My Words are Going Somewhere

imagesI must be getting older – – in that when I sit down to write recent blogs, I get real sentimental. This is a relatively new experience. In the past, I lived in an office of books and plans – – and now I actually welcome students to pull up a chair and hear them in a new way. I see them not so much as young artists that need some knowledge and discipline – but as adults just getting the energy around them to prepare for the big launch.

Today was a planning day with no students – – just a time to sit with the books, the plans and a lot of good intentions for what is transpire until December ends. It is a quiet and peaceful kind of day. Weeks ago I did make a plan with a young student to get his portfolio ready for some very prestigious colleges in just a few months. I had half thought of cancelling the appointment as I was giving myself permission to enjoy some laziness. But lunch came and I wanted a challenge.

The student came in armed with NO pen and NO paper but wanted to get a plan for a set of weekends in January that I could not have imagined when I was 18. After I got over the lack of school supplies (which is a pet peeve of mine) we rolled! We took a play in parts and made lists, and charts and plans. We thought about paper, markers and labels. We talked about how the presentation of this portfolio is likely going to be as important as its actually content. We were moving beyond an artistic creation – we were launching a business plan (complete with plans for a very up-town designer three-ring binder).

He was whittling away with his pen and paper (actually MY pen and MY paper) reaching for a level of sophistication and organization that I honestly think he could not imagine existing. He was a young artist now turned businessman. He returned my pen and my paper (I probably need to move beyond this picayune of mine) and stood up. He got it. He didn’t get all of it. And I knew he was planning to knock of too many to-do items for the evening but he was well launched. As he left I felt so proud – proud like a father might – – and even proud of myself. I thought that of my hour long regaling, a few of my words and ideas were going to see this boy move into being a man – and perhaps live somewhere in his circle of future success. He was going to make it big. I knew that. And my words were going somewhere. Good for me.

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