• A Reflective Perspective: From TimTV

    Posted on October 28th, 2010 by and currently 4 commenting.


    Today’s post is a gift from TimTV. I love it because it clearly relates to building movements. Movements build and grow stronger with every new voice. Enjoy.

    Today I received news that the father of a childhood friend of mine passed away. As we reminisced, two particular moments came to mind; both of which containing modicums of wisdom which helped form my view of the world, and so I thought I should share.

    Among the many things that Mr. Dolber had been in his life, I thought of him most as an artist. One of those rivers that ran deeper than I would get to know, but quite obviously so. We didn’t have many interactions; only a handful, but what they lacked in number, they made up for in wisdom.

    I remember sitting in the sunny kitchen of their big old New England house, looking at the large aloe plant sitting in the breakfast nook bay window and listening to Mr. Dolber speak. He was talking about New York and being a taxi driver and being shot. Eventually we came to talking about art, and he had one piece of advice for me.

    It was simple. “Draw Something Every Day.”

    And I did. He was right. The lesson of Increments is vital, and has come up again and again for me; whether for art, martial arts, music, business or relationships. Anything, really. “Strength builds in increments; flexibility builds in increments.” a Yoga teacher once said. It’s important not to forget when you’re trying to budget your time, money and effort. Every little bit really does count.

    The other moment we spoke of was at a Japanese dinner. We had just seen the film “Tampopo” at a small art theater. I was 17 and discovering my weirdness in full regalia. I was proud of who I’d become so far and all the attention it was causing. From the end of the table he told me, “You have style, but you lack substance.”

    The words were painful to hear. A critique of my delicate new frontier. But he was right, and as much as it hurt to admit, I knew it. But that terse assessment (among other things) drove me to seek experience; to explore the outer and inner worlds in an effort to thicken my blood and gird my stance.

    My years have been full of adventure. Last year I got to see Mr. Dolber again, and I reminded him of these moments. He laughed and nodded his head. He had never realized that his little statements were taken to heart and that they had helped shape my life. But I’m grateful I was able to share with him before he passed. And now with you.

    My request: DO something. Something that builds. Every day.

    My question: Does your Style reflect your Substance?

    your humble narrator,
    Tim of the kinetic potential

  • http://www.corpv.com erik

    Thanks for this. Two great lessons, very nicely told.

  • http://pointoforder.squarespace.com tyler durden

    I am haunted by the words of the master filmmaker, the one who still brings me back to the horror of war, and horror of man. The words to aspiring filmmakers, and, by extrapolation, to repressed artists everywhere.

    ‘Shoot something. No matter how small, no matter how cheesy,’
    –Francis Ford Coppola
    That’s the best advice ever. Just go. Draw. Shoot. Create. Dat’s what Imado, right about now. And in the am, I shall do it again.

  • RML

    The advice given during interactions similar to those that you and Mr. Dolber shared so often turn into wisdom and self knowledge that tend to stick with people for the rest of their lives. I never realized how true this was until a few years back when I was finishing up an internship with the Big Brothers Big Sisters organization. I had become very familiar with the organization and with the statistics of children who have mentors and children who do not, but the impact never really hit home until I read some of the testimonies given by former “little brothers” and “little sisters.” I seemed that so often the small things that their mentors did for them were the things that had the biggest impact on developing their character and self-awareness, and it seems like this is something that you can relate to with Mr. Dolber. Thanks for sharing such a truly genuine story.

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