StartUpLife and other stories #2: A sprinkle of this and a pinch of that
Thoughts on the subterfuge and subversive nature of newness.
Kia Ora!
I love that in Maori, Kia Ora can be used at any time of the day. I would always say “Good Morning” regardless of what time of day it actually was. This is a habit I picked up from my Dad. And more than I few people have looked at me funny when I greeted them with “Good Morning” at 8 PM.
And Kia Ora solves this problem entirely - this makes me very happy 😊
I was reading Alicia McKay’s piece this morning; it’s her take on the evolution of perspective, and it got me thinking about what I like when I look at art. Not that I can call myself any type of expert. I definitely sit in the ‘amateur’ space on this one. I mean, I can tell you whether I like a specific piece of art, and if I really think about it, I may actually be able to articulate why. But more often than not, I’m left to wonder why people find specific works of art so incredible. Apparently, a lot of it is about the technique used to create it.
I really can’t comment; aside from highlighting my gross ignorance, I don’t actually have a lot to say on the subject. A piece either speaks to my soul, or it doesn’t. Also, I like functional art. Well, that’s what I call it. It’s art, but it doesn’t just sit there. It might be a sculptured sugar spoon, a glass, or a coffee mug. It could be a tablecloth or stairs.
I don’t know if functional art is a thing, but it’s what I call it.
As it happens, this week, I went to Amanda Billing’s art exhibition opening. I’ve never been to an art exhibition opening before. There were a lot of people there.
I snipped this from Amanda’s IG. This piece speaks to my soul.
The reason I’ve had to snip the image - I was so busy being immersed in what I was doing that I forgot to take my own pictures of the event. I met interesting people who do all sorts of interesting things.
I was delighted to discover that I didn’t meet a single poser - you know the type? They pontificate and tend to have a somewhat condescending nasal twang when they speak. I didn’t meet anyone like that.
This also made me very happy 😊.
I attended my first Startup Grind event in Auckland. A fireside chat about AI, the current landscape and how start-ups can leverage AI. Another diverse group of people. Some fabulous questions and great insights from the panel.
More happiness 😊
Having been doing this #startuplife for a few months, it is all still SUPER new.
And the thing about new things?
They’re NEW.
When things are new, they’re exciting; energy levels are high; every day is sunshine and bubbles. And it is wonderful. And it’s easy to look for the next new thing when the current new thing stops feeling all fluffy bunnies and prancing unicorns.
We can end up chasing the feeling that exciting new things give us.
The problem with doing this - we never really get anywhere; we’re constantly on the hunt for the Next New Thing.
It’s when the newness starts rubbing off, and things start feeling hard, and we have to dig deep; that’s when we’re making real progress. Yes, we need to keep our eye on the prize and not get bogged down in the fact that things are difficult right now. They’re difficult because we’re forging a path, we’re growing, we’re learning, and we only feel stuck. In reality, we are actually moving forwards; we’re making progress.
One of the reasons I love doing hard things; the feelings that come afterwards.
There is satisfaction in doing something hard and well. There is a specific joy in that. It’s easier to identify in sport - when you get up and go training, even though it is cold and wet and dark outside, and staying in bed would be sooooo much nicer right now. After we have finished training, we can wrap up warm and enjoy a mug of hot chocolate, with all the happy endorphins doing what they do.
And so, I’m applying this thinking to #startuplife. We’ll find out whether it holds any water.
Kia kaha,