Posted on by Rugged Troubador

The Best Way To Grow

I saw a quote today that resonated deeply: “A strong man is strongest when alone.” – Friedrich Schiller.

This speaks to a theme, one that I touched on in yesterday’s post. In the context of the Impresario, he or she still has a duty to connect to or “seduce” him or herself when not in the presence of an audience, or any others to share the Vision.

I take this quote to mean essentially that what we do when no one is around, when no one is looking, is who we truly are, and what shapes our character. This is an uncomfortable thought for me – and that’s precisely why I’m bringing it to the table.

I’m sure I’m no different than anyone else in not wanting to feel as though my behavior or my values are up for some kind of scrutiny during my alone time. When it’s just me, I like to sleep late and eat cookies.

It’s not as though there is a hidden camera placed by the gods in our rooms – a “Santa Claus” who decides who’s naughty and nice based on the way we conduct our private lives. But if anyone is to hold me accountable for my private life, it must be, well, me.

I like this philosophy because I find it to be a window into the secrets of where exactly we can grow. There’s not a weakness in the armor, no matter how conveniently inaccessible, that won’t be revealed when we’re alone.

Posted on by Rugged Troubador

How To Engage

A couple of blog posts ago, I defined the Impresario as someone who engages with life. It can really be anyone, regardless of whether that person identifies with herself as an “Artist” or not. If she is truly engaging, she is an Impresario.

OK, what does it mean to “engage with life”?

Everyone is at whatever stage they’re at. Built into our human neurology is a drive to become better – to get from where we’re at to another, higher level. I touched a bit on this on the last post with the idea of evolution.

I suppose to “engage with life” would mean to consciously be doing the actions needed to get to this next level of consciousness. This could be interpreted in a variety of different ways, but I think generally could boil down to the following:

1) Noticing.

2) Acting.

3) Sharing.

The Impresario knows where she’s at. She knows where she’s ahead of the game, and which areas could stand a little more attention. She then decides to Act – to design her life in such a way that allows for her personal and creative growth, whatever that looks like to her. Finally, she shares this with the outside world.

It’s this last bit that I am most interested in, because it’s how an Impresario shares her work that truly defines her. The true Impresario takes advantage of every outlet possible, from physical venues to social media networks. This means that there are now hundreds, or thousands, of ways to Share.

It makes sense to the Impresario that to have the greatest effect on the world, she should reach as many people as possible. And all Impresarios want to have a big effect on the world. We’ve all heard pocketbook sayings like “A journey starts with a single step,” or “Change yourself, change your world”. But these sentiments aren’t enough anymore. Not for the Impresario.

The Impresario of course wants to change herself. She wants to change the world. But, above all, she wants to share this change with others. She wants to give, she wants to inspire, she wants to tell her story. And when she does this, when she engages with the people in her world, that’s when she can truly change everything.