Me. Me. Me. So much of this blog is about me. That's natural. I don't like to talk about others unless they agree, and I'm usually writing this blog early enough that I don't want to bother anyone. Besides, typos about myself are funny. Typos about friends can be more than embarrassing. Despite that, here's a nod to one group of my friends.

 

I have a party coming up. I'm cleaning the house, trying to look at it from a guest's eyes rather than a bachelor's who tends to overlook cobwebs and dust bunnies. Yesterday I was talking to a friend about what the party might be like, and I pointed out that I never worry. My guests are interesting people, so interesting things always happen.

 

People fascinate me to the point that I always feel a bit odd putting my writing out into the world. To me, the stories at my parties are more varied, deeper, and consequential. I like me, and think my life is interesting too, but I can listen to their stories for days. They are a very varied bunch. Artists, philanthropists, professionals, farmers, undecideds, they are active and engaged.

 

While business owners can teach me a lot about finance, I've been surprised to see how much the artists, particularly those that pay the bills with their efforts, have taught me about the value of time and money. Their art hides lessons in resourcefulness and frugality.

 

As an engineer I had busy days, but I also had hours of droning meetings, some that I even facilitated. I never should have called about half of the staff meetings for my group. Sorry folks. But, the busy times were intense and I miss their vitality. The droning times were too often a waste. Trapped in a dim room, waiting an hour to make a six minute presentation, it was hard to totally relax or multi-task because any moment a random query could require a studied yes or no response.

 

As a writer and photographer I have busy days, and they are interrupted with pauses while I wait for a word, or cloud to pass. But any break is an opportunity to relax, or let creativity run.

 

Most artists I know work in more than one art form or media. Initially, it looks scattered. They can seem distracted as they jump from painting to poetry to marketing. Some lose energy and focus along the way. Most though, are merely turning the energy from where it has become temporarily ineffective to where it can produce fresh results. Having trouble finding the right word? Spend some time tweaking a slide show. Work on ad graphics for a while. Check web traffic. Do some networking. Play with some modeling clay. It isn't all effective, and yet, as a whole it can be much more effective than time stolen for yet another management review.

 

As much as this is a commentary on corporate life, it is also a compliment to the artist lifestyle that I couldn't appreciate until I witnessed it.

 

Art rarely creates financially rich artists. Creativity and resourcefulness are survival skills as much as they are the consequence of an artist's world view. The life that results though is richer because each moment is more likely to be appreciated because it produced something, led to something, or because it was spent truly noticing the world.

 

Time and money studies are easy to understand within the business environs, yet that is where more time and money are wasted. I don't think a business can transform  into an artist. Artists tend to be individuals, or at most, small collaborations. Multi-billion dollar projects require multiply redundant communications to integrate widely diverse aspects. But I'm not trying to find lifestyle examples for corporations and businesses, even though many consultants make a lot of money redesigning the corporation again and again. I am more interested in finding lifestyle examples for people.

 

When I retired, the idea of "doing art" sounded like an early entrance to the Senior Center, or an adult return to kindergarten. It felt frivolous and too dramatic a change from my previously responsible career. Now I realize that artists and their lives have taught me much, and the lessons couldn't have been learned only by observation. I've become a writer and a photographer and by doing so, I've found new ways to appreciate the value of money and time; but the best lessons have been learned by extending my experience through the appreciation of artists and other frugal folk for the way they live their lives. My compliments and thanks.