Nina Burokas on Better Living Through Brand

It's Showtime!

There's something about the energy of a standing room only crowd that gets you on your game. A good thing, that! There's a significant difference between a 5 minute Toastmasters speech to an audience of 25 and an hour presentation at a conference of hundreds (ok, our pull was probably only 100). In addition to the group dynamics at the recent Women and Technology Summit, it was a recent article in The Toastmaster that helped me manage that transition. Ed Brodow's article Acting Techniques for Speakers provides 10 acting tips that are highly relevant to not only speakers, but communicators in general. Key takeaways:

• Improvise - Know your material well enough to let go and be spontaneous.
• Make it personal - The key to storytelling isn't the words, but the experience; capture and convey the emotional impact.
• Passion - Be a passionate advocate for your point of view.
• Develop Your Style - "You need to be yourself but slightly 'larger than life.'" - Patricia Fripp
• Manage First Impressions - "Match the audience's energy and come out a little higher." - Marianna Nunes

Any seasoned speakers willing to provide input/expertise?

On Sustainability

My recent travels sensitized me to the implications of terrorism on my vision to drive exceptional, sustainabile business results on a global scale. Terrorism is not only a political, military and social issue, it is a critical business constraint. In order to achieve the commercial potential of a flat world, we must address the issue of sustainable development. As Curt Weeden notes in the Prologue to his book How Women Can Beat Terrorism, dealing effectively with terrorism requires that we address the conditions that foster and encourage terrorism; namely, poverty and hopelessness.

To quote South Africa's President Thabo Mbeki, "A global human society based on poverty for many and prosperity for a few, characterized by islands of wealth, surrounded by a sea of poverty, is unsustainable."

The Ashes & Snow Experience

In a world of advertising clutter and political propaganda, what was marked about Gregory Colbert’s Ashes & Snow exhibit was the lack of sponsorship advertising. Although the Rolex logo figures prominently in print advertising, no reference to Rolex is apparent at the exhibition. Jaded marketer that I am, I expected Colbert to be sporting a Rolex watch in the extensive video footage. The exhibit brochure lists only the Flying Elephants Foundation, a non-profit organization supported by Ashes & Snow.

Both the lack of blatant commerciality and the architecture of the Nomadic Museum are essential to the Zen of the exhibit, contributing to a contemplative experience of Colbert’s work as “both art and poetic field study.” That said, there were elements of the exhibit that I found alternately irritating (staging) or disturbing (passivity/death imagery). Amardeep Singh’s A Traveling Circus post/links provide additional perspective. Comments notwithstanding, the Ashes & Snow experience is masterfully executed – both live and online. And while understated, The Rolex Institute’s sponsorship of Colbert’s Ashes & Snow digital Codex creates significant value for both parties.

Head, Heart & Hands

Last night’s seemingly random video selection proved to be an inspired combination: the Kino International restoration of Fritz Lang’s Metropolis and Elizabeth Cotten In Concert 1969, 1978 & 1980  (Available for loan free of charge through the Orange County, CA Public Library System). Metropolis, with it’s “The mediator between head and hands must be the heart!” message set the stage for a woman who so deftly weaves head, heart and hands in her signature “Cotten picking” style. Raised on WFMT Chicago’s The Midnight Special and with my mother’s Irish rover genes, Cotten’s Freight Train (written 100 years ago at age 11) never fails to evoke a profound longing for the open road.

For additional musical options, visit NPR's All Songs Considered: clips and comments on a range of artists, including Elizabeth Cotten (featuring Shake Sugaree, off the Smithsonian Folkways label). A related find: Public Radio MusicSource, where your purchase supports National Public Radio, the price is on par with Amazon.com ($15.48 vs. 14.99) and, unlike Amazon.com, you can listen to all tracks and view the credits prior to purchase.

Gold Rush

It's election day in California, a Gold Rush/power play special event, but I'm thinking about financial and environmental sustainability. In particular, the budget reform bill  passed by senate Republicans that includes a provision to drill in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Author and environmentalist Bill McKibben's take on the current political climate is apt: "in the end, real environmental progress may depend on remembering that we live in particular local places, not just in a globalized world." For community revitalization and sustainability resources, check out the E.F. Schumacher Society. To check your representatives voting record on environmental issues, go to the Scorecard section of the League of Conservation Voters.

Talking Hands

If, like me, you believe that facial expressions and gestures are the essence of interpersonal communications, check out About.com’s translation of Italian Hand Gestures. For the cinematic version, rent Lina Wertmuller’s comedy Ciao, Professore! Perfetto! An exuberant, irreverant celebration of life.

Slang & Slander

The English language is truly fertile ground; however, I find our slang variously inadequate or uninspiring. Thus, to express the range of my emotions, I borrow from other languages. This practice has the added benefit of imbuing a phrase with a distinct cultural sensibility that is comment in itself.

The French obsession with food is evident in a range of evocative phrases. The following are excerpts from the Los Angeles Times Food article French Food Slang:

• Your rear end is surrounded by noodles (Tu as le cul bordé de nouilles) - You’re extremely lucky.
• She pedals in the sauerkraut (Elle pédale dans la choucroute): She doesn’t understand anything.
• Send the sauce (Envoyez la sauce): Make an effort.

As noted in Reveries Born to Kvetch post, Yiddish is well suited to both kvetching and cursing. For example, the literal translation of the curse “a viste pgire af dir” is “a dismal animal death to you”. However, it’s the figurative translation that’s particularly potent:

“You should spend the rest of your tiny life in a Colorado feedlot, then be herded off to some nonunion slaughterhouse to be turned, painfully, into fast-food burgers for one of the less prominent chains.” (Michael Wex, Born to Kvetch)

That’s curse enough to turn anyone’s blood into blood sausage!

Role of Art, Revisited

Scanning the San Juan Capistrano Library Multicultural Arts Series season schedule, I noticed a quote from the Irish musician and storyteller Patrick Ball: “Is there anything sadder in this world of ours than poverty of words”… If you read my Notes on Art and the Human Spirit post, you know that I believe art plays a crucial role in society. Art across all mediums is variously joyous, challenging, healing - but always powerful. The role of art has been much on my mind in on the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. I spent many a fine day (and late night) steeping in the scents, sights, sounds and flavors of New Orleans and I hope that this rich cultural heritage sustains the spirits of the survivors. American Routes producer Nick Spitzer recognized the broader societal impact when he referred to the hurricane and related devastation as “a natural and cultural disaster” (via Samuel Freedman’s New York Times article This Song Goes Out to You, Big Easy).

To every human tragedy, there is a political element. Albert Einstein phrased it aptly: “Political passions, aroused everywhere, demand their victims.” The most recent victim of the Katrina fiasco is FEMA Director Mike Brown, who resigned Monday. However, as Thomas Friedman suggested in his September 7th op-ed Osama and Katrina, the full extent of the political fall-out is still to be determined (Politics & Perception post).

The challenging aspect of art is the focus of a post-9/11 exhibit and conference in New York. Caryn James’ Beyond Comforting the Afflicted is a review of “A Knock at the Door…” and “What Comes After: Cities, Art and Recovery”, both of which explore the impact of the Patriot Act on artists. One of the central works is Lisa Charde’s (un)Patriot(ic) Act: an American flag sculpted as a straitjacket. As articulated by James: “art in a straightjacket is no art at all.” Indeed, stifling or editing creative expression does nothing to honor the memory of victims. As George Santayana noted, if we fail to learn from history, we are doomed to repeat it. Former Governor Thomas Kean (R-NJ), who led the independent 9/11 commission, observed that “The same mistakes made on 9/11 were made over again [in the response to Hurrican Katrina], in some cases worse." Our survival as a society is dependant on our ability to embrace the arts not only as a medium for expression and renewal, but as an impetus for change.

Portraits of Egypt

In February, my mother (the source of my exploration gene) and I joined members of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art’s Ancient Art Council and fellow travelers for an in-depth exploration of Egypt. Our route traced that of the Nile, from Cairo in the North (perversely referred to as Lower Egypt) to the Nubian city of Abu Simbel in the extreme South. The only river that runs in a North-South direction, the Nile is the lifeblood of Egypt. The sites of the Old, Middle and New Kingdoms are all in its’ vicinity. We covered over 40 sites and 600 miles in 13 days – often on the verge of cultural overload.

Egypt is visually compelling (from spectacular to squalid), but the atmosphere is highly charged. Although over 80% of employment is in the military or law enforcement, peace is fragile - as subsequent events have illustrated. A similar trip is planned for 2006. If interested, contact the Ancient Art Council at 323.857.6011. If you prefer armchair travel, check out a fellow traveler’s pictures: (broadband connection required): Egypt 2005 [Thanks, Edrolfo!].

Back in Southern California, both the Bowers Museum in Irvine and LACMA are featuring Egyptian exhibits. Bowers Museum’s “Mummies: Death and the Afterlife in Ancient Egypt” is on display through 2007. LACMA’s “Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs”, is on view through November 15th. Straying from the Egyptian theme, my LACMA recommendation is Renzo Piano’s architecture exhibit, on display through October 2nd.

Cool Breeze

Wooohoo! My first century was, as the say, a “Cool Breeze”! Century route followed the coast from Ventura to Carpenteria, inland through East Santa Barbara County past Goleta and back along the coast to Ventura. Spectacular scenery, favorable weather (71 and overcast), great SAG support (loved the tunes on THAT grade) and good cheer throughout. Check out the vibe at mile 95: my computer fritzed out, but I’m still ticking! Final stats: 102 miles, 3,500 feet of gain, elapsed time 9 hours, estimated riding time 8 hours. Next goal: Lighthouse century, sponsored by the San Louis Obispo Bicycle Club, whose motto is "Volamus ut Edamus, Edimus UT Volemus" (We Ride to Eat, we Eat to Ride). Here, here!

Notes on the Art of the Human Spirit

Certainly travel is more than the seeing of sights; it is a change that goes on, deep and permanent, in the ideas of living. -Miriam Beard

Last September, I went on a cycling trip to the Burgundy region of France. One of the aspects of pre-trip planning that I delight in is selecting reading material. Surfing the Orange County Library web site, I hit on In the Land of Temple Caves : Notes on Art and the Human Spirit. Voila! Frederick Turner's exploration of the role of art and human expression in the age of terrorism was an apt read for a 9/11 journey to France.

As Miriam Beard said, travel is more than a seeing of sights. Travel is, for me, a primal need. On a conscious level, it's a desire for growth - a broadening of perspective, a sharpening of senses, a craving not for possession, but understanding. Indeed, Frederick Turner's conclusion was deeply resonant: communication and art are essential for the survival of the species. Read an in-depth review.

P.S. United's Hemispheres magazine noted the August 1st release of Lascaux: Movement, Space & Time, author and research director Norbert Aujoulat's documentation of the wall paintings (15-17,000 years BP) of the French cave of Lascaux. With over 250 photographs, illustrations, maps and diagrams, this book provides rare (due to deterioration, the site has been closed to the public since 1963) and wonderful insight into a "sanctuary filled with evidence of the human spirit." Check out this virtual tour of the site [English version].