“Ask not what you can do for your country. Ask what’s for lunch.”
Orson Welles
Here’s my latest video about my secret superpower weapon – lunch!
Bon appetit!
If you want style notes and more for people who change the world, please check out:
Getting to Wow! to feel good, do good and look good
Nonprofit Knitwear for all things knit and nonprofit
Style Notes from me, your artspy
Hoong Yee
True, you won’t dazzle your friends and dismay your enemies is you could instantly invisible or run faster than a speeding bullet. You might also find yourself the focus of less than admiring looks when you wield this power. But, used properly, this little known superpower can save you from daily evils, protect your precious time and instantly enhance your mystique and appeal.
What daily evils?
In a nutshell – interruptions, time wasters, procrastination.
All of the above conspire to derail you from doing what you were meant to do. To drain your energy and focus on excellence with endless distractions and demands that can often be backhanded with a question or simply denied.
What The Power of No looks like
No, you will not check or respond to email until the late afternoon so that you can devote the best part of your time and energy on accomplishing what is truly important.
No, you will not allow anyone to interrupt you with what they are doing. Shut off all ringers, alerts, phones, close your door or place a sign that says, “Do Not Disturb until ________________” to give yourself a block of time to work. Most of the time, people will impulsively ask for things that they can either handle themselves or that can wait until you are ready.
No, you cannot make the meeting until you see the agenda and then see if your input can be delivered as an email.
Note: Meetings take up a lot of time. Here is what I think.
If the meeting is to brainstorm, they haven’t done their homework and are relying on you to do it for them.
If the meeting is to identify solutions, email your thoughts and conference yourself in.
If the meeting is to build community or a relationship, go but make sure you set a time limit (“I would be glad to join you but I can only stay for the first hour.”) and you have a short list of points to cover.
Your precious time
By practicing The Power of No, not only will you regain absolute control of your actions, people will also become accustomed to your working style. The unexpected demands for your attention will diminish and you will have more time to accomplish what is truly important. Like changing the world.
An interesting side effect of The Power of No occurs with consistent use.
Your mystique and appeal
Once people get over being deflected, they begin to associate your limited access with an aura of reclusive mystique and success born of being busy doing whatever successful people are busy doing.
By doing less of what other people want and by doing more of what you want, you actually project a fierce, determined focus – something many people aspire to but rarely maintain.
The secret in doing it resides in The Power of No. Use it for the forces of good and not evil, for your lean and mean working style and not the pleasure of procrastination.
For extra panache, wear a red cape.
Get more Powerful!
If you want style notes and more for people who change the world, please check out:
Getting to Wow! to feel good, do good and look good
Nonprofit Knitwear for all things knit and nonprofit
Style Notes from me, your artspy
Hoong Yee
I thought my body was joking. My hands, trembling? Me, wide eyed and hyperventilating? A sense of doom accompanied by her friends fear and panic, settled on my shoulders like a heavy darkness.
All because I dropped my Blackberry as I was getting a pedicure.
I found myself in total disbelief that my phone was swimming next to my feet and that it could affect me so profoundly.
In fact, I forced myself to not shriek and grab Seth’s phone, calmed myself down with an extra ten minute massage and we both got a paraffin treatment. I will not, I will not, I will not be mistaken for a hysterical techno addict.
The girl in the Verizon store understood perfectly. Even the part about the paraffin. “You just needed to comfort yourself and who can make a call with those oven mitts on, anyway. I wish I could get my boyfriend to do a paraffin treatment with me.” She assured me that my replacement phone would be speedy fast overnighted immediately and life would go on.
I don’t think so.
Pulling the plug
I am going to practice existing in a disconnected state. I want to be in control of my stuff. Not the other way around. For twenty four hours on Sunday, I did not go within 100 yards of my phone or anyone’s phone. I did not use a computer, an iPod, or a remote.
Now I did get a head start with my pedicure fiasco earlier this weekend which was a good practice stretch for the real thing. And let me just say, it was uncomfortable and unsettling. Just the type of experience I go out of my way to avoid.
I put together a list of things to do in my disconnected state that provided me with unexpected insight about my daily connected activities.
Here’s my list:
All of the above are creative and simple acts of connecting on a deeper level. I can see what I am a part of without having to check updates or emails. I know what is important to remember and what is OK to let go of.
We all need to be reminded once in a while. What would your list look like?
Get disconnected!
If you want style notes and more for people who change the world, please check out:
Getting to Wow! to feel good, do good and look good
Nonprofit Knitwear for all things knit and nonprofit
Style Notes from me, your artspy
Hoong Yee
The odds in finding honorees for a benefit are a lot like the odds of finding success in vitro fertilization.
What is important
I look for someone who likes what I do, who wants to be part of it, wants to share it with their friends and colleagues and most of all, someone who I can enjoy a meal with.
But that’s just me.
The more useful objective is: Let me help you do what you do better.
I look for people doing great things for the arts, for Queens, for building creative communities and asked this question.? So far, I will be working on several new projects with my prospective honorees who are becoming more and more involved with Queens Council on the Arts on many levels. Some may become honorees, even board members. Some will this year, some next year.
The more useful approach is: Seek a synergistic relationship first, honoree second.
This is a person who I am asking to lend their presence, fundraising influence which is really how many people’s arms can they twist into buying a ticket or sponsor the event, and stand up in front of hundreds of artists, suits, politicos, media and deliver a thank you speech.
What’s in it for them? Is it recognition in a cultural community? Will it create goodwill by association? Can they leverage this occasion to enhance their own endeavors?
The more effective strategy is: Make them want to do this.
In 1999, Queens Council on the Arts received the NYS Governors Arts Award. Of all the awards, proclamations, plaques and other forms of recognition we have received over the years, this one has impressed me the most.
Why?
It is a small sculptural piece that was commissioned by the artist, Roy Lichtenstein. It captures the message of the award and confers upon us the delightfully unexpected status of – collector.
The most creative gesture is: Give them more than an award
For my upcoming benefit in May, I may find myself with two honorees or five. This is the crap shoot, you-never-know, wouldn’t-it-be-great-if, outcome of finding an honoree or honorees for a benefit.
I am sure there will always be enough love for babies for families who want them. In my case, there will always be a place for people who want to be part of our organization.
Get more Wow!
If you want style notes and more for people who change the world,? please check out:
Getting to Wow! to feel good, do good and look good
Nonprofit Knitwear for all things knit and nonprofit
Style Notes from me, your artspy
Hoong Yee
Seth, Mark and Paul at a collectors’ dinner
There were thirty people in the pub by the time I arrived. I don’t usually hang out in Irish pubs in Sunnyside however, this was a special night where I was actually hosting a mixer for artists and arts lovers who are part of the Queens Art Express 2010.
You are who you are all the time
One artist, a woman who writes and knits unusual objects, smiled hello. She wore a large name tag that read, “Looking for a Marketing Consultant”.
“Do you think you’ll meet anyone tonight?” I asked, thinking about speed dating events with those silly egg timers and big name badges.
“That’s what I’m looking for, too. I want someone to help me market myself and get into galleries. A consultant who is well connected in the art world and can introduce me to the right people is exactly what I need.” said another woman, an artist who was just accepted into our Individual Artist Initiative, a three month program of capacity building for individual artists.
“Do you have a card?” I asked.
It was a polite question but completely unnecessary. I have a sixth sense about certain things.
Money isn’t everything
The Queens Council on the Arts makes grants to artists and arts groups every year. I have sat on many panels discussing whether an artist or an ensemble merits funding. We look at their history of financial management, their ability to articulate their project, the clarity of their budget and their understanding of their project’s artistic relevance to their community. Where they have grown from and what their potential is to achieve their goals. The online application reveals the DNA of their dream.
It is one thing to create art. It is another thing to create an artful life.
An artist bringing a product to the market is no different than any other small business fueled by passion and drive. Creating a loyal customer base who engages in repeat purchasing is everyone’s goal whether you are a modern dance ensemble or an electrical contractor. The way I work at building relationships with nonprofit donors could easily be transferred to developing a customer or client base.
You need to build your community, artfully.
How do you do this?
Here are five things that are important to do all the time, every chance you get, with everyone. If you think I am you I am kidding, you better think again. Make this part of your daily DNA if you are serious about being successful.
Trust
People who will buy from you trust you. It takes time to build that level of trust. I know an art dealer who orchestrates several pre-opening receptions and collectors’ dinners to build interest, appeal and familiarity among an intimate group of artists, potential buyers and interior decorators. Over time, these gatherings have acquired the cool quotient, the patina of panache and Oh-my-God-I-you-won’t-believe-who-was-there! which is so de rigeur in the art world. But more importantly, he has created an artful community. One that buys art and is genuinely interested in investing time and money developing a relationship with the artist. His extra added value to the experience of buying art? His creatively curated gatherings.
The ability to create your community can be done by anyone who is committed to doing these things on a daily basis. It is amazing how doing a few small things consistently can yield tremendous results.
OK, now what?
The woman blank stared me and before she could hurriedly apologize that she had just given her last card away and that it was an old one anyway, “But wait a second and I’ll write down my information on the back of this cocktail napkin,” I told her not to worry. I would have no problem remembering exactly who she was.
A woman with more to say about her dream consultant than about her dream to be an artist.
Clearly, we have work to do.
Get more Wow!
If you want style notes and more for people who change the world, please check out:
Getting to Wow! to feel good, do good and look good
The Naked Nonprofit for all things nonprofit
Style Notes from me, your artspy
Hoong Yee
I write about the art of happiness with style notes for creative people who want to make life their everyday passion. What's yours? 
photo by sanpadros
