Or something like that…
Yesterday, on my way to the office, I drove though this little speed trap town where the 25 MPH speed limit is STRICTLY ENFORCED, they don’y mean 29, they mean 25… There was a poor driver getting a ticket from a cop in an unmarked police Dodge Caravan, she was getting a ticket from a cop in a mini van, how embarrassing is that?
I was thinking; it had to be worse for the cop: cut to the cop house, 6:00 AM, Sergeant O’Reilly, straight out of central casting, ruddy cheeks, round face, Irish Brogue:
“O’Neil, you and O’Shea work with Interpol to catch those terrorist cells. O’Brian, you and O’Brien are on Mounted patrol, don’t let the horses do their business in front of the jewelry store, we’re getting complaints. O’Hair, you guard the mayor, O’ Shaugnessy you get to ride the motorcycle in front of the funeral procession. Sully, you go undercover in the Dunkin Donuts. Morganstein, you get the mini van.”
“Again? Is it something I said?”
“No Abe, just the way the assignments worked out.”
“Can’t I like, lead a raid into a meth lab, I won’t even use a vest, I’ll knock down the door myself! Please NOT THE MINI VAN AGAIN!”
But there he was and the victim of his plight was some poor Mom who was trying to get her kids to school while making a phone call, touching up her makeup, selecting a DVD for the kids and driving 31 MPH. I don’t know what the officer’s motivation for going to work was, maybe he has kids to feed himself, maybe he wants to become the Chief, maybe he works during the day so he can play drums in a band on Friday nights. The thing is, he showed up, even if his life wasn’t going exactly to plan, he showed up. That’s how society works, people show up.
I’m sure, by the way, if that terrorist cell was being chased out of town by Officers O’Neil and O’Shea; Officer Morganstein would have been more than willing to put his life and the Dodge Caravan in harms way. After all: he showed up for work today.
I got a meatball sub in a place showing ballgames last night and the bartender was selling the company’s micro brew pumpkin beer. selling it HARD. “I can prove you’ll like it, don’t you like pumpkin pie? It’s like a desert, I’ve served it with whip cream on top!”
“Dude, look at yourself, your selling beer with whip cream on it? How did it come to this?” I asked. He laughed, sales pitch safely over,
“You gotta do what it takes to bring the money in” and we became best buddies, he showed up for work, after all. My experience has been that showing up counts for a lot. The cop and the bartender didn’t say they “Weren’t feeling it” or “They weren’t inspired” or they needed to read another self help book. They showed up and plodded on.
In my experience, successful artists get the work done too, they show up, even on days when they don’t feel it, when they are in a fog, when the rest of their life might be in turmoil. They recognize resistance is this evil beast that knows our weakest spots, that wants us to quit, it is the enemy of success.
Self Discipline is all you have somedays, you show up because you made a commitment, even if it is just to yourself, to show up.
Some dear friends of mine own a fashion company in London and they are, after years of hard work and investment, beginning to see success, their line is being picked up by some major buyers around the world. On our Mastermind call yesterday, our twice a month call to keep each other going, they mentioned how having goals, a vision board taped to their fridge, seemed like a fantasy at times, a joke even. But they kept putting in the time, kept showing up and guess what, things on their vision board are happening right now. Resistance is being defeated, daily actions are turning into amazing dreams and it is inspiring for those of us who have watched the journey.
As for me, I’m showing up today. I’m showing up with an attitude of service, with a feeling of oneness, with a sense that resistance is always by my side but it will not win. If I need help, I’ll take solace in the fact that I’m not giving out tickets from a Dodge Caravan or selling Pumpkin Ale with whipped cream on top at a sports bar.
I’m showing up.
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by maria brophy. maria brophy said: Cops in Mini Vans and Being an Artist… http://bit.ly/UVij0 IT'S ALL ABOUT SHOWING UP! [...]
I loved this post.
Being married to and managing an artist for 15 years requires dedication to the bigger picture. Never giving up. Saying yes. And just showing up, even when you don’t feel like it.
The most successful of artists don’t lounge around – they kick ass and work at their craft, every day.
(Didn’t Woody Allen say that 80% of success is just showing up?)
I love your writing style – it sucked me in from sentence #2 and instead of skimming, I read every word.
Great message for artists – Don’t wait for inspiration. Just get working!
Thanks Maria, I’m glad I showed up today, you made my day! Tell me where I can see your husband’s art.
My mom always told me that “showing up is half the battle.” I saw that demonstrated a few years ago when my Aunt Katryn was applying for a job at a local coffee shop… she and two other women, equally qualified, were up for the position. The woman at the shop finally said, “Well, why don’t you all three come in and work for a couple hours day after tomorrow and we’ll decide then.
My Aunt was the only one of the three who showed up. She got the job and has been there ever since.
I love this in reference to art because it makes me think of those ideas I’ve had and didn’t put into form…then you see another version of it floating around somewhere else. I like the idea of just showing up because if you don’t, someone else will. Thanks, Rick.
An artist friend of mine, an incredibly gifted photographer, painter and collagist, has dreams where she is in a room full of incredible art after she dies. God comes to her and asks her what she thinks. She says they are wonderful and asks what they are. God says, “These are all the works you never produced. The photographs you could have taken had you not slept in. The paintings you never got around to doing…” I wonder if we all cross over to be met with a vision of all that we could have done, had we “shown up” and tried.
Wow, Cindy and Jess, you have humbled me, what great stories, I’ll be thinking about both of them for a while!
Rick, this post was timely. Thanks for it. I posted a reference to it on my blog. My best to you for continued good things.
Rick,
I loved this post. I’ve been too busy to keep up with your blog and facebook lately but this exactly the sort of thing that’s been taking up my time, and it’s not time lost. The little shoots of success around the art are starting to show as well. Thanks for your part in keeping us inspired and on-track. It helps to see that those trained in other fields appreciate what artists have to offer the world.
Nice to see you around Jay, let me know what you are working on!
Rick
Do the actors on Unsolved Mysteries ever get arrested because they look just like the criminal they are playing?
Catching up my reading this morning ,checked out your post Rick. As usual, thought provoking and this one was inspirational. It made me think about the plot lines in movies where the step-child says to the step-father “You were there for me. You showed up.” This simple idea is very powerful not only for business but in relationships. Nothing fancy, just show up and be there. Thanks for the reminder.