Making Sense

I think I can, I think I can

A recent essay in the Wall Street Journal talked about successful entrepreneurs and made reference to the fact that they all possess confidence. The question posed by the article is whether confidence can be taught. The answer: yes (more or less). When people are in children, parents and other adults have tremendous influence over their self-esteems and ability to confidently ask for what they are worth. So, whether or not a child’s ideas are realistic, it doesn’t hurt to hear them out and let their creativity shine forth with loving support. That support will one day, hopefully, lend them the confidence they need to make some endeavor a reality.

Does being a mother count as a career?

Many design professionals have worked in other industries, have taken time to raise families, and pursued the design industry in different ways, from part-time to full-time. I applaud a recent article in the Wall Street Journal that that suggests ways to turn stay-at-home skills into career-track assets. The items they mention for mother’s who want to return back to work include:

·        Stay abreast of changes in your field

·        Ask good questions

·        Show confidence and enthusiasm

·        Showcase relevant skills

·        Don’t apologize for time off

I would like to enhance this list and suggest that you translate the skills of motherhood into the vernacular of the design field and show how being organized and on-time relates to project management abilities, and that negotiating with children can often be similar to relations with vendors!

Be proud of what you have done with your families and demonstrate how this has helped make you a better designer!

Amazing Grace

I had the pleasure of seeing the movie Amazing Grace this weekend. I was stunned by the story and the message! There are two aspects of this which I find compelling. The first is the fact that one person could have the virtue and courage to stand up to accepted practices of society in a time (200 plus years ago) when human life was treated like garbage. William Wilberforce fought for decades to install the abolition of slavery in England, speaking out against the absolute depravity and grotesque treatment of captured people from Africa.

I walked out of the theater with my second thought: what will I do with my life to make a true difference? I ask this as a person of many inconsistencies, someone who wants to do more to help other people, and still manages to upset a handful at any given time. I primarily live in New York City, a place that is insulated from the greater sufferings of the world--it's fantasy island! And yet, I do want to do more and hope that people watching this wonderful film will feel the same way.

Lastly, as a person who enjoys singing in church (Episcopalian hymnal, thank you!), I encourage everyone to sing Amazing Grace, it is a lovely hymn and does not tax the vocal ranges, making it an easy one for everyone to enjoy! It was written by a reformed slave trade boat captain, John Newton, who realized after 20 years and thousands of souls lost, that he was wrong and needed to ask forgiveness. "Once blind, but now can see"........I feel that way sometimes....