Like really?

For Introverts, closet artists and lonely writers such as myself, the only reaction that can be earned from this title is a scoff, and then a few more scoffs!                                                 

This book has way larger aspirations ..i’d say a bit on the unachievable side.

Here we were struggling with the awkwardness of dressing and showing up at events, gripped with fears of introducing, chatting up strangers, desperate to find the silliest reason to back off, .….what visibility can one gain, when trying to hide behind another, till it’s time to leave. Where others bring home a bank of business cards & popularity stats, I go back more aware of my inadequacies. I almost hyperventilate around groups  larger  than 2 persons, get feverish if I am called out on to speak, I need 3 days to recover after a serious  networking event (BNI types, if you know what I mean.)

Agreed again, that anything new that needs to be learnt, well, it needs to be learnt. Trainers may have cooked up a manual that explains a 7 step process, help analyze a series of mock sessions, little reward system and such. But understand this, hand-shaking, serious eye contact, fluid conversations, public speaking are beyond the capacity of a certain kind of people. Almost a billion, give or take a few. What these people also share are social fears, confidence deficiency, trust issues, popularity phobia, of some level (small, medium, large, extra…)

Like someone said, ‘Facebook gives people an illusory sense of being LIKED.’ Or else, why would millions of people prefer texting over confrontations, email over phone calls, phone sex over intimacy (Ughh!), Online shopping versus shelf digging, concalls over actual conferences, there’s more in the market.

Not digressing, I vouch that getting to know the right people certainly helps artists, at large. Reaching out to that one person, connecting to a friend of a friend through a friend, can be amazingly useful, than not reaching out at all. It is not the wisdom of the crowd, but the wisdom of someone in the crowd. But we’ll have to apply the AA method, one new connection at a time, two meetings a week, slow and not necessarily steady. And yes, I could gladly reward myself with a few alone hours among my books.

Now, that may work for people with ‘Acute networking Syndrome.’ But Ninja, really?

We meet different people at networking gatherings, parties. Some will flaunt their work, “we bring such & such service to the society, it helps many people”, or, “…ever since we went green, it has brought the pollution percentage down by….” ” we are expert consultants for ….” or the pompous ones, “we are fixing the ozone layer..”It’s always directed to the good their jobs are offering to the society, and hence justifying their big salaries, and/or their titles. I notice it is always easier to ask for donations or paid participations in the name of the ultimate good, which is fine too. The public applaud them, even give awards.

Then there are people like us, who don’t feel the need to attach our work to some cause, or larger reason (vague or direct). A few of us happen to be self assured, believers-in-own-art types and simply say, “I write”, or “I paint” , “I design” or the irritating non committal, “I am creative.” The looks we receive  – ” Oh yeah….and who pays the bills?”  A more concerned friend would even argue (privately), ‘come back to the real world, you need a job!’

All in good faith, I would like to reiterate that we artists do care about the world as well. And maybe we are just simpler, a little individualistic, not  verbose about the big picture.  Like I may write to bring awareness on an issue, or like my friend who is cleaning her brushes in Belgium right now, creating beauty in amazing hues. Or someone, hiking away completing her 10,000 hours of endurance, or diving to unfold nature treasures. It’s all for this world, we do care as well. If at all, we wait for acknowledgement, or tiny appreciation. or not.  Oh ..and, we have to pay our bills too.