Investment Fuels the Fires of Invention
Historically, artistic endeavor has been commissioned and supported by those who have access to the necessary resources to transform subjective ideas into objective realities. Having owned and operated two commercial art businesses over the course of 11 years and having funded both businesses primarily through income generated by the art projects I was able to secure and produce, I’ve certainly learned to appreciate the value of capital investment. During those years, I regularly found myself funding the most recent projects with the balance payments from the projects most recently completed. This way of conducting business requires constant hustle and affords very limited time for enjoyment of the process. As an artist who truly appreciates the learning curve that leads to the mastery of materials and processes, I can say without hesitation that I prefer to work with ample and appropriate resources on hand. “It takes money to make money!”, they say, and I would definitely agree with them, but I’d also add that it takes a number of other equally important resources to grow a profitable business. In my experience, the most valuable resource of all, is the human one. A creative team might have all the time and money it needs to produce a successful outcome, but if the members of that team lack the skillsets, talents and initiative needed, the project could quickly fall to pieces… and there’s certainly no profit in that.
I’ve learned to acknowledge and embrace my personal value as a human resource as well. I’ve been practicing creativity in all the affairs of this lifetime since I was a toddler. I believe that I’ve sufficiently earned the privilege to publicly affirm the positive contributions I’ve made to the arts and culture through my continued dedication to the field. I regularly celebrate victories, both minor and magnificent, and I look to the future with high expectations of what’s to come. Past accomplishments and achievements are water under the bridge, but they are also steppingstones that have brought me to ever increasing personal fulfillment. And as for the many challenges and learning experiences I’ve weathered, they’ve only further enhanced my appreciation for a well-executed art project.
Perhaps the most important feature of the human resource is the mind. Original thoughts and ideas, inspired visions, and authentic concepts have the power to transform the mediocre into the miraculous. The perceived value of a masterfully crafted work of art is arrived at by consensus. Humankind has evolved a highly sophisticated sense of aesthetic appraisal which subsequently leads to an assigned price tag. Growing up in Hope, Rhode Island, I never thought much about getting rich or being famous, but I did dream about making powerful art; art that would inspire positive change in the world. Over the decades, that dream has transformed into a clear understanding of my higher purpose in this world, as a human being and as a creator of visual art which rises above and moves beyond the expected.
I’m sure there are those who would assume that I’ve come to some kind of high point in my artistic career; that I’ve used up my allotment of inventiveness and burned through my conceptual storehouse of fresh ideas. Well, from where I’m standing, I see only a multitude of creative peaks I’ve yet to scale, and the only reason I’d agree to look away or back down would be if I were asked to compromise my artistic integrity for a paycheck. That’s a form of regret I refuse to invite to the dinner table. Intellectually, I’m ready to raise the bar and bring ideas to life, whether I’m employed by an established organization or I’m founding another startup. I’ve always been careful to encourage the work of my unbounded imagination, and I intend to continue dreaming and realizing those dreams until I can imagine no more. It may sound strange, but in mind and spirit, I feel like I’m just starting out.
In the assessment of my value as a human resource, I’ve found it necessary to make an honest appraisal of my physical abilities and the health of this body that my mind and spirit inhabit. I’m pleased and grateful to report that I feel more robust and energetic than I’ve felt since my mid-forties. When the pandemic surged into reality in 2020, I decided it was time to start taking the responsibility for my own health and welfare much more seriously. I initiated a daily routine of stretching and calisthenics followed by a brisk 3–5-mile walk. I started reading the labels of the foods I was eating, eventually cutting out high fructose, GMOs and chemical additives. I buy organic when it’s available and prefer to prepare meals fresh rather than buying processed ingredients or factory prepared frozen dinners. I haven’t resorted to vegetarianism yet, but I do try to buy ethically sourced meats and eggs, thus avoiding the factory farmed alternatives. I’ve allowed my intuition, and the signals that my body sends me, to be the guides when I’m making choices between what’s healthy and unhealthy. I’ve learned to trust in the process of authentic living, knowing that I’m the creator of my own reality.
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