Rediscovering Vincent

From the time I was twelve years old and stood in front of one of Vincent Van Gogh’s paintings, I have been in love with this man and his art.  As a preteen, I had the unbelievable privilege of being able to see his art at the center of the art universe….Paris, France.

And now nearly fifty years later, I have rediscovered Vincent.  A few months ago, I was standing in front of one of my little kindergarten classes at Glenbrook when Jonathan said, “Mrs. Chris, when are you going to tell us about Vincent Van Gogh. You said you were going to tell us about him.”  I’m sure some of the parents of my Glenbrook students will tell you that no one escapes the story about my favorite all time artist.

So, I set out all my props….the painting of Vincent’s Starry Starry Night, the storyboard…everything I needed to begin my story about the world’s greatest artist.  Halfway into the story, Jonathan comments, “You know his birthday is March 30^th!” To which, “I replied, how did you know that?”  I certainly hadn’t shared that and actually, I didn’t even remember that.   I turned to Jonathan and the other kids and said, “You know what?” …. And almost as if it were rehearsed, you could hear them all say “Let’s have a party for Vincent.”  

I went home that evening and got out my book about Vincent and began to admire his work for the millionth time. And it occurred to me that the little guys might have come up with the best idea yet.  A party for Vincent.  It had merit. It has possibilities. By golly, we’re gonna do it, I thought.

I’ve spent this summer reading up on Vincent life including reading the hundreds of letters he wrote to his brother Theo. My love for Vincent and his devotion to his art has grown even more.  I am fascinated by this man’s drive to create and paint his world.  His letters to his brother are incredible. He describes the colors in his landscapes in such detail that you begin to understand why he chose to paint  in striking colors and with such passion.   While his life was cut short, his vast collection of paintings and the more than 700 letters to his brother chronicle his life and leaves behind one of the most important legacies of painting ever to enrich the world.

I’ve rediscovered Vincent and this coming spring, with the help of a lot of volunteers and a faithful core of board members, Cultural Crossroads will be celebrating Vincent Van Gogh’s 160^th birthday on March 30^th at the Farm.  A little class of kindergarteners had a great idea and thanks to them, we are having a party for Vincent…and you are invited!

 Spring Arts Festival #19

CHICKENSTOCK

"A Party for Vincent"

 at the Moess Center for the Arts & City Farm,

March 29 & 30, 2013 in Minden, La.

How's your brain?

I attended a workshop several weeks ago that addressed the profile of our brains. Not just American brains, but ALL brains. The workshop was sponsored by Blue Cross Blue Sheild Foundation and featured Harold Suire with Emergenetics International, Inc. It was probably one of the best workshops I have attended in quite some time.

According to their hand out, 'Emergenetics provides a window into the way you think and behave.' What I found astonishing was that the work these professionals have done is world wide and that all brains and brain preferences are pretty universal.  

Understanding the brain and understanding my brain was of great interest to me. As a self proclaimed liberal living in conservative community, I've been confused at times as to why I think the way that I do and why others think the way that they do. It's been extremely difficult at times because  I must admit, I do feel like a freak. And the political climate and name calling doesn't help.  So, what is it about me that make me, me....?

Understanding my brain has helped me to understand myself and my relationship with others. While I shouldn't try to simplify this ....I will.  We have four thinking attributes that we are born with. Here is how they defined the different brain preferences:

Analytical thinking is rational, inquiring, and clear. The Analytical part of the brain wants to see data and research. People with a preference for Analytical thought are considered logical, cogent, and objective. They can appreciate the scientific method, and they learn by mental analysis.

Structural thinking is detailed, practical, and methodical.  The Structural part of the brain follows rules and is cautious of new ideas.  People with a preference for Structural thought are considered disciplined, organized, and tradtional.  They like guidelines, and they learn by doing.

Social thinking is relational, collaborative, empathic, and supportive. The Social part of the brain is team-oriented and socially aware. People with a preference for Social Thought are considered connectors and are sensitive to feelings and ideas of others. They are intuitive people, and they learn from others.

Conceptual thinking is imaginative, unconventional, and visionary.  The Conceptual part of the brain likes change and is easily bored. People with a preference for Conceptual thought are considered inventive, original, and innovative. They are intuitive about ideas, and they learn by experimenting.

When you have a preference for a particular Thinking Attribute, that means it plays a prominent role in your thinking processes. 92% of the population has more than one thinking preference.

My brain profile based on my answers to an extensive survey conducted by Emergentics showed me at 80% conceptual; 43% Social; 28% Analytical and 18% Structural.  What it also revealed was that only 12% of the population share my social/conceptual combination. And because my thinking is intuitive, I run the risk of being percieved as "out there," and I may feel out of step with other people in my community or organization. 

I also learned that my preference for Social thinking allows me to see the human side of events and ideas and people who do not share my perference for social thinking may underestimate my intelligence or believe I am too emotional. I also learned that I probably have a vision that extends far into the future, and I expect others to share my enthusiasm for the overall concept or goal.

So, what I also learned from this workshop is that I was born this way and while my thinking may be different from others, there is no "right" or "wrong"....I am unique and I am wonderful the way I am. What I have also come to understand is that we all need each other.  We are all unique and wonderful in our own way and we need to appreciate each other more and stop the name calling and the pigeon holing.  I may be a liberal and you may be a conservative....and that's okay....together we can make a great country greater! or in this case, a great community greater!!!

If you want to learn more about his brain thing, there is a book available on Amazon. Google Emergenetics and check it out. 

Going Union

I was twenty one years old and living in Leesville when I had my first experience with labor unions.  I was working for an extremely successful and profitable cable company.  I worked in the local origination department which was a branch of the company that produced programming for their local station. It was a new market and a new venture.  There were three of us in the department.  The department head, myself and another young man.  I was in charge of writing news stories,  running the camera and anything else that the department head didn’t want to do. The other guy was in charge of selling the programs to local sponsors.

I loved the job. It was creative and challenging.  I had been married for about three years at this time and my relationship with my husband was anything but harmonious.  And this job was very demanding of my time.  It wasn’t a 9 to 5, Monday through Friday job. It was when they needed me, where they needed me, doing what they needed me to do.  And I was told that I had no choice and that I would lose my job if I didn't comply.  I had little say in that which didn’t help matters at home.

This job while the schedule was flexible, the pay wasn’t. I was not allowed to punch a time clock. Instead our department head would turn in our hours for the week on a time sheet he created.  While I worked more than 60 hours a week most weeks, the time sheet that was turned in only reflected a 40 hour week.  I wasn’t considered salaried.  I was only 21 and naive to say the least. I never questioned it. I just believed that the company would do the right thing. 

After working there for nearly a year, I began to question their system when I was denied some time off. I thought that all of the overtime that I had put in could be easily exchanged for some much needed sick leave.  I had tonsillitis and was confined to my home for a week.  I didn’t get paid for that week and it was that action that made me question the integrity of my employer.

Around the same time that I began to feel a little taken for granted, I was visited by a ‘union man.’  He invited me to lunch along with some other executives who had become aware of my situation along with some of the other employees.  It seems their practice of not awarding overtime pay to anyone took in the line crew whose weekly hours exceeded a forty hour week, too.  These labor guys talked to me about heading up an effort to bring a union in.  I didn’t have much experience with unions but I did think that the company should have been more responsible to their employees and held accountable. I agreed to it and went about talking to the other employees about holding an election.  All was going well and it looked like the union was going to pass. 

Before the day of the election, I was approached by the general manager and asked to have dinner with him and a few other executives.  I was told by the union guys that the exes of the company were not allowed to speak to me about the election or try to persuade me to change my vote.  Well, our dinner was all about changing my vote.  They told me that I would lose my job with them and that they would see to it that no one in town would hire me.  They lied to me and told me that all of the employees were going to vote against the union and that I had created havoc and discord amongst the workers and they could not protect me.   It frightened me to say the least.  And there was no peace at home or a shoulder to lean on.  The threats from my husband were  just as real.  I felt alone and abandoned.

I proceeded with the plan to unionize because I thought it was the right thing to do. The elections were held and the employees voted overwhelmingly to unionize.  The cable management changed. A new manager arrived on the scene at the same time that I had decided to leave the company.  They asked me stay and offered me a raise. I declined.  In the weeks to follow, I realized how I had been deceived by the company.  I had come to understand how this all could have been avoided if they had just done the right thing by everyone. If they had just given a fair wage for a fair days work.  Instead they used and abused their employees and deprived them of time and money.  The company was investigated and was ordered to pay for those overtime hours to all of their employees.  Because there were no ‘real’ time sheets, the court estimated the lost wages.  It was far less than was expected but the real change came when the company was ordered to put in a time clock and new policies were set to protect the worker.  

I know that there is a lot of talk against unions these days.  But I must say that I’m not so sure that I agree with that.  I believe that the management of this company was corrupt and abusive. And they took advantage of me and many others.  Other than quitting, what else is there?  Who is out there to protect the worker?  I’m sure people will argue that the unions went  too far…asked for too much and as a result, companies relocated oversees or shut down.   And that may be true.  I think power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely…no matter which side it’s on. 

So what’s the right answer?  Depends on what side you’re on.