,” I say, peering over the top of my Rake magazine.

She proceeds to tell the snowshovel guy that we don’t require his services.  He asked if there was something wrong with the way he did the work last year.  I get the plaintive look from Dawn, “Sure he can’t help us out?”. 

“You’re right, let him shovel”.  She tells the guy to go ahead, but skip the driveway.

Approximately 45 minutes later, I check on the shoveling.  I may have finally found the one person who shovels like me.  I am one picky homeowner when it comes to shoveling.  I make sure that the full width of the walks are shoveled, etc.  He is doing a marvelous job: is doing the driveway, shoveled two feet into the alley, and cleaned off the tops of the garbage cans. 

I remember this guy from last winter.  Not homeless, but dressed in clothes not best suited for shoveling: old tennis shoes, a light jacket, no gloves or hat.  He seemed to have some basic speech issues. 

And get this - he never negotiates his fee up front.  He just accepts whatever anyone gives.  He even cleaned off the tops of the garbage cans.  He received cash and a new pair of mittens from us.

We chatted for a few minutes after he finished.  He lives in the neighborhood, right behind Joey D’s Pizza. His name is Pete. 

Joe Raasch :: Jan.22.2007 :: Life :: 3 Comments »

1.  Allow people their moment.

2.  Smile for a photo, don’t just say ‘cheese’.

3.  When you spend time with someone, remember something personal they told you  and bring it up next time you meet up with them (How IS your grandfather doing?)

4.  Buy coffee for the person behind you in line once in a while

5.  What fascinates someone else may not fascinate you.  So what.  Give them some attention…it is just like love sometimes.

6.  The next person you meet may have just won a million dollars, or lost a million dollars.  You don’t know. Assume the latter.

7.  Give flowers to your Mom on your birthday.  She was there.

8.  Listen to learn, not to get your next point across to the person talking.

9.  Enjoy success, yours and the success of others.

10.  Use the phone or meet in person when possible.  Email sucks - no tone, no voice, no warmth.

Joe Raasch :: Jan.19.2007 :: Life :: No Comments »