"Clyde Howell asks if there is room in the typical organization for
artistry. I certainly think so. At various times in my life I've thought
about taking piano lessons, or guitar lessons, or voice training, because
it looks like fun. But the question that nags at me is, "What then? What
would I play?"
It fascinates me that artists don't seem to face that question. ... They
just have to make art."
Doing something because I can't not do it.
Living life fully in the present.
Getting involved.
Is this artistic, or is it natural?
Artistry is not the sole domain of artists, but is present in any activity
in which there is integration between the giver, the receiver, the task
and the occasion.
Mark, you talk about piano, guitar and voice - in each case, the key to
artistry is in the craft of learning and playing the instrument, the
stance of the performer and the communication process. But it is also in
the music itself. It is inherent in it. It is up to us as artists to meet
its demands - to sublimate ourselves to it, while at the same time finding
fulfillment through that activity. I speak as a trained musician. I gave
up the piano because I could no longer see the point in giving
performances of works that been heard over and over again if I was not
going to put in the work needed to reach the levels Horowitz, Liberace,
Rachmaninov and Padarewski. I prefered to improvise. To create music on
the spur of the moment to tune in to the mood of an audience and to take
us - them and myself - through a musical voyage of emotions towards
integration via chaos, terror, conflict and dissonance. For this is the
artistry in life. Sadly, not many people will pay to attend an
'Improvisation' - there is no market for it. I followed my dream and built
on my fascination for the power and magnetism that is part and parcel of
the human voice in singing - but also in speaking. I am happy to state
that I am now able to realise my dream of improvising and creating music
in the way I communicate in my everyday life. This is, not surprisingly,
the focus of the business I run - to help people communicate to their full
potential.
I talked earlier about the need for integration between the giver, the
receiver, the task and the occasion. We all feel this need within us. I
believe that our ability to achieve this kind of integration in our lives
depends on our own ability to achieve integration within ourselves.
Integration between mind, body and spirit ... thought, word and deed.
We need thinking artists and we need artistic thinkers.
"I think the challenge is to seed the rest of the organization with 'em."
Surely the challenge is to achieve integration within the individuals in
the organisation and - if talking idealistically here - as a result, allow
an integrated company to evolve as a product of that process - or talking
practically, in 'wheel' terms (sorry, not square, Scott) - how can we
change the wheels on the car while it is in motion to achieve a more
integrated result?
Leon
Leon Conrad
The Conrad Voice Consultancy
website: http://www.actual.co.uk
Heard on the news a couple of nights back ...
Lib Dem spokesperson contributing to the debate about HMS Brittania:
'I think both of the major parties are at sea on the royal yacht'
One wonders who is left behind to run the country <bg>
--Leon Conrad <100755.1675@CompuServe.COM>
Learning-org -- An Internet Dialog on Learning Organizations For info: <rkarash@karash.com> -or- <http://world.std.com/~lo/>