Aesthetic Aspirations

I was preparing to write a book review of The Substance of Style by Virginia Postrel this morning when the switch of serendipity kicked in and railed my mind toward the open tracks.  A millisecond before reading in The Substance of Style,

"Aspiration is the tricky part of identity, the "world of make believe"...Often the identities we express with our aesthetic choices are not those we have but those we desire."

I thought to myself,

There are no human beings that I work with or acquaintances that I have in the physical world who share my love and appreciation for design, the written word in the world of business, the art of communicating messages, the need to move beyond status-quo, hamster-wheel, business as usual, the incredibly vibrant and stimulating work philosophies of younger generations and what they are contributing today and this aching need to move with fluidity in a world not constrained by judgment-by-looks, suits and ivory towers.

...okay, that last statement might perhaps, be a bit too liberal, but my God, the tie should have faded into history about the same time corsets disappeared from everyday attire.

Additional views on aesthetic aspirations from Ms. Postrel:

Aesthetic aspirations inevitably express some sort of dissatisfaction, a longing for a different sort of life, perhaps even a different self.  Discontent fuels every quest for improvement, regardless of form.

Virginia's definition of aesthetic aspirations is precisely what drove me to express myself on the Internet years ago and still keeps me coming back today.  No doubt that I am to blame for my work situation.  In the nineties I went through a three year stretch where I never disclosed my name on my site.  Today, even though I work for my industry's second largest corporation in the world, no one is even aware of my two sites here.  But that's okay.  I gave up looking for the above referenced aspirations in my industry a long time ago. 

It is most ironic that I am even having these thoughts today.  I have never been more comfortable with my work situation and its separation from my aspirations.  Still, I guess, it would be nice to physically encounter someone who has heard of The Cluetrain Manifesto or Change This or Fast Company or Dan Pink or Virginia Postrel or Thomas A. Stewart or Malcolm Gladwell or Patty Seybold or Seth Godin or Andrea Learned or Pamela Slim or Kathy Sierra or David Armano or Roger von Oech or Jackie Huba or Emanuel Rosen or Gerald Zaltman or Lisa Johnson or Tom Davenport or John Beck or Ted Levitt or Marcus Buckingham or Bruce Nussbaum or Polly LaBarre or Jory Des Jardins or Harvard Business Review or Print or How or I.D. or ...

...but then again, I'm not keeping track :-)

Comments

[David Armano]

Dave,

I feel like you are sharing something both very personal and powerful in this post. I'm going to chew on this for a bit and will most likely link to it, once I figure out a way to frame this.

You provide a very interesting insight here that I think many folks in creative based professions don't think about, but should.

Thanks for sharing.

[dave]

Thanks for stopping by David. I look forward to your expanded take on this.

For the sake of clarification, I believe there are somewhere between one and two million people in my industry in the U.S. For a three year stretch I wrote a column in the second largest trade journal. I also wrote book reviews for the largest assoc / support group, I was pres of a local trade assoc, wrote a leadership column in an assoc., newsletter and networked on a national level. The point: I sort of got around.

I know one person who was familiar with the Cluetrain, one lady who had heard of Fast Company and one guy who knows who Dan Pink is.

I just didn't want visitors here to think my industry was totally backwoods.

[dave]

oooops, I forgot, we had the second most recognizable Web site (a four year stretch) and gained significant national trade press. And one other guy I know read the Tipping Point.

The reason I didn't talk about my aspirations back then (considering my platforms), and I had everyone of these twelve years ago, was/is, I just got tired of dealing with the "you-are-an-alien, dear-in-the-headlights-look." I am not a staunch, evangelistic advocate. I just rather prefer a return comment when I mention something like, "a benefit of social networking..." as opposed to an open mouth, blank stare.

[Debra Estep]

Hey Davie,

It is because of your
resourceful adaptation between the
physical world AND the virtual world
that your spirit and creativity is set free.

Still.... I GET not being able to
rub shoulders with those who share
an important part of YOUR life.....

And Lord knows you can't sit in a
wireless cafe talking to your
laptop. You might as well look
over your shoulder for....
" those nice young men in their clean white coats"

You're living it Bro....

"Bloom where you are planted"

@----->-----------

[dave]

I know you GET it Deb. I continuously thought about you and how you navigate around your spirituality as I wrote all of this.

Thank God for the Internet...if not, I sorta picture my state as having to deal with Nurse Fletcher as opposed to those nice young men...