Le Grand Tour D'Asia: Day 35 of 58

Thursday, February 11th

Learning Moment: Bali, Indonesia

Today was another busy day.

I visited the monkey forest and got some free grooming from a new little pal.

Angie and I walked about 5 miles - from Ubud, through Peliatan, and back.

And we bought a pile of paintings...

Two things that I was reminded of:

First, it's hard to get a better bargain for your art dollar than the one you'll find in Bali.

We got five paintings of Balinese dancers, including the one on the left, for about US$65.

Second, I would never try to make my living as an artist. Barriers to market entry are approximately zero. Branding is almost impossible. It's really difficult to articulate the 'value' of your product. And everyone (along with their sisters) believes they are either an artist or an art critic.

There's got to be an easier way to make a living...

How Wild are You?

Wednesday is CIT (Creativity, Innovation, Thinking) day at huesworks (well, everyday is Creativity day, but on Wednesday, I write about it).

I'm in the process of designing a workshop, and I constantly ask myself whether I'm stepping far enough out of my usual patterns and assumptions when I design.

In that vein, I was reading through Eric Maisel's "Fearless Creating", and found this "wish list for nurturing our own wildness".

Treat it as a checklist and see how you score:

1. Be asocial by holding society and its norms at arm's length.
2. Think about big questions.
3. Have high aspirations for yourself.
4. Accept your own idiosyncratic goals.
5. Feel autonomous.
6. Do not conform.
7. Be sensitive to human affairs.
8. Be inquisitive.
9. Be honest.
10. Be intelligent.
11. Be joyful.
12. Demand originality from yourself.
13. Be spontaneous.
14. Rebel.
15. Cultivate a strong self-image.
16. Take risks.
17. Be instinctive.
18. Be passionate.
19. Be stubborn.
20. Be free.

How'd you do? Are you wild or mild?

Where can you stretch a little?

It might (or might not) surprise those around me, but I don't think I go far enough with numbers 1, 6, 14, and 18. I tend to take the path of least resistance.

I'm making a personal commitment to push through that temptation this time.