Saturday, 20 December 2014

The only proper use of a lighter


Art Burshy had bought quite some time ago a very cool lighter...
He did not really smoke, but I guess everyone recognises these moments when you walk around, when you see something and somehow you just NEED to have it.
Afterwards he had felt quite silly and the lighter had ended up somewhere in a drawer.

What is that feeling...?
- eating when you are not hungry but can not resist the temptation
- drinking with friends when you had told yourself before not to drink
- tempted to kiss someone but knowing it can never work

Art could come up with several reasons:
- we are like crows; when they see shining objects they just need to get them; its is like a deeper urge.
- evil has a pulls on us; a bit like religions often portray temptation of evil and the devil trying to allure you.
- we are compensating for being broken; when we are not happy we tend to loose ourselves in temptations like eating, drinking, shopping...

Or is it just our ego that is always there, driving us to possess objects and even people and just waits for a weaker moment. And then when we least expect it it actually takes over. And while justifying our selves it goes out of control:
- I worked so hard, I deserve some beers...
- I worked my life long, and now I am the boss so I have the right to...
- I will get money soon so I should be able to buy that phone
And by itself this reasoning is true, so that's not the point.
It is just a bit more of a problem when it comes just before diving in too deep; drinking way too much...again....or... buying yourself 'useless' stuff into bankruptcy...or...

Well, Art had made such mistakes over and over again, but recently he had been more resistant to such temptations... he was just so happy with his life, his wife, his kids, work and art...

And when he this time was looking to light the candles for a romantic dinner at home... he found the lighter and had top smile... this was actually the only legitimate use of a lighter, wasn't it?

Saturday, 13 December 2014

How much is enough


Art Burshy went away for a quick weekend to a more tropical location... he needed to recharge the batteries.
This rainy and windy autumn weather is okay for some days, even for some weeks...but after some time Art just needs some sun on his skin.
So he told his family he needed a weekend off...not because he doesn't want to be with them, not because they do not give him energy.
Art loves his wife and kids, and he loves his art, and he loves his work as a manager.
But one should always manage your energy levels; if you have no energy everything becomes more heavy and even the funniest and interesting things become a burden.
And Art also noticed that when you go low on energy and continue energy-spending stuff, it actually takes much longer to regain energy. So he had promised himself never to go beyond that zero-level.

So Art picked a weekend, and his wife picked the weekend after...because she needed it too...
When arriving he went to drop his stuff at the hotel, and ran straight to the beach...
Of course he smeared his skin with oil, and then he could feel the sun touch his skin...he could almost sense the vitamin D flowing from his skin into his body... and he fell in a deep deep sleep.

He woke up, felt really rested and his skin was glowing... and when he looked he saw he had some radiating skin...cadmium orange covering some deep red...
He smiled... sure this would be bloody painful, and he should not have gone so far...but sometimes you just have to dive in head first and accept the consequences...
He knew now that his skin would remind him the whole week of this weekend...so he picked up his towel, pencils and iPad and walked to the nearest  terrace where he ordered a lovely glass of Chablis...

He knew that tomorrow when going back home he would really miss his wife and kids, dying to give them a hug... and Monday he probably would feel like working again...ready for giving and sharing energy for a few more months...

Sunday, 7 December 2014

Rules are rules


Art Burshy walked today by a man cleaning the walls from graffiti.
Initially he just wanted to walk by...after all - there is so much rubbish being sprayed on the walls.
And Art knows the guy is just doing his job...cleaning walls...
But then he noticed that the man was actually removing quite a nice work of street art...

Sure the art work was not a Banksy, but would the guy actually know?
Would he really just be focused on the narrow tasks to 'clean the walls'
What if he would encounter a Banksy, would he be tempted to actually reflect on what he was doing.

Art Burshy himself also made some street art now and then.
And although he understood when the art work would be taken away, it is never a thrill.
One could even argue whether nice street art actually was a guerrilla way of making cities less dull, colourless, square and monotonous.
Shouldn't it be possible to deviate from the rule? Okay to clean walls, but a good street art work is actually nice to keep.

This is like in business:
- it is good to define rules and ensure they are respected
- but there should be consideration for the exceptional, no?

Art remembers that when he first managed his teams he actually did not pay attention to people being late that much. Well, it happens to all of us that we miss a train or have to deal with family situations.
Then some people started to complain, that some others were always late.
So, what do you do.
Sure, everybody should be on time; but should that rule be the same for all.
Is productivity not more important than presence?

From this time Art has kept 2 expressions alive.

1. I understand everything, but not everything can be tolerated in the interest of the team
You should be flexible and have people as much as possible work in a way that is optimal for them.
If you force them in another structure chances are that you reduce their productivity and contribution.
At the same time, when it stands in the wau\y of the teamwork you should not shy away from intervening.

2. Unequal monks, unequal hoods...
This is a weird one.
It comes from the old Dutch saying: 'equal monks, equal hoods' ('gelijke monniken, gelijke kappen')
It normally intends to say that all people should be treated equal.
Then one colleague (Martin) of Art once said the opposite: 'unequal monks, unequal hoods'
Initially Art had been surprised, but when he thought about it it made more and more sense.

Don't people who work very hard and late have more rights than people that just fill their hours?
If someone just worked late last night, should Art be reprimanding him if he is 10 minutes late next morning?

This does not mean that Art feels people should not be treated equally.

And the same for art works and artists.
Great art works, even when put on a wall outside should be kept, maybe even framed.
Where shitty tags or poor efforts should be punished.
Sure, Art had not yet figured out how to implement this in law or procedures, but there should be some talented politician that could solve that...
Because in the end even Art Burshy knows that a Banksy is not an ArtBurshy...

Saturday, 22 November 2014

when do you actually work


Art Burshy is having dinner with his oldest son... in between all the other things he had done and planned for that day...so I guess that's what they would call quality time, or time for some male bonding...

Then there are these questions that you children raise that are difficult to answer.
At had been asking how his son's day had been, but the youngster did not seem in the mood to share much...maybe because he did not do much? or because he did not feel comfortable sharing? So Art decided to share some of his own day, hoping to inspire his oldest son.

Art had explained about the different meetings he had had, using simple words in an effort to allow the kid to understand a bit of the crazy world Art is working in. Basically for his son the art works that his father makes are easier to understand and have a clearer goal and purpose than the days that Art Burshy spends at 'work'.
After all the stories Art had shared his son asked with a puzzled expression on his face as if he was sincerely wondering...'so when you have been all day in meetings...when do you actually work? '.

This by itself is what Art likes so much of children; they still have this wonderment when the encounter things that they have not yet seen before...and often raising questions about things that adults do not even think about anymore.
Art recognised a reflex in himself...trying to explain that 'having meetings' is also work, and that it is actually required to involve many people in delivering something together. That actually t is a lack of communication and related skills that kill many ideas and the capability to deliver.
But Art decide to shut up for a moment...his son was right...and he had the right to know.

'Yes son, that is difficult.
You need meetings to have people work together, achieve a shared goal, solve issues and ensure communication in general stays positive.
But before you realise your whole day gets filled with meetings and you have the feeling at the end of the day that you have not been able to deliver anything really.
I even know that I (like most people) am better in analytics in the morning; the brain is still fresh and connections between different parts of the brain are still being reconstructed...so my brain likes to focus and do simple stuff...
In the afternoon my brain sort of wakes up and likes to be stimulated, go out and check ideas with others. This also works better when knowing you have already done quite some added value stuff.
So, I block some hours every morning in my agenda, because nowadays everyone just throws a new meeting in your agenda and before you know you end up in back-to-back meetings.'

His son looked at him somewhat concentrated yet puzzled.

'Well, explained Art.
Work is like life; it is all about continuously finding the balance and checking that all is still in the right proportions.
It is a chair with 3 legs. If you do not give attention to one leg the chair eventually will fall over.
In life these legs would be:
- your work
- your dear ones, family and friends (the real ones, not necessarily all your facebook friends)
- yourself.'

'Thanks dad...is it okay if I now go to my room and play with my laptop?...'

The abrupt ending surprised Art, but he decided to shut up and nod...he could not expect his son to sit through more rattling of his old man...the boy will find it out all by himself...


Sunday, 16 November 2014

Allergies at work


Art Burshy almost got into a fight today...and he had not done or said anything to annoy the guy...

Art had been to a company event; as most of you know by now, this sort of events are not his favourite places to be.
A man had approached him; wearing some very colourful shoes and a 'matching' shirt. Art thought the man looked like a lollipop... and although it s a display of bad taste, not by itself a reason to disengage.
The big guy had started to speak to him, about many things.
About how the company was doing and that the employees needed to have more customer focus, they needed to bring the services to a new level, they needed to stop raising issues and be solution oriented...
These were all things Art could not disagree with; these are sort of universal high level intentions often communicated by top management.
However, Art had not often seen that such high level 'slogans' had ever worked in changing people's approach. In his view - to actually change behaviour - you have to be clear to people on:
a) what is the behaviour that you do not want, and more importantly
b) what is the different behaviour you would like to see.
Especially b) seems difficult for people to come up with.

Now, Art generally dislikes people that speak like this and just make bullshit bingo remarks without knowing any material part of the detailed issues and/or giving any concrete direction.
But Art had learnt to control these 'allergies' as he calls them.

I asked him what he meant with allergies...like physical allergies, where you get some sort of skin reaction?
Art explained:
We all have our strengths and we use these strengths already when we are young in tackling issues that we are facing, or we use them to overcome our insecurities when in puberty. As a consequence we depend very much on these strengths and they become part of our nature; we do not even notice them anymore.
Thay make us try to use the same strengths and skills as a tool to solve all problems; it determines how we see the problem and how we think it should be solved. And it so we make mistakes; we use the wrong tools for some of our problems, and we don't see it when we screw it up.
And when people show strongly opposite behaviour this triggers an allergy...we strongly disapprove and even feel resentment...and we think it is of course the fault of the other person...but actually it says more about our own strengths and defects...

It was a bit abstract for me so I asked Art to give an example....

As an example Art told me he had a strong sense of humour when he was young; he used to make jokes in awkward situations, for example when his father and mother were quarrelling... and even at this day and time Art uses his sense of humour in awkward situations. But humour is not the solution  to any awkward situation, and at times Art makes some very inappropriate jokes.
And when other are in search of conflict and keep pushing it...it triggers an allergy with Art...
'why do people need to look for a fight now?'
'what do you think that a fight will bring?"
'did anything ever got resolved by fighting?'
These are all reasoning Art could use to justify the stupid behaviour of the other.
But in fact, in some cases it is good to set boundaries and to make clear that you do not like certain behaviour of other people...

Art saw my puzzled face and made me a quick drawing below to explain...


During this drink where Art almost got into a fight...apparently the other man believed strongly in his ability to share high level insights and his great way of convincing people. When Art did not seem impresses, showed no sign of engagement and remained silent it had annoyed the man. He increased his efforts, but Art remained passive, so...it triggered the man's allergy...

So I asked Art what he does when having this insight...do you accept all your own weirdness...or do you actually do something about it?
"That is what we call the challenge..." said Art.
"Your challenge is to use your strengths while ensuring you do not enter into your pitfalls.
Like: Use your sense of humour to lighten up difficult situations, but make sure important discussions, feedback and insight are not avoided."

I asked him if he himself had thought up this theory, but he told me it was a guy named Hoffman that came up with this concept of 4 core quadrants: strengths-pitfalls-allergies and challenges.
"And does it help? Is it true?"

"Well" said Art "I would not know...but I just use anything that gives me any insight in my own bloody weirdness, haha. Never believe man-made methods and concepts are true,
These concepts are just a way of looking at reality and deal with it's complexity and diversity.
But it is actually the weirdness and insanity that makes life fun, but unfortunately many people do not see it, causing them great stress and efforts to deal with it and keep up appearances"
And Art just walked away once again.


Saturday, 8 November 2014

I am not addicted


ArtBurshy hates to admit...he is seriously addicted.
And not just to a simple drug...but to a sort of doping.

He read in an article that coffee should be considered as doping. Sportsmen with more than 3 cups of coffee seem to be disqualified when they get caught.
Art initially did not see the addiction, really, and he had shown serious signs of denial.
Quotes of what he said when in denial varied::
- it's not that bad at all... I only take one cup of coffee per day...
- it is normal - everybody does it...so it can't be that bad
- I once read an article that said it was not that bad...but don't remember where that article was published or who wrote it.
- I have other things to work on and to improve... I can not stop all bad habits at the same time
- I can't function properly without it... which actually illustrates that you are heavily hooked on the drug

Now Art Burshy has accepted.
There are even some weird things he discovered or that now puzzled him:
- actually increases the adrenaline level in the blood, and therefore even negatively impacts behaviour - people act more impulsive when under influence of coffee;
- many employers provide coffee to their employees, in some cases for free - it is like providing free doping...
- all these coffee shops offering doping-to-go

Although Art has now seen the light, he still did not fully figure out how to 'rehab' from this addiction. It is available everywhere, everyone takes it and everyone offers you.
Tea seems better, but also contains some sort of caffeine; seems some 5 cups of tea actually contain similar shit as 1 cup of coffee...and to Art's surprise green tea is the same...

Art knows that going through change knows several phases, like was identified by the researcher Elisabeth Kuebler-Ross when investigating the process of mourning. It seems we go through the same phases when going through large changes in our lives.
Phases are:
1. Shock stage: Initial paralysis at hearing the bad news.
2. Denial stage: Trying to avoid the inevitable. 
3. Anger stage: Frustrated outpouring of bottled-up emotion.
4. Bargaining stage: Seeking in vain for a way out.
5. Depression stage: Final realisation of the inevitable.
6. Testing stage: Seeking realistic solutions.
7. Acceptance stage: Finally finding the way forward.



Worst is that you think to be in step 5, and then find yourself moving back to stage 3...it sometimes just seems an endless tunnel, with no guarantee to ever reach the light at the end...

In each stage also other things are required to get yourself (or others for that matter) to the next level.
Art Burshy therefore uses this in his teams to identify where they are in dealing with the change and how to get them towards acceptance.
Managing change in teams is extra difficult, as you have to manage people that are all in a different phase of the change process...and you are going through the same process, suffering and doubts while you need to pull them through.

So, I asked Art:
"As you recognise your issue with coffee and you know how to change...it must be easy to get rid of your coffee addiction..."

Her just replied:
"why do you have to be so cruel and use my own words to show that I am actually as incompetent as any other human being... I just try to hide it better..." and he turned around and walked away....


Saturday, 1 November 2014

How newborns teach us focus and distance...

Our working artist Art Burshy became a father again...
Fatherhood definitively has changed his view of life, work and art in the weirdest ways:

1. Focus
Having a new born forces you to focus on 'being'.
It ads the Yin to the Yang...
It gets you out of brainless running mode, as kids directly notice (and show) when you are distracted.
Especially as an ambitious parent it sucks you all into the primal state; forces you to listen observe and care. Focus on giving and not on achieving/receiving/earning/etc.
This is why many people undergo real changes when having children; but it is no guarantee of course.

2. Distance
Art Burshy also noticed that in a way you are forced to take more distance from other everyday stuff.
Disance from evreyday work; all these little work issues, gossip and stressful targets somehow shrink in relevance and meaning.
It has actually helped Art to see things at work clearer.
It is like opening a door:
- before having kids Art would always push the door open, and if it did not work he would push harder.
- and now he sees that there are other doors; they can be opened by pulling.
It probably sounds oversimplified, but sometimes trying to hard, repeating too much and working to get it exactly your way does not actually pay off.
Actually Art noticed that as soon as he took more distance he achieved more.

This does not mean Art finds it easy to adjust - it never is - but it helps to see an additional purpose in having a baby and not being able to fully focus on work...

Well, as a consequence...a very short Art Burshy story for you today as Art did not have much time for us ;)

Saturday, 25 October 2014

like teaching guitar to an old fart

Art Burshy had watched a nice concert of Paolo Conte...
Nice to see an old fart like Paolo still being able to sing...although it seemed to be quite an effort...would he really like it or just play for the money...
Art realised that musicians are not known for great financial planning...like artists by the way...and so they ended up without a 'pension' performing until they are old fossils

More than the singing actually Art liked the guys in the band..especially on the different guitars
Somehow this very quick guitar string-magic had really touched Art...the way it gets you all active and wanting to dance and make weird sounds to the music.

So Art Burshy came home all inspired; he wanted to play guitar too.
And well, his daughter played some guitar and his son played drums...so why would it be impossible for the father to play an instrument?
Completely inspired Art went out to buy a guitar...and he came back with a beauty...nice wooden guitar with warm sound...
Art realised he was acting like a stereotype man, as what he was doing here was similar to what he had read recently:
women shop more often - but small amounts, while men shop less frequent but when they buy, they buy expensive gadgets.

Art locked himself in his atelier and looked up guitar lessons on youtube.
He found 705.000 hits...so where to begin?
For beginners...yes...
But starting with the real basics or maybe playing-a-song-with-two-chords...?
He tried both
The basics were boring and you felt you would never ever come to a real song.
The chords seemed easier but it required him to watch timing, strings, hands and video at the same time...

His son had heard Art play and came in...and with his dry humour suggested Art should maybe try air guitar.
Not really what Art was waiting for; a son making fun while he was seriously struggling to learn...
He wondered:
- how is it that children learn these things so quickly?
- would he ever be able to master it?
- why was he actually trying? Only for himself? Or maybe also a bit to show off...?
- if he would fail, would he project his failure on his children...like so many people project failed ambitions on their kids by pushing them into sports in a very competitive way...?

Well, Art Burshy tried and tried improving his guitar skills, focusing on movement of his hands and fingers...
The phone rang...and Art snapped out of it...
while walking to the phone slowly he reconnected with reality...
Art h\always had this ability to escape into his bubble, relaxing by pushing away everyday shit and issues.
It was already dark outside...had he been playing for that long?
It was his wife on the phone... 'had we not agreed to meet at the cinema 15 minutes ago...?'
Hardly ever they went to the movies, and now he had screwed up...big time...
Art's eyes were wide open now and his body was filling itself with adrenaline, while he held back the worst curse words...Damn...Sh*t...he had completely lost track of time.
He changed clothes rapidly, put on his shoes and was about to run off...

Just before leaving he took his guitar, held it in his hands for some time as if he was watching an extraterrestrial device...he walked up to the room of his daughter and knocked...she opened
"Dear, I bought this for myself, but maybe it's better that I give it to you..."
His daughter was speechless..such an unexpected act of kindness from her father...but before she could react Art had ran off.

When running down the stairs a most terrible thought or rather insight ran into his mind:
"F*ck...my life is too short to follow all my dreams!"

Saturday, 18 October 2014

Arts 10 commandments


Art Burshy walked towards the local church this morning. He had some paper under his arm, a hammer and some nails...he had no idea of the intense discussions he would be having just an hour later...

Art was early as he intended to be there before the crowds were visiting the church, although he was not aware how many people were actually still visiting that church. Would he have a larger audience when putting his papers up at the door of a mosque?

Art had taken his decision over the last days, with all discussions again about fanaticism in religion... people wanting to fight for freedom of religion...people wanting to fight for ensuring others respect and adopt their religion...and others fighting with words to say nobody should be fighting. Art Burshy felt that all these acts of religion were very far away from the true origin of most religions... love, respect and living by your values.

The left hand held up the paper against the closed wooden door and a nail between his fingers...his right hand threw the hammer with decisive force against the nail... the sound was impressively loud, as if he was pounding a drum that was as large as the church itself...Art was somewhat overwhelmed by the sound but after a short pause he firmed up and continued. Within a few minutes it was ready... the 10 commandments of Art Burshy were decorating the church door like once Luther had nailed his 95 statements on the Wittenberg church door in 1517.

The largest surprise was to come...when Art wanted to take his stuff and leave, looked around, he saw that there were some people watching him. One man stepped froward and asked Art what he thought he was doing....
"I try to remind people of what religion originally was about...
And I thought chance of reaching religious people was larger at a church than at the supermarket..."

"Well, you ruin the church door...and do you think it really works to put some statements out there?" the guy asked, probably not really to get a full answer.
But Art was triggered...
"You are right, telling people they should not do certain things does generally not work.
It is like when your friend is crossing a narrow dangerous bridge and you yell at him 'DON'T LOOK DOWN'...
His natural reaction will be.... to look down.
That's what our mind does to us.

So, when people show wrong behaviour you can tell them what they should NOT do.
It is better to tell them what they SHOULD do.
Basically we can not unlearn behaviour, we can just replace old behaviour by better new behaviour.
So why do people tend to emphasise what others should not do?
Well, because it is so easy to tell others they are wrong!
It is more difficult to actually come up with what should be a better way of doing things.

Like in companies.
You can repeatedly tell people to be 'customer focused'.
That is an easy message and a nice start.
Yet, it provides the following challenges:
- all people always think they do the best for clients
- it is not clear which undesirable behaviour should be replaced by which good behaviour
So nobody feels urgency to change anything, and if they do they have no clue how.
After all, if it were simple people would already have changed it themselves, wouldn't they...

Instead you could explain people what you expect as behaviour, which can be at very different levels:
- make sure the client likes you by inviting them for drinks or giving them nice gadgets
- be focused and spend time on those customers that could be interested in your product
- help clients and explain them why certain things don't work...
- understand deeper what your clients need before offering anything
- engaging to understand what would help your client save and earn money, and then create the product that fits with it..."

"So, you actually say that your commandments are set up incorrectly, as they say what people should not do..." provoked the guy.

Art Burshy looked up while taking a moment to think.
Then he went back to the door, removed the nails and took back the paper.
And he started walking back.

The man that had raised the questions had a 'victory'-smile on his face.
Art turned around one last time:
"Yes, you are right to criticise, 
I made a mistake to copy old behaviour that has not really been effective...
but don't laugh too quickly...
I will improve my list based on your feedback... 
and I will be back.
Thank you for helping me!"
And there Art Burshy left, heading home with a determined pace....leaving people behind in a state of confusion....

Saturday, 11 October 2014

the reason of reasoning


"We are a product of western society...
We get taught and raised in tradition of structure and reason...
We learn to put our structure on the world...
and when that does not work we learn to push harder.
But that does not always work and we need to learn following the flow of life too.

Like when you are a mouse trying to steer an elephant...
and when the Elephant is out of control and starts running...
you can try to hang on to its tail and steer...
maybe better let go of its tail though...
We are so much raised in the tradition of reason and thinking that we think it is the truth, it is part of nature and part of logic."
It was Art Burshy talking to me again with loads of passion, conviction and maybe some frustration.

"But Art, look at all civilisation we created with our science and logic, are you denying that reality?"

"No, probably large part of that is sort of real.
Interesting is that we are just building reason and understanding on empiric evidence...we find the truth we are looking for.
When we see correlations we try to prove them, and when it is 70% of the cases in the study, we consider it proven.
In a way we are creating stereotypes of reality; we fill our lives with assumptions.
- we project cultural stereotypes on people; 'you are blunt because you are Dutch' or you should be elegant as you are a woman
- research shows that people do not really learn when older than 35...but do you give up on people because of that...?
- more immigrant kids commit crimes...but is that because they are foreign or because they have tougher lives, worse role models, less wealth or anything else...?
In a way reasoning and sense of knowing-it-all takes away hope and magic....
It takes away the wonderment, the believe that things can come true, that this world is special and we have to keep it that way.
And we have been wrong in many occasions, changing views dramatically in many areas of science"

"But if we can not rely on all that research and reasoning, what do we rely on?" was my surprised question.

"We need to learn to feel and trust.
Like an artist we need to be willing to unpeel the layers of our onion..."

"But Art, sorry, but what does this have to do with onions...?"

"We are like onions in a sense that we have many layers that have been added when we were young, by our parents, by our schools, by our religions, by the examples we have seen and the behaviour that has been rewarded.
All these layers we consider as true and the basis of our values and reasoning; challenging these layers is like having to rediscover yourself and accept that we do not know what we thought we knew.
We should not be afraid of not knowing; we should enjoy exploring every new situation, every new challenge, every pain, every new person, every new colleague...and enjoy it...
We should unpeel and while peeling we will learn more about ourselves, but also more about where we grew up, about what our context has added to our nature, about our culture...
And we need to re-learn how to feel, empathise and judge what is good and how to do good.
And we should pick our leaders from the people that honestly searched their souls, that have built understanding and realise they need to keep searching humbly, guide others but being ope to follow others..."

"But we are not all artists, how do non-artists do this?"

"Hey, I do not have all the answers, but there are more ways than through art.
Art is just for the purpose of the artist; dealing with all questions around purpose and existing.
By itself truth can for example be found in spirituality; understanding that you are only part of something much bigger. Although in many cases religions actually prevent you from exploring too far and being open minded.
You can dive into other cultures to learn to see the differences and challenge your own reasoning and values.
You could read, reflect and discuss with friends
You can learn from your children; kids are still what we call naive and less conditioned.
We can find truth in music, in caring for people or animals, we can probably find it in anything."

I went home after this conversation.
A conversation that started by Art Burshy telling me about the lecture he had joined and the questions he had raised.
The teacher had been dismissive, not open to Art's views and statements.
And I sensed Art was frustrated.
Was it just frustration that made him challenge our whole system of thinking?
Did he just want to get back to the guy who had not been willing to agree with his opinion?
Or did he actually have a point?

Well, when home I decided to play with my youngest child, humbly sitting down next to him on the floor trying to enter his world...a world in which everything seemed possible...

Saturday, 4 October 2014

Setting up animal unions


This time Art Burshy prayed to animals and compared humans to lemmings...let me tell you the story...

In the morning we left early, heading for a 'modern' animal farm.
Art Burshy wanted to see how animals are really being treated in modern farms.
Art had tried to understand different sorts of supermarket animal products...about environmental and animal-friendly certificates...
But all these certifications seemed really vague and left loads of room for interpretation.
What does 'free range' really mean or 'biological' which seems the best thing around.
And 'free access to outside air' or 'only chemicals that are available in nature'...

We arrived at the farm that Art had looked up...it did not really look like a farm...
I asked Art: "so how did you plan to get in?"
A woman approached us...in a hurried pace and clearly suspicious, but before she could speak I heard Art say:
"Hellooooo, what a wonderful farm you have, amazing so green, so neat and such a beautiful house..."
The woman's expression changed, the frown disappeared.
Art: "We were just out for a drive, and I told my friend...look at that wonderful farm...I so much empathise with farmers
- poor farmers are squeezed by the large supermarket chains
- hardworking farmers are the closest thing we have to nature
- clever farmers have gone through so much innovation and change adjusting to many challenges, it is just amazing...
Would you allow us to admire your farm, seems very advanced and futuristic..."

The woman finally allowed us into the barn, where we witnessed thousands of chickens...walking around on a small piece of surface...the smell was terrible...but Art did not seem to care.
At some point I saw him engaging with one chicken, talking to her...and it seemed he was sort of praying, or rather apologising...
I keep getting surprised by this crazy artist...now he is praying to a chicken...

On the way back I asked him quite some questions and he explained:
"Of course the woman let us in...
When people are suspicious or under pressure you have to make them feel at ease:
- throwing compliments at them
- avoiding the sensitive subjects
- showing understanding their point of view
- show an interest in their challenges
This will kill the barrier between you and them and help get to share real information.
Sure it requires some acting, but it often just takes a few minutes and in a way these people are in a struggle and often do not see themselves why what they do is not good.
Often these people see themselves as victims..."I need to keep up with the competition" and "everyone does it like this" and "there are places where situation is worse".
Basically humans are great in cognitive dissonance - hiding away from undesired insights...
And this is why we hide these farms far way from the city, from where we buy our steaks and chicken fillet...
We are too afraid to harm or kill an animal ourselves, yet we have them massively killed by others and by machines.
And these chickens have no life, their life is a few months of suffering....
Imagine yourself in such a situation... like in The Matrix-movie, but then it is reality and even worse...
And for any religion; would any God now agree that we adequately 'care' for the animals...
And does society have enough ways to correct these undesired situations?
Will companies find an incentive to change the way they 'produce meat'?
Do methods like LEAN and Six Sigma in business solve such sort of problems?
Not necessarily, as these methods look to satisfy client demand... don't they?
If the client does not see the issues, the owners of the company want revenue and nobody represents animals and nature...who will have an incentive to make a change ?
And if customers ask for biological food, the producer will meet the requirements set by himself, his industry or in best case of a certification institution.
But in the end when the intention is not there, it will be a race to the bottom...produce lowest price products by respecting the minimum of requirements..."

This is why Art asked forgiveness from the chicken..." because mankind is just like lemmings; the population of that animal grows and grows until a moment where they blindly follow each other... jumping of the cliffs."

"And probably the time is right to set up animal unions...sure many animals are clever enough to go on strike and hold demonstrations"


Saturday, 27 September 2014

Art's view on interesting conversations


Again Art Burshy had been to a reception, this time with his son.
This was a work party where also family had been invited.
And of course Art today was ready to share all his thoughts and reflections on what happened and how these things work.

'In work situations - and probably in general - you should always keep in  mind that everyone has interesting stories and you should not feel superior to other people at any time.
Actually, like philosopher Edward De Bono would say: when you have a different opinion it based on a) different information, b)different experience or c)different values. And stupid people do not exist.
So whenever you feel that someone is having stupid ideas, start exploring with open questions which information or experience it is that has lead the person to his opinion. Or what values he/she has that drives their emphasis on specific arguments.

But...it is interesting to see that more intelligent people often have more limitations in speaking; not sure why this is, and also not sure whether my own mind plays tricks on me when observing different people act in public.
Sure, the more you know, the more you know that you don't know....
And probably for very smart people cold talk actually is very boring as it does not bring any interesting angle or views
Or is it more fear of not meeting up with expectations... like fear is one of the deeper drivers of mankind...
Probably most interesting conversations are with kids as they a) really are curious to know everything and b) when they talk it is to share something that really is relevant to them. And when they are angry, they are 100% angry and not afraid to show it.'

So, when Art's son today was a bit overwhelmed by the reception and all those people, Art told him to find 'dumb' people, as 'they often do not seem to have any problem talking for hours about basic stuff'.

Art Burshy himself went out to find an interesting person.
He gave himself the assignment to talk to that person like an artist would look at any object while painting.
An artist focuses on breathing, and then lets the object or person appear through himself.
So when Art found someone, a young man, and he changed his breathing, felt relaxation go through his body. Art imagined the person's image beam into his breast while taking a deep breath. He smiled, and started asking open questions, truly focused on the story of the young man.
This technique helps artists not to focus on the perfect shape, but more on the expression of how they see the object, not afraid of making a wrong line, helping to make the art work much more powerful and expressive.
Now, in the conversation it helped Art to ask more personal questions, and the man actually told him everything.
'Wow', sighed the man, 'it was so nice to speak to you....would be good to meet up some time...I will give you my business card...'
But Art raised his hand calmly and replied 'don't worry, we will meet again...'

I asked Art why he was so convinced that he would meet the guy again...
Art: "well, sometimes it is just great to appreciate the moment and not try to extend it....
next time if we would meet up based on current expectations it would probably be a disappointment...
it would ruin the memory of the special conversation today...
so just enjoy the conversation for what it is...
and if we ever meet again we will see what happens...'

Saturday, 20 September 2014

chubby people have more...


Art Burshy came by today, all spontaneously, he was humming and had a big smile on his face.
He started with "How are you?" and apparently listened when I gave him a basic short-story-that-we're-all-busy-but-everything-fine summary.
I was hardly finished when he asked me: "Wanna see my new tattoo?"

I was a bit puzzled and surprised and in a state of "do I really want to know? "
And it was the start of a 'funny'conversation

"It really is a cool tattoo" Art continued and he started widening the collar of his shirt to show me more of his skin.
Initially I only saw some sort of lady with long blond hair.
"Does your wife not mind that you have a half-naked woman on your chest?"
Art Burshy smiled:
"It is a picture of my wife, stupid. And actually she likes the fact that I demonstrate my commitment to her so unconditionally".
And does she have a tattoo of you?
"Well, of course not, that would ruin her beauty; putting a picture of a bearded old man on her skin..."

So how many tattoos do you have?
"Well I would guess 60% of my body is covered...so 40 % left to go... and the good thing is: I have more skin because I am so chubby.
Of course being chubby is not good, but I am honest about it; it is just because I eat and drink too much; just love it.
I face reality, contrary to most chubby people that always put the blame or trigger outside themselves:
- it's this weird family thing - everyone in my family is fat...
- they have an amazingly slow metabolism
- they were born with heavy bones
- there are too many temptations being offered
- they have an allergy for a some stuff that is in almost every food
- and of course they are too busy watching TV and therefore having no time to exercise
And they are always the first to point out to other people that 'others are lucky to never get fat whatever they eat'.
In that way they are a bit like parents would talk about their kids:
- when it is negative it is the character they were born with - they can not help it
- when it is good it is because the parents raised them so well."

Doesn't it give problems at work to have these tattoos? Do your employers understand and tolerate you looking so atypical?
"Well, I have observed several reasons why others accept:
- when they know you are good at what you do
- when they actually have wanted tattoos themselves but never dared
- when in the end they just do not give a f**k
- when they have one themselves but have it hidden.
Once I came to work short sleeved, and my manager said 'this will have consequences for your career'. I told him that I would accept any consequences, although I thought it would be unfair.
I never heard about it ever again, and I was promoted anyway a few months later.
People often worry too much about these things, and then stand in their own way..."

Art left as quickly and joyfully as he had arrived.
That night when in bed next to my lovely wife I whispered:
"Darling, what would you say if I had a picture of you tattooed on my chest?"
She slowly turned around towards me, a frown curling the skin on her forehead...
"Are you okay baby? Did Art Burshy get crazy things in your mind again?" was the only thing she asked.
I kissed her and wished her a good night, not really knowing what more to say...

Sunday, 14 September 2014

It gets me all wrinkled

I ran into Art Burshy this morning - he was stretched on a chair in front of a coffee place, wearing sun glasses and sipping coffee from a very large cup. I asked if it was a nice cappuccino, and he looked up slowly...´no, it is filled with espresso...and I need it. If I could inject it directly in my veins I would not hesitate a second...´ he whispered with a broken voice.
Turned out that Art had been drinking quite some wine the night before, so it must not have been a big surprise to be hung over the next day. And he did not deny he 'deserved' facing the consequences, he just started explaining me....

There are people that live their life respecting all rules of health; go to bed early, no alcohol, no fat in the food, not too much salt, even less sugar, etc. Sure such life style is respectable and if such people are a bit lucky they might live to become 110 years....
But does that mean you lived your life to the max; have you done all to explore your boundaries and dive into the enormously deep sea of life. It is important to walk naked into the sea, to accept its darkness and lose yourself now and then. As long as you do not drown in your own darkness all is fine.
As Art Burshy says: "when you come back from your darkness you will see more the brightness of the colours in your every day life.
And for an artisrt this is essential; if you do not explore your darkness and dysfunctyional behaviours, how could your art ever represent a meaningful journey?!"

It is not the first time he told me this sort of story and view of things.
I told him that in my mind this would mean your body might more quickly become older, show traces of being structurally tired and of using alcohol or even other stuff.

Art looked at me with open eyes and his eye brows in a serious frown as if he was wondering if I was joking, stupid or... just very naive.
"Yes, it gets me all wrinkled... and I just love it" he said and
"there's nothing wrong with cleaning your veins with some alcohol now and then."

I realised arguing had no effect on this man, wished him a good day and headed home.

Saturday, 6 September 2014

I never eat alone


Art Burshy had been travelling this week. He was visiting Paris for an 'important' business negotiation meeting.
The whole day people had spent time in a room talking about setting up some new business together. And there were different nationalities involved, so a good ingredient for many misunderstandings.

Art always flies under the radar at such meetings; big ego's never make good negotiations. So he laid low at the start of the meeting, observing the regular dynamics happening:
- the Americans jumping enthusiastically head first, seeing all commercial opportunities and justifying those with statistics and branding stories
- the Dutch highlighting all the issues that could be encountered, wanting guarantees for every little issue and also openly sharing way too much of their considerations to get the best commercial outcome.
- the Belgians all silent, calm and thoughtful bringing up points; and when confronted with negative feedback or being overruled - smiling and withdrawing - waiting for the next moment to bring up the same point again.
- the French emphasising the relationships and confident that in the end all can be solved, exploring the intellectual concept rather than focusing on approach and delivery
- the English saying a lot without saying anything really; masters in understatement and joyful beating around the bush
- the Germans bringing their view of the world in many layers of details, listening to others but persisting in their view and structure as being superior.

Art had seen it all, and he knew all cliches, stereotypes and prejudices.
The only thing Art had really learnt was that dealing with other cultures requires less talking and more listening. If you go too much on the stereotypes you risk missing important points and values that actually should be addressed. Also, you always forget how much your behaviour and interpretations are defined by your own culture and context; and therefore you risk wrongly interpreting behaviours of people from other cultures.
So, shutting up and observing was key. As a consequence of being silent and asking questions of other people's views, people do not see you as a threat... which is a great asset once final proposals have to be made for the compromises.

Anyway, it had been a long day, much talking and finally reaching a good result.
Many people then proposed to go out for dinner, but Art felt like being a moment alone after sooo much display of ego and talking. He went for a walk in the centre of Paris, along the canal St Martin and its nice little cafes, Rue du Temple searching for nice street art, and then finding a small restaurant in the Marais area.
He knew the food would be great and also anticipated the question of the waiter: "are you alone or are you waiting for someone", where Art replied "I never eat alone...I am eating with my smart phone".

It sounded more sad than it actually was. And of course Art was just joking, although there had been moments where he had observed himself and others realising that people fill up any loneliness with their smart phones...
Well, anyway, Art Burshy liked his moments alone; some free space for reading, drawing and reflection, or just enjoying an endless vacuum of thought-space in his mind. He took a glass of wine, thought of his wife and his kids, and started reflecting on his recent art concept and about life - because these things are more important than a silly negotiation with old white men in a small sweaty room...and definitely more urgent than sending social media updates to people you hardly ever see but that you call 'friends'.

After Art had finished telling me the story I wondered whether he was actually contradicting himself, because in some cases he shares a lot (also through me) about his life and reflections in social media...
But when I asked him about he said: that's different because the intention is different: a) spreading the virus of wonderment and reflection and b) pure marketing...

Saturday, 30 August 2014

Pleasing or being authentic

Art today confessed to me he had completely ruined what had for some time looked to be a nice dinner...

Art Burshy was invited by his agent to have dinner with art collectors; asking Art to join as it would be good to get some attention and art works sold. In a moment of weakness Art had accepted. But when entering the restaurant and seeing the table with business people he had taken a deep breath and told himself to make the best of it. Certainly, also an artist needs to have bread on the table, and Art had not sold too much recently.

Now, Art can be quite entertaining - if he wants to - and in his early days he would have loved to play the entertainer and explain people all the ínteresting' elements, get their admiration and making other people intelligent. But over the years he found it harder to play these games, and also he felt it less rewarding to have people voicing their admiration about trivial elements of life and art.

This evening again people started asking him very basic questions and complimenting him. And Art politely answered and played the game of explain-the-basics-of-art-to-ignorant-dumbos. He even got carried away, heard himself talk bullshit, and getting carried away by his ego... so as soon as he observed his own behavior he snapped out of it. Although it is tempting to roll yourself in such pool of self-justification and admiration, it is from an intellectual point of view sooo boring.

He then started at the table paying attention to the people, trying to remember their names, listening to their stories, ignoring the bullshit cold talk and trying to ask more interesting questions (or questions that are less safe and standard):
- why the hell did your parents give you that name
- why did you think 2 children are enough
- what makes your wife stay with you
- what is the dream you know you will never realise
- what is your worst fear; what are you most afraid to lose
- what terrible kids behaviour do you still demonstrate when under pressure
- what is the most terrible sin you have ever committed...really...

Sure, at the start people would basically ignore some of the questions or avoid giving a real answer, but after some wine they actually really replied to the questions, which gave a funny and interesting flavor to the conversation.

The evening was underway for wquite some time and actuyally things looked pretty well, and his agent gave Art a satisfied look. Then one guy next to him asked what Art really thought of the evening...
His agent gave him a begging look like "do-not-ruin-the-evening-by-being-too-honest"
Art was silent for a moment, many things went through his head, and what type of things he should or could answer.
Politely:
- well, thank you for asking, it is so nice to be surrounded by such interested and interesting friends
- so great to have the opportunity to share views with the you chaps
But these sentences gave him a sense of repulsion.
Maybe a bit less polite:
- well, not to worry about me, sometimes its good to take some time for such events
But while still thinking about it Art heard himself say out loud:
- well, I am doing my best to make the conversation interesting, but that's not easy with such ignorant and arrogant stiff penguins like you....

This is where his agent's jaw had dropped on the table before trying to save the conversation.
But the damage had been done and heavily offended the 'old chaps' left the restaurant with faces of disgust.
Art Burshy looked with an innocent frown at his agent, and his agent gave him a terrible look...
And Art could only mumble...: "Well, they might not like it...but I am pretty sure I was right...."

Well, in a way this is probably not the worst thing ever happening at dinner tables, and I just guess that for an artist like Art it is difficult to find a balance between pleasing people and remaining true to yourself....

Sunday, 24 August 2014

Universal solutions and strange animals

Today Art confessed to me what animal he actually resembles...

Art had been this time to a party, somehow they had put him on the invitation list, and such events are always good for some free drinks and people observations.

This event was organised by a political party, so Art  took a drink, and started observing.  He would slowly get close to groups of people discussing their personal pet peeves, latest discoveries and office gossip. Art observed and used his personal theory to categorise the different people:
- the mice > the insecure people  with large anxiety- these people will suck themselves to someone they know, and only leave that conversation if they see someone else that they know well and like better
- the eagles > the people faking confidence- these will first walk through the crowd, then see someone they know and enthusiastically engage. Or they even see someone else standing alone, and try a small conversation. These are fragile attempts though, because as soon as someone steps in and takes over the conversation one has to start all over again.
- the Labradors > true party-lovers though seem to see the party as a swimming pool, they open the door and you can see the smile on their face, the eyes aimed like bow and arrow to determine the first target. they will seem to know everyone and easily jump in and intervene in conversations.
- the peacocks > there is also the reserved participant, that will define whether someone is worthy of speaking to. Basically these people are not afraid at all of not speaking at all, although mostly this behaviour can only be afforded by well known and arrived people.

Art says that people hardly ever move from one animal-category to another, except when alcohol is consumed, then sometimes people make the strangest transformations...

This time Art Burshy was sneaking up to a peacoks' conversation, and they were having an endless conversation about how problems could be solved. Normally he only observes and tries to understand on a meta-level  what type of discussion people are having and what sort of dynamic is going on. Usually - if he ever intervenes - he will ask an open question: just strange enough to make people puzzled and wondering.
This time somehow he was annoyed - but why was he annoyed:
- just by the fact that they had a different opinion than Art...not really
- annoyed by the brainless way they argued?
- or maybe because Art in general does not like peacocks?

Why were they really annoying him?
Of course it was because their way of discussing went against Art's convictions and values:
- Art does not make statements if not fully supported by thorough analysis, reflection and knowledge
- Art will always consider other people's view and feels it is arrogant not to listen
- Art does not believe in easy solutions for complex problems...
He hates to observe that; when people have a hammer...every problem seems to look like a nail...
And this does not only happen with peacocks, they just have their way of ignoring your ideas of using other tools...telling you that 'of course' this should be solved with a hammer.

I then asked which sor of animal Art Burshy was himself, which sort of animal...
And he answered...
          "I am a mouse that learnt not to give a f*ck..."

Saturday, 26 July 2014

Managing expectations


Today there was a new employee joining the team of Art Burshy.
The young man had trembled when entering Art's office... what would this day look like...who is this bearded guy wearing this hat throughout the day...is this really my manager...
At the same time, in awe... so this guy Art Burshy is a real MANAGER, wow

Art Burshy observed the impression his office and presence had on the youngster.
His direct reaction was to lower expectations and destroy the admiration part:
"I am part of the lowest scoring 5% of managers, just to manage your expectations..."
I was a bit puzzled when Art Burshy told me today, although hardly anything surprises me anymore coming from this eccentric guy...

Art explained me that:
- it is known from psychology that some people increasingly 'admire' their bosses
- they develop a dependency-relationship, meaning
(a) the employee does everything for his boss and
(b) the boss protects his employee from anything negative
And this often only ends with a big implosion of trust, (i) when the manager leaves or (ii) when he has to take actions that hurt the employee in some way or (iii) when he for once does not live up to the employee's carefully built expectation level...
That's why Art manages expectations from the start.

Another thing you see is the psychological desire for the manager to be recognised by his team as the 'hero'.
To maintain this hero-status he will ensure to be owner of all successes.
And whenever he does not get things done - he just blames the rest of the organisation or even the clients.
He blames other locations, politics, incompetence of others etc.
Basically he steps away from the table where all decisions are taken and projects himself and his teams as victim of the angry outside world.
It is better as a manager to manage expectations, and admit where you can influence and share success, rather than claim it. And to participate constructively in decisions accepting it might impact your team.

In the end also a manager should make a choice how he wants to manage and how he sees his relationship with his team. How much does he share personal information, how often does he join them for drinks.
Art's guideline is:
- treat all employees equal and with respect
- avoid favouritism
- and when employees get too positive > point out that you are just doing your job, and success only comes as a result of a good collaboration.

Sure, short term it brings you less adoration and ego-satisfaction, but those things you should invest much energy in; you better invest time at home with family and friends ;)

Saturday, 12 July 2014

God was here


I was walking outside with Art Burshy and we were passing by a graffiti decoration of the wall.
Art halted and pointed to the drawing that stated "God was here".
"Do you like it?" he asked while checking out my reaction.
"Sure" I said, not even looking carefully.

That was a mistake...it was a graffiti tag that Art himself had sprayed on the wall just last night.
To me it seemed just a 'normal' tag, but Art Burshy of course was ready to give me his views:
- tags in general are a waste of space; it is like dogs pissing on each corner to mark their territory
- in some cases it is creative incontinence - they just can't help themselves
- if you want to practise graffiti you should find your own surface, not ruin walls in public space
- graffiti or any street art should decorate the world and leave a message that makes people reflect
- if you have no message to bring, you should not make any art. And in general, when you have nothing to say you should shut up... seems this reflex is not working anymore for many people.

So I asked Art what the message was in this graffiti expression.

Art frowned and gave me a suspicious look...
"Well, like a joke you should never explain an art work.
If people do not get it, explaining it takes away the magic, it has a risk of making them look stupid, or of making the artist look stupid.
But as a background I have some observations that I can share:
- since people believe less and less in a God they do no longer accept their misery as part of fate.
- people used to accept many things as "this is apparently what God had in mind for me".
- so they have to identify a new way to deal with the shit that happens to them. But they can not blame yourself...
- so they find new remote 'institutions' to blame for anything happening
- they blame the government, or government institutions
- but in democratic countries it is actually really silly...you have voted all for your government yourself
- or they blame immigrants, as if their ancestors were indigenous people still owning the land and the economy on top of it.
So, since God has left it seems the way is open for individualism and people are less and less tolerant and lose their solidarity."

So I asked him if he was religious then?
"What does that have to do with it?" he replied all indignant.
So he left, leaving me all puzzled once again.


Saturday, 5 July 2014

Who should manage our banks


A business man was looking at buying an art works from Art Burshy today, visiting Art in his atelier. The man was at the point of buying a piece of art when Art Burshy exploded.

By itself Art Burshy never invites people in his atelier, and especially not when he is working on an art work. It distracts him, takes him out of his creative flow by making him focus on his painting and making it beautiful.
This potential client was a banker and very interested in art, asking loads of questions. At the start Art was in a good mood, even liking to explain someone the basics of modern and conceptual art.
Art explained him the critical elements of true art:
- it requires skills so that the brush and materials become part of your senses, e\and nothing takes your mind away from expressing your deepest feelings.
- it has to be part of a meaningful journey; it needs to touch the artist so the art work becomes the consolidation of an authentic story. And then it can touch others.
- it has to be beautiful and discomforting at the same time. Beautiful to tempt the viewer to get involved, and it has to be uneasy and confronting to move people towards introspection. A famous artist once said: Art is beauty and pity. Without pity it is just design.

The banker was listening to all Art's stories, and asking more and more questions.
Then, while Art was working to add final touches to the art work, the man said:
"well, I still do not fully understand your art...but that's like you would not really understand my banking".

This hit a nerve and Art exploded.
- who says that bankers understand their own business?
- what should be the real drive of managers running a bank; money or the drive to be part of a meaningful journey?
- what is so unique about the skills that bankers require...creative skills are very close to mathematical skills and a key requirement to be successful in both art and banking.
The banker was looking to avoid further escalation by asking if there are no other options or ways to look at it.
But Art Burshy's eruption could not be stopped, it came from deeper layers of agony pushing up the lava of anger.

It ended with the banker leaving.
It will not surprise you that he did not buy an art piece, but it seemed that Art did not really care...

Saturday, 28 June 2014

Whatever you do


Here some short notes and quotes from Art Burshy.
I ran into the artist last night in a dark alley as he was  unpacking some stuff.
Art jumped up all tensed and in panic when he heard me say hello from behind his back...clearly he was doing something forbidden or sneaky.


Art took some pieces from his bag and started to assemble; when my eyes were used to the darkness it looked like a huge pen. And I was surprised when Art started writing on the wall with it, in sort of calligraphic script.

"Whatever you do, do it with style" he mumbled.
I told him I would use that quote for my facebook and twitter...
That clearly annoyed Art..."I hate quotes..." he spoke


And then he rattled on mumbling different things that I scribbled down as soon as I came home:
- quotes are used to fake intellect
- people nowadays only read quotes, they forget to read the actual books that are required to understand what they are actually saying
- they add a famous name to a quote to avoid people challenging the sense of it
- most quotes are completely misused; quotes are like black and white copies of reality
- people think they inherit brilliance from the person they quote
- quotes are symbol of today's culture: aesthetic image is more important than the depth of the experience
- quotes are an easy way to fill emptiness; people searching followers and who have nothing to say fill that vacuum with quotes.
- quotes become cliches and lose their meaning when overused - as such you are hurting the legacy of the people you quote when using quotes without understanding the deeper context

I realise while writing these quotes that I am actually doing exactly what Art Burshy had been ridiculing: writing down his quotes on a blog...

Well, I guess I am not perfect, and I guess Art will one day forgive me.
Also, I wonder how consistent Art Burshy is on this topic; knowing he wrote this large quote on the wall, and calling it 'street Art'.

Saturday, 21 June 2014

All part of something bigger


Art jumped at me when he saw me today. "ridiculous..." he said, and then he started explaining what happened. And our coversation ended with Art confessing he is an extremist...

His kids had come back from an event with family and friends. Apparently they had been talking about religion...and they asked Art why he was not religious.
First he wanted to avoid the subject saying "well, art is my religion"...
Art admitted he had felt some sort of anger though...who are these people to trigger this with my kids and try to influence them...
But he decided to do an effort being wise...which is not easy in these situations.
"People say that wisdom comes with the years and grey hair, but there is no guarantee...and it certainly doesn't come natural... at least not for me..." is what Art confessed.

I asked Art how he had reacted in the end.

He shared he first checked all his initial ideas and they all seemed a bit over-reacting.
It is funny how - when you are emotionally hit - you can try as much as you can to stay relaxed, but somehow all you say comes out in a f**ked up way.

1. So he had first asked them what they felt so he could cool down a bit,
2. He had explained them that he was not sure what to do,
3. He told them that there are many religions and all religions start with a purpose of love, care and respect
4. He then explained the problem: all religions feel they have and own the only God(s),
5. And then they start interpreting and creating new rules interfering with freedom of others; that's when they get too fanatic about it.
So Art explained he is puzzled and just hopes they make the right choice, and that when they believe they stay true to the original thoughts and purposes of that religion.

Art did explain he does feel there are different levels of living; way to direct your life. And it is good for kids to think about these things.
He likes philosopher Kierkegaard's theory around the levels:
- aesthetic level - where you do the things you do to get something out of it, things that you find beautiful, things that reward you.
- ethical level - here you do adhere to behaviour that are in the interest of the group; you respect written and unwritten rules.
- spiritual level - where when choosing your actions you keep in mind you are part of something bigger, whatever that may be.

To me it was not directly clear so I asked Art if he could give an example.
He rolled his eyes and said "do you not understand or do you not WANT to understand...?"

Art: It's like nowadays around eating meat and fish.
Level 1 - You will just eat meat as it tastes good; you might not always realise where the meat comes from or you wish to avoid subconsciously as you have 'other priorities'.
On an ethical level you will respect the rules in the community. More people starting to eat biological food, eating less meat etc.
On a spiritual level you might feel like ensuring the animal has had an okay life, and it has not died in too worse of conditions. You might care about 5% of the shrimp fishing catch being shrimps, and the rest getting killed and thrown away.

So, what is your religion, being so passionate and almost fanatic? I asked.
"I am an art religion extremist" he said and walked away.

Saturday, 14 June 2014

Sure I'll contact you



This morning I was going out to get some nice cafe lattes and some good cheese cake to cement my stomach, when I ran into Art Burshy. He was sitting outside on a bench with his hat covering most of his eyes.
"Women..." - he said - "...they have the power and skill to break down a man's self esteem in a nanosecond".

I sat down next to Art and he started talking; initially I reminded myself I was here with the purpose of getting some coffees and should not stay away too long, but Art's story made me forget all.
Art had been in a cafe, when next to him a 'breathtaking nymph', 'an elegant beauty', 'an angel sent from heaven' - as he mentioned - sat down at the bar.
Art described her in all cliches; and then he apologised, but this is what happens when overwhelmed by an appearance - you start blurting these cliches that are at that moment the only thing escaping your surprised and shocked mind.

Art had initially been calmly drinking his malt beer - he was trying to lower the alcohol consumption as he has noticed recently that his body doesn't deal that well with it anymore. He made a little chat with the bartender and did not directly think of talking to the woman, because:
- women in general fall in love differently than men; men can see a beautiful woman and assume that all of her is beautiful and thus fall in sort of love or anticipation. Women generally do not have this, and don't wan to be bothered by men when there is no real reason, and it will take them time to really develop a feeling and often require shared experiences.
- Art knows that when he is touched by someone he generally is not able to make any sense come out of his mouth, so it is often best to be silent and a)wait till the first moment of awe is gone and b) just ask open questions to let the woman talk.
- Art is aware that at first sight he is not really the man that will attract women based on his Tom Cruise, Leonardo DiCaprio or Brad Pitt looks, so his approach should always be humble
- Art is also laughing at his own male instincts; where it is clear that the situation can never lead to something but hormones kick in makes all sense flow towards his genitals.

I mentioned to Art:
"It is funny to see that you are so open about your own internal dark side; openly speaking about how you are impacted by women, how you are aroused...."
Art looked at me frowning, opening his eyes wide of surprise; "ah, are you still denying having such thoughts?...you poor soul."

Art continued explaining that after some time - and after having some alcohol - he had grown his courage and approached the woman asking what type of business she was in. Turned out she was a successful business woman, just waiting for a business appointment to arrive. So Art thought to loosely let her know that - if she ever needed artists and business leadership - he would be happy to assist.
This was the point where she told him:
'Sure I'll contact you when I need to recruit small hairy artists imitating business leaders..."

Art had been devastated. If any person would have dismissed him this he would have shrugged and chosen someone else to talk to, or even make a witty remark to not end up being the obvious loser of this conversation...

But when someone you care about or want to impress disqualifies you it really hurts.
So Art decided to shut up and sit outside, having an extra strong alcoholic drink, trying to clean his memory of this painful experience.

I decided to leave him in that state and return home... still a bit puzzled and wondering how to interpret all this, and how this should influence my image of Art Burshy... are we men really all like that?