Ooh, Monday. You're feeling promising. But why so cloudy?
Hope you all had a lovely weekend. My husband was out of town, so had a solo
weekend where in between going on a solo movie date, cooking lots of stuff,
and reading a great book (more on that tomorrow), I discovered my new
favorite TV show, "Man Shops Globe".
If you have not seen this show, you should. The series is about Keith
Johnson, the furniture and found objects buyer for Anthropologie, a store
whose clothes I always found a bit too fussy and overpriced for my tastes,
but have always admired the aesthetic of the store itself, as well as the
merchandising. Anyway, Keith has my dream job, and I would venture to guess,
most people's dream job. He trots around the world looking for cool stuff
and gets to buy it ALL- he's kind of a shopper/anthropologist. One minute
he's in Sweden looking for pottery, the next in Mexico looking for Oaxocan
fabric for some fabulous chair. He's a bit like Bourdain, yet less rock and
roll and if Bourdain had an appreciation for bookmaking in Milan. His eye
for cool hunting is beyond- all delivered in a very dead pan, poker faced
way. (It's not cool for fashion types to get all goo goo ga ga. They
generally are restrained in their emotions. Further proof that I should not
work in fashion but simply admire it).
So I'm devouring the show (thank you On Demand), and watching episode after
episode like a fiend. Mr. Johnson looks for handmade, boho stuff that is so
very Anthropologie in feel. He doesn't like stuff that feels machine made or
non handcrafted, but his eye is discerning enough to not go in that local
art show direction, which is part of his incredible forensic sense for that
perfect find. I sat, glued to the sofa, and followed him as he searched for
dinnerware in Greece, searched for items for the store's new London art
gallery, and toured the Alessi factory. What a dream to be exposed to so
much amazing bounty- he's sort of like the chic Sherlock Holmes of shopping.
Lucky bastard. In one episode, he said something that stuck with me and got me thinking,
and it was this: "passionate work gets passionate response".
This is beyond true. When you can talk with passion about the work you do,
or inject some fire into the process of making something, you will see how
people respond. This does not apply to only craftspeople and artists, it
applies to all of us. If you can tell a story with passion about what you're
trying to accomplish, I can guarantee you will get a reaction. Sometimes it
may not be the one you're looking for, but at least you will know what you
say, do, or make creates a pulse in folks. And that goes a long way, whether
making a blanket or discussing today's specials with some hungry patrons.
So whatever it is you do for work or fun or whatever makes your own pulse
bounce like a jumping bean, fill it with passion. I have always been
fascinated by personality traits of successful people, and here's what they
all seem to have- the ability to take risks, the wherewithal to never quit,
and the undying passion for what they're doing. I know sometimes it's hard
to do this at work, but try to remember all those things that got you where
you are today and you will be able to go forward with passion. And if you
can't get excited about what you're doing, simply move on and be passionate
about something else. Because not only will you get a passionate response
from others, you might just get one from yourself. Simple, right?
C'est tout, my kittens. I'm going to bring some passion into what I do
today. And I hope you do too, as that's what's up this emphatic, albeit
gloomy Monday in the MIA. XO
