A gift for you

When I work with clients to prioritize, strategize, and implement new approaches to meeting their business goals, I emphasize the need to zoom the lens out. With the fast pace of entrepreneurship and running a business, it can be hard to stop long enough to take a look at how to improve processes, policies, or strategies.

The urgent email needs to be responded to, the deadline for the event is coming up, or you wanted to launch months ago; there's always something that needs to get done, now!

I can definitely relate to the feeling, and have done a lot of work over the past few years to reduce inefficient motion when it comes to my companies & projects, as well as that of clients.

Budget considerations, ROI, efficiency of effort, as well as how much you're enjoying yourself are all ways to evaluate whether or not a strategy is a fit, but taking those things into full consideration, you always have to know how what you're doing in any one portion of your business fits into the overall strategy.

It has to be part of a plan.

Sure, you want to roll everything out right away, but putting together a plan helps you get it all done by aligning the moving parts.

You can always pivot, and I'd suggest planning time to set aside bi-weekly or monthly to revisit the current strategy and re-evaluate.

That said... What's going right with your business? How do you think it could improve? What is the name of the pink elephant in your business's room? 

Whether in business or in life, I'm learning more and more that taking the time to step back is essential.

With that in mind, I'm offering my newsletter subscribers a gift in the form of 1 (ONE) FREE 1-hr session to the first three people that email me. We'll spend a little time talking to about what's working in your business, what's not, and where you'd like to be by the end of 2016.

I'll provide an analysis and suggest some potential focus areas, as well as how we could work together to meet your goals with some great tools & strategies.

Be well & have an amazing 2016,

Evan

A potential we all have

I like taking photos. Spotting a great shot ahead of time is another way to remind myself to be perceptive, and I'm excited that some fun images have come out of that awareness.

I also like the idea of being in a certain place or point in time, and having the eyes to help us all see it. It's a potential we all have.

I place way more value in getting out there so I can be in those places and points in time than I do the technology, which is why most of the photos I've taken over the past few years have been with an iPhone 5.

That said, I'm excited to share my favorite shots from the past few years and have made affordable open editions available for purchase via Society 6. It's a great platform where artists can sell art prints and other products, and I look forward to trying it out.

If you like contrast, art, nature, texture, & travel, you might like my photos.

Vietnabike, Wires, To The East, and I See You, Buenos Aires are a few of my favorites.

Here's to the process of creating & enjoying it enough to get better.

(I hope one of these photos brings you joy.)

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Society6.com/evanlaruffa

Break the right rules

I'm not a big fan of rules. Part of my personality is figuring things out for myself, trusting my own judgement, and charting my own path.

I think a lot of us can relate to that.

The thing is, rules can be helpful. They create a format, a road forward. And even though that's true, what I find most helpful about rules is that they are ready to be broken.

Buuuuuuuut.... breaking every rule clearly won't work out. There are reasons (some of the) rules are in place - they help achieve a viable result. My gripe is with the particular rules that are more about gatekeeping than producing better work.

The challenge becomes deciding which rule to break. Test the wrong one and you just make things harder on yourself. Test the right one and you venture into evolution. You create a new option.

That said, we have to be discerning.

We have to break the right rules.

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P.s. If you're liking my newsletter, I'd love it if you spread the word. You can copy the following link ( http://www.evanlaruffa.com/subscribe/ ) and post it on any social media, or email it to friends.

Thanks in advance and have an awesome end of the year.

- Ev

I see you, Buenos Aires

It's been fun walking around Argentina the past few weeks. This country has so much cultural richness, it' astounding. I used to visit often as a kid, when my parents would bring us here to see my dad's family... but getting to know Buenos Aires as an adult has been eye opening.

A few ideas have come to mind.

1) It's amazing how much we are hung up on appearances in the US. Image is everything, and that's not necessarily a good thing. In Argentina, the lack of resources in certain areas creates an entirely different set of priorities. The result is a somewhat more practical, yet defeatist approach... and it's hard to blame them.

Not only should we be thankful for how great life is in the USA, but we should also think about how we might want to adjust our own priorities.

2) Not being in the loop for the political nonsense and awful instances of gun violence for a mere two weeks provides a new perspective as well. I think we've mistaken quantity for quality, again.

The 24 hour news cycle is insane, and the shock and awe approach undoubtedly keeps us reactive.

3) I prefer texture to cleanliness. Walking through the streets in BA, where graffiti and street art aren't controlled at all, the confluence of art, color, paper, grit, and greenery is a sight to behold.

For me, these three ideas are attached by a single thread...

Travel is a gift.

Hasta la proxima....

Respond or delete.

No more of this opening an email only to mark it as unread, which requires coming back to it later... I resolve to handle shit in the moment. No more making a single email consume more of my time than it needs to.

Respond or delete.

Maybe this applies to more than just email?

We are curators

If you know me, you know I'm expressive. For better or worse, I'm out loud. The thing is, I think so much still goes unsaid.

Both are reasons why I was so honored & excited to chat with my friend Kyle Wood for his podcast "I Love You Man" via Heartmen.net.

In Kyle's own words: "What I want to talk about is bringing your heart into every aspect of your life, so you can be your most fulfilled and most successful self (however you define those words)."

Kyle often focuses on how men deal with vulnerability, and I couldn't agree more that it's a topic requiring more discussion.

Among other things, in the podcast we talk about negative mind chatter, creating the space to do great work, the upside of vulnerability, the importance of learning new things as an adult, & how much I love my dad.

A sincere thank you to Kyle for including me in what I believe to be a really important project. For as fast as our world is these days, I value the deeper conversations that make us better, and I think this one could.

You can listen to the podcast here or on Itunes.

Never-ending upward trend

Our ability to learn, understand, and mature mentally, emotionally, and spiritually, always increases if we embrace new perspectives, expressions, ideas, experiences or truths. It's an upward trend. The other day I thought about the number of books written in the world (and then applied it to records, films, travel destinations, etc) and I was nearly winded by the enormity of it.

So much has been seen, said, thought, created, and advocated for.

I'll never get to it all, but the process of discovery encourages that intellectual & experiential trend to pick up momentum.

As in... life is the chance to learn & grow, constantly.

So what if we approached more situations with that at the forefront than defending our current opinion?

As in... maybe we should at least be open to changing our minds.

The upside is a never-ending upward trend.

Busy isn't better

How we do what we do, matters. In the last 6-9 months, I've really tried to map out my process.  I realize that if I continue to do so, I'll recover time while giving all my projects a higher probability of being great.

Everyone needs to unwind, so I'm not talking about non-stop strategy.

It's about structuring my work enough that I can get out of my own way.

I have a lot more to map out, but I've found that what I've done thus far for IPaintMyMind and my consulting clients has allowed me to work smarter, offer more value, & reduce wasted motion.

I guess I'm starting to realize that busy isn't better when effective is an option.

Love is the way

Yesterday I went on an amazing walk with my friend Christina in New York City. A whirlwind of activity that makes me want more, there's so much everything in the city that never sleeps. We wound from The Whitney Museum of American Art through the Meatpacking district, then jumped on the High Line through Chelsea, and made it all the way to the Upper West Side after pausing in Central Park ... all on foot.

Along the way we came across a post no bills wall, upon which a simple yet important message had been left for US... love is the way.

It's less about a warm & fuzzy way to sum up life and more about what love feels like.

If love is the way, it must be because love feels good.

So, what does love feel like to you?

Most advanced yet acceptable

I find myself reflecting more and more on the idea of expression versus communication. I'm thinking about how intent makes it one or the other. More on that, to come... but the in-between point, for me, is how that idea applies to solutions. As in, what am I, or are we actually proposing? Whether in business, our our passion projects, or our families, is what we do about us (expression) or them (communication)?

The quote offered below speaks to solutions and how we arrive at them.

When I turned this one inward, it felt helpful...

Til soon, Ev

- - -

"The famous industrial designer Raymond Loewy talks about most advanced yet acceptable (MAYA). It says that in every generation, you can push only so far, but then when you go a little bit further, you've gone too far. You can't take people so far out of their comfort zone that they refuse to accept what it is you're offering them."

- Allison Arieff, Editor at The Urbanist, in her interview included in the documentary film, Coast Modern

Watch 'Coast Modern' on Hulu

What The Hack? / 9 . 28 . 15

Hey everyone... The gnarliest thing happened after I launched my new site... it got hacked. Major bummer. Sleepless nights and a lot of confusion, but it's since been resolved.

My blurred mug is back up at EvanLaRuffa.com, as is all the hard work I put in building the new version of my site. I'm very happy about that.

Particulars aside, I wanted to share some poetry with you.

I've written poetry off and on for 20 years, almost always giving way to the ebb & flow of inspiration. For some reason, while in Southeast Asia at the beginning of 2014, I started writing more poetry... a lot of it. Something about the sights, sounds, smells, flavors, and people kickstarted my tendency to combine words with rhythm. I'm happy to say that the trend has continued.

So, between thoughts & questions, I'll be sharing the ones I think 'succeed.' For me, it's about creating images subconsciously, then pairing that with rhythm. To be honest, I could care less about iambic pentameter or deconstructing poetry the way you might have in an English class... it's so much more about the feeling you get when the words come together in a new way. It's about possibilities and being open to them.

Whether a writer like Borges or a painter like Dali, both were focused on new ideas, realities, and options. In my funky little modern way, I hope to do the same.

One disclaimer... poems are best when read aloud, and/or when read slowly.....

So take your time. I beg you! Hell, even read this next poem aloud. An extra 15 seconds is what's needed for the words to do their thing. Please give them the time, they're so much more worthwhile if you do.

I hope you enjoy this something I wrote the other day.

I'll be in touch, Ev

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9 . 28 . 15

wires invaded from 10,000 miles away, while just out of sight, resides a being who's planting positive intentions.

you know, seeds, effort. and a new way to uncover circles.

there's proof for either, coupled with a resonant experience.

a curated convergence where ideas & matter dance as we let them.

from dispassionate levelers to the happy mad man blissfully unaware of it all, the equation is... what we've been given, plus what we decide on.

in lieu of perfect information, let's be that.

How can we do, what we do, better?

I realize it's a lot to do with cutting to the chase. Push ahead, experience, find, go, be, or do... right now! This resonant impatience is something that feels embedded in our own evolution. We don't want to be incrementally better than we were yesterday, we want to be fully delivered, and now, dammit!

I think this is about often getting caught up in viewing our end goal and as the entire point of doing anything. As I write this, I'm reminded that it isn't.

We all derive so much pleasure, meaning, and community from the process of doing the things in which we contribute & excel. That's precisely as much reason to improve what we do, as is the obvious upside of creating something great.

Whether it's my good friend Dan Koentopp who passionately & painstakingly builds custom guitars from scratch, or a company like Simple Green Smoothies that lives its mission so incredibly authentically, fulfillment & joy encircles the process of making the thing, and making it well.

The experience of building the solution is as valuable as the goal itself.

Feeling joy, growing our missions and serving our communities are important results. With that in mind, how can we do, what we do, better?

If we can sniff that out both individually and collectively, we'll make an indelible mark.

- - -

P.s. Thanks for subscribing to the list. I'm really happy that you did... welcome.

A Space That Feeds Us

Hey everyone, Evan here. I hope this message finds you well. I'm reaching out because I'm starting a newsletter for my new personal website, EvanLaRuffa.com! The site will serve as a digital umbrella for my projects and the newsletter will be a place to ask questions, offer perspective, unpack strategy or enjoy creativity.

If you'd like to subscribe, I'd love to include you.

At the same time, I'd be honored if you checked out the first few posts that I've written, & I hope they convince you to stick around.

But I can relate. Email has definitely gotten out of hand.

I recently started using Trello & Slack for my teams & projects for that exact reason. These tools have allowed me to greatly reduce the amount of time I spend in my inbox and I highly recommend them. Productivity tool nerdery aside, if you'd like a little nugget from me (or someone I think highly of) every once in a while, I think this could be fun.

Over the past year, I've thought a lot about the concept of asking questions versus having answers. It can be easy to get swept away in the solutions, and we'll certainly take a look at those; but it can also be super useful to ask (at least) one more question.

Whether creative or strategic, there will be plenty of room to play, and I'd love to hear what you're gravitating toward. I want to spend time on areas of interest I'm passionate about, and that we can all dig into from one angle or another. Art, writing, curating, nonprofit development, digital strategy, meditation, vulnerability, running a business & similarly worthwhile shit.

The goal is to create a space that feeds us.

I hope you enjoy the ideas, questions, words, & images I share with you, and feel free to email me with any comments, questions, or suggestions. I'd love to hear from you.

Your Friend, Ev

1 . 16 . 14

having taken a moment, having stolen a few even,

phrasebanks mix with ETA’s

and hummingbirds exceed optimal altitudes

saluting the child in all of us.

it’s not about being naive,

but fitting into our productive place.

sketches of all kinds

waft away like purple smoke

cast by artists,

heart vandals & color junkies,

saluting the wanderer in all of us.

it’s not about rewinding,

as lines not so surreptitiously

curl into circles.

Hoan Kiem thumbs up, and we move.

1.10.14

perfumes that ebb like memories, mental antidotes

for a path traveled

aromas that remind

much more aptly than images,

while strangers smile

and world’s overlap

it’s not as much about

minding the gap,

as it is

falling in from time to time

leaving behind sanitized realities

so as to remind one’s self

that “easy” isn’t

the same as “good” jump. right. in.

5 Questions On Craft & Perspective

It’s interesting thinking about what it takes to get good at something.

How much effort goes into achieving something resembling mastery, while balancing that with the rest of what makes us who we are.

I’ve always identified as a dabbler. A lot of things interest me.

As a writer, I’ve always harbored distrust of the Gladwellian rule that says you need 10 thousand hours of practice to become masterful, or truly successful when it comes to your craft.

I see that two ways now:

1. It a daunting task. I’m intimidated. Practicing anything for 10,000 hrs require discipline. It’s not untrue that I’m interested in all these various aspects of life: art, food, music, travel, relationships, meditation, but I do realize that I might be spreading myself thin. I know there’s work to do (craft).

2. And secondly, it’s about what I uniquely bring to the table. Honoring my varied interests and experiencing as much as I can gives me the ability to describe life with words. I’m an experience junkie, so variety is key. It’s what makes me feel alive. I know there’s more to experience (perspective).

When it comes down to it, it’s great to dabble.

I also see the value of honing a craft.

I just hope to manage that better, giving myself the time to practice while staying open to new roads.

So, do you dabble or hone? And what does that tendency say about you?

The questions we ask ourselves give glimpses into what we face when making our mark. These 5 in particular:

What will I be known for?

What do people think of when they think of me?

How do I make people feel?

Will I be judged if I don’t become a master?

Will people see my skill?

Regardless of the answers, fear of not accomplishing something can’t keep us from trying.

We’ll probably have to both dabble & hone. I wish us luck.

Originally published on Medium.com

Freak Flags & Gifts Given

What does it mean to be 'yourself'?

We’ve all heard that being yourself was the best thing to be. As if somehow being who we are in a single moment is an authentic thing to be forever.

I don’t believe authenticity has anything to do with staying who or where we are; it’s about being present in a way that makes others feel at home in who they are. When we do this, genuine connections ensue.

For that reason, I’ve always been a huge proponent of flying my freak flag high. The thing is, I’m a big proponent of everyone flying their freak flag high, assuming the gifts given are the items in focus.

Showing your feathers is about implicitly encouraging others to show theirs.

Living freely & openly is about what it does for other individuals, not the fact that you’re the subject of a larger story when you express yourself. However, being the subject does put you at the center for a moment, and there’s something dubious about that.

Dubious, in that other people can react to it in two ways based on how genuine they feel you are. They can celebrate with you or they can play the naysayer. They can high-five you or cut you down.

As someone with the personal tendency to live colorfully, I’ve experienced both. I’ve also noticed that my personal authenticity, which is a sensation I can feel in myself, is directly correlated with how people feel when I speak my mind, turn up my volume, or otherwise express myself openly.

We all know the difference between ego & equanimity. We’re all plugged in, despite our various ways of describing it.

Even so, there are times when the ego wins out. It says, ‘I want the glory dammit!” and well, that’s a hard voice to reason with sometimes. But being attuned to it is good for all of us. It creates the space to come together, occasionally mutually digesting things instead of pitting them against each other.

Checking in with ourselves, the worthwhile question seems to be the following:

Is this expression of mine about being the subject, or is it coming from an authentic place?

As long as we can keep an open dialogue with our ego, life can be about what we create for others when we live authentically.

Living your truth, following your bliss, growing your passions, developing your skills, engaging with your community, and constantly learning, are about giving others permission to do the same. As great it feels to live your life that way, it’s really not about us.

It’s about leading by example with so that everyone can ‘be themselves.’

Fly your freak flag & give a gift. It’s one of the most generous things you can do.

Don’t you think?

Original published on Medium.com