Art on the Prairie

If I lived in a rural area, and if I were an artist (music, painting, drawing, sculpture, pottery, etc.), I would keep the art as a hobby, and keep the day job. 


Someone wants to make a lot of money, and has the talent, so "why not be 50 Cent or Neil Diamond and make art full time?" The temptation for people is to think "if I make a million with my music, I won't have to work, and can spend time with my family." But that (1) turns the music into a "job." And (2) it forces people to take shortcuts. Also, (3) it makes people impatient. "I'm not making enough money yet!" 

If art is a hobby--a diligent, perform-every-week, consistent hobby--then it will grow like a mustard tree. You'll be surprised at the outcome.

The Bad Artist

Tonight I advised a friend of mine, a musician about launching his career.

I asked him to invite people to his home every month and perform for them. Create a show that positively evolves over time. But rain or shine, illness or busyness, keep performing. Don't stop for any reason. On the first Sunday of each month, perform for a group which, hopefully, rotates.

My advice is that the artist who does not perform is no different from the non-artist, the person with no talent. So we don't have bad artists, just those who do and those who don't.

What happened to the Nauvoo Commuter?

This blog used to post daily. It has now trickled to two or three times a week.

Why?

Read Steven Pressfield's Do the Work, and you'll know the answer.

Dear Mr. Schwan Man

The Schwan Man visited our house today. His real title is " Route Sales Representative," but he calls himself Schwan Man. In fact, "Schwan Man" is his greeting, sales pitch, and sales closing. When I opened the door, he only said those two words, and left them hanging in the air, allowing me to interpret his objective as he stared at the porch below his feet. Even a smile would have helped him. 

I wonder if Schwan trains their reps. This is the job description:

   "As a Route Sales Representative, you will drive the widely 

    recognized SCHWAN’S truck to sell and deliver more than 

    300 varieties of frozen foods to families around the area. Your 

    drive and ambition can go a long way toward your ability to 

    meet the needs of current customers, secure new customers, 

    and in defining what you earn through the real earning potential 

    of sales commissions."

I assumed he earns some sort of commission, but perhaps not. Covered are his medical, dental, and even tuition (are they hoping he'll start training to be an accountant because they can't believe he will stick to his "Route Sales Representative" job long term?) and some other goodies. The recruiting literature seems to indicate they try to recruit people who want safety.

If the company had trained and motivated him, perhaps our rep would have said, "I'm your Schwan Man, and I am here to fill your freezer with things that bring joy, such as this week's special..." But they didn't, so he didn't. 

We still ordered a few things, but we still have space in our freezer.

Original settlers of what became the United States envisioned the land being "a city set on a hill." The nation would be an example of religious liberty and righteousness. 

Is the country still fulfilling that mission? Or are we too concerned with avoiding exceptionalism? Or do we no longer believe in religious liberty?

Belief systems are far more diverse than in the past. And I don't know if they can all be reconciled into a single unifying system. 

But perhaps a new awakening is on the way. Let's stay tuned. 

In this forum, we are trying to develop the:


 - individual
 - community
 - region


Do these goals stand in opposition to each other? Do they complement each other? Certainly a strong individual in a weak region has an easier time being a genius (reference St. Ambrose, who was considered to be a super genius because he could read without moving his lips.) But an individual or community in a super-region has more opportunities for leveraging ideas, capital, encouragement, and role models. 


Living in a less-developed region is not a success killer. It is just different. 

Another item for your "To-Don't" list

If you are still putting together a to-don't list, as you should, one thing you should definitely add is:

"Listen to criticism from your neighbors, because you might learn
a lot about yourself"

Most of your neighbors, in fact, probably have no understanding of what you are trying to accomplish. Some might, and you will eventually be able to discern between those who "get it" and those who do not. Ignore the second group, even though they are the majority.