An Artistic Life

Stay Classic

An Artistic Life

“We found a place you need to go!” Jessi said to me as she and her husband came into the warmth of our home as if there was no winter chill outside.  Her exuberance surprised me because she has a particularly focused artistic eye from her work in fashion and entertainment, exercised for many years as a professional makeup artist in New York City.

I was almost speechless as she spoke.  I hadn’t seen her that excited for a long time!  Then I looked at the new haircut sported by her husband, Ren.  It was nothing short of perfection!  And, he stood in front of me with a pleased look radiating from his face.

“We went to get Ren a haircut and came across this place on Main Street.”  Jessi explained.  “I was a little suspect, so I stood outside and watched the this guy, Chris, move and his rhythm as he worked.  I work with some of the best hair stylists in the world and he worked just like they do!  So, after a few minutes of observation we went it and we were not disappointed!  You have to go!”

I did go and as a result I discovered some things about living an artistic life.

As soon as I walked through the door and into the busy shop I was greeted with a warm smile and welcoming hello from the man standing behind a chair, cutting hair.  He was working at a rhythmic, comfortable pace that created an air of confidence throughout his shop.  I was intrigued and took a seat not knowing what I was going to learn while there.

I went in for a haircut, yet learned valuable lessons, from Chris, about living an artistic life as we interacted so I wanted to share them with you.

Chris has created a unique atmosphere to reflect his personality while making a statement about his intended service.  Everything in the shop has been “collected,” meaning it wasn’t just thrown together over one weekend or even a couple of months.  He has been able to craft meaning and purpose out of his life’s experience and he shares it with others through his work.

He also shares his experience through carefully choreographed movements.  Every gesture is purposeful and exact so he gets a precise result for every person he attends to.  His movement and concentrated mannerisms are reminiscent of a great and legendary chef.  And, I quickly concluded, “This man is an artist!”  Watching him opened a new view about artistry to me.

I learned that an artist seeks and finds varying points of view.  He looks directly at his work and then looks away to study his effect in the huge, adjacent mirror hanging on the wall to his side.  Then he focuses back to his subject under creation.  And, by the time I left, I had the feeling that I had been transformed from a man into one piece of his much larger work of art.  As an artist, he made me part of something greater and more special.

“We found a place you need to go!” ran through my mind as I climbed into my car for the short ride home.  The thought made me smile because my experience at “Stay Classic Barber Shop” taught me that someone living an artistic life deepens joy, satisfaction and wonder for each one of us.  It’s a place we all need to go!

The Unbridled Path

A Wild Ride

The Unbridled Path

“I know she wants to ride your horse, but I think he is too spirited for her.”  My father said to my uncle Frank.  “Let’s put her on his back, in the saddle, while I hold the reigns.”

I watched as the two men worked together.  My father took the reins in his tight grip.  My uncle carefully lifted my sister and put her in the saddle atop the large dark horse.  Everything was calm.  People were smiling.

Then, in an instant, the smiles evaporated!  I stood confused as my parents and the other adults were suddenly rushing around in a panic.  Soon, I was left with the other small children to wait and wait in the small sheep camp while we wondered what had happened to turn our outing upside down.

Hours later, I was looking down from the sheep camp out toward the sage covered hillside when I saw my father running.  He was carrying my blanket-bundled sister in his arms as he approached.  It was then that I learned about the dangers of an unbridled path.

Something had spooked the large horse causing him to jerk his head back in surprise.  In doing so he yanked the reins from by father’s hands and bolted.  Being large, strong and afraid, he quickly ran away from those that could bridle him.  He was on an uncontrolled path and running.

My sister held tight to the saddle horn so she could stay atop as he ran.  She bobbed up and down and her fear intensified as she saw only large rocks and sage all around.  There was no escape!  Yet, she caught a glimpse of hope.

“I saw a small patch of sand!  I sort of jumped and fell hoping to get off as best I could.”  My sister told us as we huddled to hear her adventurous tale.  And, her courage has stayed with me as an example, of how to get off a bad path, for more than fifty years now.

Every one of us has had a time where, in a seemingly small instant of time, our path has been shifted from one of peace and happiness to one of danger and uncertainty.  Often, we get on this unwelcomed path through no fault of our own.  Yet, there we are, in a bad situation with nothing but “sage and boulders” all around, and no obvious escape.  But, escape we must, for our own sake!

We must leap and fall toward a “small patch of sand” and then rely on the goodness and mercy of our loved ones to find us, wrap us in their arms and then carry us to safety.   While such action is very scary it is really the only good choice!

A life saving choice, because that large dark horse continued to run and run and wasn’t found for more than a week later! When discovered, he had torn the saddle from his back and had traveled more than fifty miles well into the extended, Nevada high desert. 

Yes.  That horse was spirited!

My sister was more spirited!  She had the courage to take a leap toward safety even though she wasn’t sure there was any.  She looked for her best option and then acted while hoping for the best!  She couldn’t take the reins, but she opted to get of the unbridled path.

The Giving Pattern

“Go out into the community and give!”

The Giving Pattern

“How are things going?” I asked the young man standing in my office doorway.

“Oh, O.K.” He said, as he sheepishly glanced at me and then looked down toward the carpet.

“That good, Huh?” I quickly replied.  I could see that he was struggling and I wanted to help, so I continued.  “Have you been using the Law of the Harvest?”

That’s when he glanced back up and answered with, “what’s that?”

Some people believe that the Law of the Harvest only applies to farming.  And, I can see why.  Our economic base changed from agrarian to industrial more than a century ago and then during our lifetime it changed again to an information economy.  Now, we live in a time where the vast majority of the population has little or no experience with farming or ranching.  So, being a hobby rancher, I began to teach my friend about the The Law of the Harvest.

If you want to grow a plant, you get a seed, prepare fertile soil, combine them in a particular way and then add water, sunlight and attention.  The seed will soon sprout and grow.  Then, you keep watering and tending to its needs until it produces its crop.  Only then can you harvest the produce.  When it’s fully developed you receive & enjoy the results of your work.

“O.K.”  He said.  “But, what does that have to do with my business?”

“It means you need to go out into the community and give.”  I answered.

“Oh, so it’s like give and take?”

“No.  It’s give, give, give.”

“Give, give, take, take?”

“No.  It is give, give, give and then receive!”  I answered.  “When you become skilled at giving you never need to take.  The Law of the Harvest teaches us that when you give in the right way, do within the gathering pattern, you never need to take.  You always receive a generous return.”

Then, I asked him what was important to him.  What did he want to go out and give?  I suddenly saw a gleam begin to radiate in his eyes.  He told me of his passion and left to go do his good. 

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My doorway way was empty again.  My friend began to follow the giving pattern and it was working!  He had already made me feel warm inside.

Life Mixology

Honey Chipotle Salsa

Life Mixology

It was a phone call that opened a recollection of one of food’s greatest principles.

“My Dad wasn’t around for me and when he was, it wasn’t good for us.”  He said while he was telling me about the family he and his wife had created.

This wasn’t the first time I’d talked with people who had come from a home that had disappointed them and they’d used that experience to create something wonderful.  Such examples remind me of the first time I tasted Honey Chipotle Salsa.

From the moment the delectable honey chipotle salsa tickled my tongue it taught me an important lesson.  The fiery taste of hot jalapeno peppers is turned to a sweet, much more mild food, as the result of being mixed with one of nature’s most amazing miracles.  The combination was so unexpected that when I tasted it, I became an instant fan and its lesson was imprinted.  Something that is too hot or too difficult (bad) to handle on its own can be tempered and even be viewed as an indispensible ingredient by adding larger and larger percentages of sweetness.

When you stop to think about it you’ve seen other examples of this principle.  Take Sweet & Sour Pork for instance.  It is the combination of the sour and sweet that gives this dish its unique and savory attributes.  As a result, its a very popular Chinese dish served worldwide.  So how can this principle widen your personal world?  It’s all a question of Mixology.

No.  I’m not suggesting that you become an expert in the art-science of drink recipes.  But, Life Mixology will require a little experimentation on your part to get the exact results you’re looking for.

First, select something from your life that you’ve grown a little, or a lot, bitter about.  This could be anything.  For my friend, it was a childhood he viewed as wanting, because of his lack of a great father.

Second, he made note of all the things his father didn’t do well, things that that would have made a difference for him.  This enabled him to desire and develop those attributes so he could model his own fatherhood after what he wished he had experienced.  By doing this he was able to change his bitter memories into a benefit for himself and his family.

Third.  This process takes time. And, that’s a good thing.  The infusion of differing flavors will create a mellowing and smoothness the longer they’re together over time.  Just know that its part of the process and that things improve over time.

“Over time, I’ve focused on doing everything for my kids that I wish my dad had done for me.”  I heard my friend say.  It made me smile because I knew he was a great father.  I had observed it for a long time.

I had seen it long enough for me to know that he had mixed in so much sweetness that he had allowed the bitter to become an indispensable ingredient to the miracle he had created.  It just wasn’t the most important ingredient any more. 

What ingredients can you mix together to create miracles in your life?