THE ART OF WORK

Focal Point :  The unity of creativity  and "work" !

The excel sheet that beckons on the square space of my laptop , like a blank canvas.  It wants to be productive and populated with neatly aligned numbers  , with digits that mean what they say and say what they mean , where there is only black & white , specific answers with minimal subjectivity .  The joy and satisfaction that comes from designing and creating MIS (Management Information Systems)   .  A brush stroke here , a column of relevant data there .  A splash of colour on the header , accented  sub totals that add clarity.  Tables that toggle ,  that will pirouette, pivot and move .   Reports are like pearls of wisdom and insight.  They pave the way for that aha moment .   They synergize when shared with the right people.   They fall like dust on the wayside when reviewed by the ignorant .   They mislead to detriment when created carelessly.  

The new music piece that captivates  ,  like a mathematical puzzle waiting to be solved ,  a crossword impatient to be completed , a Rubik’s cube uncomfortable until its colours are aligned  …  Notes dance before eyes and spark familiar neurons in the brain .  Combinations of tone and timing in infinite possibility. Crawl – Walk  -  Run. Lento – Andante – Presto .   No hacks to decipher and translate from mind to fingers.    A surge of  dopamine once the piece becomes familiar  , especially sweet victory over the “hard bits” ( a highly technical musical term 😊 ) .  Chunked down into mechanical bars ,  approached dead slow ,  reviewed at differing times and days to get a fresh perspective on a better solution.  New day , new ideas.   Just like any other challenge life throws at you.

The meticulous meal prep  that is an off-shoot of the engineering precision of a trade learnt in school.   Tool and die making.  Dovetail joints.  Male and female moulds.      Uniformity and accuracy in slicing and dicing that master-chefs would die for.  The discerning eye for a few mm’s out of sync , a slight angle or tilt that is not supposed to be.   Minimal waste reveal a  mind respectful of hard times .    Painstaking work ,  a token of love and support , unlike the impersonal mass production of modern day kitchen aids. 

The garden that is no less a legacy than a trust or nominated bank account.   Years of nurturing , pruning , digging .  All done silently behind-the-scenes. No quick fixes .    Strenuous tasks of manuring , daily watering , hitting rock , often battling insects & plant ailments , sometimes burying the dead ….  Dig. Water. Wait. Hope.  Weather the seasons.  Lessons in patience.   Resulting tranquility and inspiration one can draw on.   Least expected resurrections.   No choice but to let each plant,  each child,  evolve at their own pace.  Nurture and coax as best as we can.  The satisfaction of watching the “fruit” of your labour grow and bend in the wind.         

We reach out to touch ART and BEAUTY every single day.    Learning itself is a privilege and an evolved art form.  Skillsets happily overlap and intermingle as we go about our tasks,  often without our realization.    Where in fact does “work” end and “art” begin ?  Where is the line between your assignment and your masterpiece ?   

Grateful for the ability to execute small daily works of art  and find art in work. 

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“Work is love made visible”  -  Khalil Gibran

“A work-in-progress generates its own energy field.  You , the artist or entrepreneur , are pouring love into your work ; you are suffusing it with passion and intention and hope.   The universe responds to this. It has no choice” – Steven Pressfield , Do the Work.  

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