Sunday, May 3, 2009

Week Seventeen / Day One

My furniture has finally arrived! A mere four months after my departure from NYC: only four months of living in an empty apartment with nought but a futon, small chair, chaise-type sofa and a television. Not hard to figure how it's been rather depressing, a little disconnected, at times...

But, it's here, now; and that's truly all that counts. The guys showed up at 9:00 am on Thursday, and by 11:00, everything was in the apartment, unpacked, the packing materials were gone and the crew had departed. 

I sat here for a moment, surveying the static pandemonium of my life's accumulations, and was hit with a brief and overwhelming moment of melancholy. Everything is here, now: the completeness, the finality of that morning's delivery was massive, tangible evidence that this is where I now live.

There is only one, vital thing missing; and he isn't pack-and-ship-able!

After wallowing in the mood for a bit, I started going through boxes and organizing; which immediately lifted my spirits. There are things, here, I had completely forgotten that I possessed...and I hadn't realized just how much had been hanging on my walls, in New York. I have over 60 framed pieces to hang! Many are small; but there are at least 40 large canvases and framed posters (including my collection of Academy Awards posters from the past 30 years) that need to go up. 

This should keep me busy for the next few weekends...

I have a CD rack that I bought from Design Within Reach, several years ago. Industrial-style, with lots of metal rods and racks and the like. I felt quite accomplished, when I originally put it together, in New York. I was very careful, when disassembling, to keep all the rods and nuts and bolts and screws organized so that I didn't lose anything. So, Thursday, that was one of the first projects. I carefully unpacked all the little bags of bolts and stuff, laid it all out, meticulously put the rack back together...and ended up with an extra piece!!! WTF??

The rack is complete; standing behind me, holding 2500 CDs; nothing out of place, all slots filled with tabs and all holes filled and nutted and bolted...and I have an extra rod. 

Not. A. Clue.

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It has dawned on me that I am listened-to, very differently, here. The fact that I now have a respected, credible advocate in the man who has imported me - that I am implicitly and explicitly endorsed as a part of this company; worth importing from the US - and that I am repeatedly and regularly introduced to long-time and prospective clients as an unique, creative and skilled individual changes the interactive dynamic, profoundly. I now no longer need to "sell" or attempt to articulate the distinctions between my approach to this work and that of most others. People accept me as credible and look to me for solutions and renewal...and to break ground in the realization of vision and production.

I like this feeling... I like entering a meeting and being virtually embraced; looked to for creative solutions to evolve an experience beyond historical audience expectation. I like not having to sell me, and to engage with clients in a more open, "...what can we do to make it better...?" approach than what has often been the more cautious, often paranoid and skittish, even defensive reception I have sometimes encountered, historically.

I think a lot of this can be attributed to the Aussie, "...let's give it a go..." mentality. As a culture, they are simply more willing to go out on the proverbial limb in most areas...and not see it so much as going out on a limb. Risk of change is appreciated, and there is sometimes trepidation; but it is more often mitigated by trust and simple openness to the new.

Whatever it is, I sure like the way I am received, down here. 

Right now, I have a number of projects in the pipeline; directing some, writing others, Exec Producing some... Many roles with a common goal; increase business with happy clients...preferably, thrilled clients: and, that's what we are doing, we are thrilling our clients with possibility and results.

There ain't a lot wrong with that.

Now, I have pictures to hang...

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P.S. That's me in my First Leather Kit, up top. 

Dan'l Boone was My First Hero.