Monday 11 January 2016

Don't Make a Drama out of a Crisis

Don't Make a Drama out of a Crisis


Music Fills The Air

How easily we can make what seems like just another event into a crisis. We are so good at that in the UK we have an insurance company that has as  it slogan, "We don't make a drama out of a crisis."

Those of us who are addicted to putting paint on canvas or paper no exactly what it means to do just that. when I began painting I so often thought that the paint was not doing what I was telling it and that the painting was looking terrible, and I gave up. The canvas either ended up in the bin or it was given a further three coats of white gesso so that I could begin again. 

I have a good friend who at one time had a number of my paintings in his home, even though I had only given him one. The other ones he had lifted from my bin. He once said to me, "It might be bin material for you , for me it is a nice bit of art."

I have learned not to make a crisis out of a drama, or a mistake, often some of the best art comes from what I call my happy mistakes.

The one above is one such abstract. I am not going to try and explain it but leave the title to help you do it for yourself. 

So often something that looks like a disaster can be nothing more than a little storm in a teacup.

There is the story of the farmer and the donkey.

A city boy, Kenny, moved to the country and bought a donkey from an old farmer for £100.  

The farmer agreed to deliver the donkey the next day.  The next day the farmer drove up and said, "Sorry son, but I have some bad  news, the donkey died."

Kenny replied, "Well then, just give me my money back." The farmer said, "Can't do that.  I went and spent it already." Kenny said, "OK then, at least give me the donkey." The farmer said, "What ya gonna do with him?" Kenny, "I'm going to raffle him off."

The Farmer said, "You can't raffle off a dead donkey!"

Kenny, "Sure I can.  Watch me.  I just won't tell anybody he is dead."

A month later the farmer met up with Kenny and asked, "What happened with that dead donkey?" Kenny replied,  "I raffled him off.  I sold 500 tickets at £2 a ticket and made a profit of £900 ." The Farmer asked, "Didn't anyone complain?"

Kenny said, "Just the guy who won.  So I gave him his two dollars back and he seemed happy."

Kenny grew up and now owns his own business and is doing very well.

Now I  know some will say that was immoral and would come under the misuse of gambling act, but remember it is just a story to make a little point. That it is so often possible to make what look like a disaster into a learning experience and maybe even more.

No comments:

Post a Comment