“If you hold on to the handle, she said, it’s easier to maintain the illusion of control. But it’s more fun if you just let the wind carry you. “ ~ Brian Andreas
The image to the right the latest piece of art gracing the walls of my tiny New York apartment. Brian Andreas is one of my favorite artists so I was thrilled to find this print of his at the new Housing Works store in my neighborhood just after writing a post about “Letting Go to Be Free”. It was like a universal affirmation telling me, “Hey kid, you’re on the right track. Keep going and have fun in the process.” Thank you, Universe. Duly noted.
I have often written about the illusion of control that came crashing down on us for a solid 18 months starting in 2008. The economy had been chugging along at a healthy clip for a number of years with only a few naysayers wondering just where on Earth all this growth was coming from. We wrote them off as fast as possible, covering our ears, smiling widely, and spending to our heart’s content. And we learned that the heart is never content. It always wants more so we leveraged ourselves to the hilt, the government included, and fooled ourselves into thinking that we were safe. The mind is a slippery place; we can convince ourselves of anything if we try hard enough.
Safety lies not in your company or your professional network. Both are as slippery as the mind. Like the girl in Brian’s painting above, you can hold onto the handle to maintain the illusion of control – after all, that’s what handles are for, right?
Or you could trust the wind, your own intuition. You can tune in to the circumstances around you in a very honest way, understand exactly the resources that you have at-hand (literally), and find the best way to get the two to mesh. The wind will carry you, like it or not. Try to fight those winds, and you’re likely to struggle to no avail. Recognize their power and give yourself a chance to steer them in a direction that works for best for you. Less struggle, more fun, more learning.
From one control freak to another, let’s hold hands and see where the ride takes us.
The short of it:
Writer. Health, education, and art advocate. Theater and film producer. Visual artist. Product geek. Proud alumnae of the University of Pennsylvania (BA) and the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia (MBA). Inspired by ancient wisdom & modern tech. Proliferator of goodness. Opener of doors. Friend to animals. Fan of creative work in all its wondrous forms. I use my business skills to create passion projects that build a better world. I’ve been called the happiest New Yorker, and I try hard to live up to that title every day.
The long of it:
My career has stretched across Capitol Hill, Broadway theatre, education, nonprofit fundraising, health and wellness, and Fortune 500 companies in retail, media, entertainment, technology, and financial services. I’ve been a product developer and product manager, theater manager, strategic consultant, marketer, voice over artist, , teacher, and fundraiser. I use my business and storytelling to support and sustain passion projects that build a better world. In every experience, I’ve used my sense of and respect for elegant design to develop meaningful products, services, programs, and events.
While building a business career, I also built a strong portfolio as a journalist, novelist, freelance writer, interviewer, presenter, and public speaker. My writing has appeared in The Washington Post, The Huffington Post, PBS.org, Boston.com, Royal Media Partners publications, and The Motley Fool on a wide range of topics including business, technology, science, health, education, culture, and lifestyle. I have also been an invited speaker at SXSW, Teach for America, Avon headquarters, Games for Change, NYU, Columbia University, Hunter College, and the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America. The first book in my young adult book series, Emerson Page and Where the Light Enters, was acquired by a publisher and launched in November 2017. I’m currently working on the second book in the series.
A recovering multi-tasker, I’m equally at home in front of my Mac, on my yoga mat, walking my rescue dog, Phineas, traveling with a purpose, or practicing the high-art of people watching. I also cut up small bits of paper and put them back together as a collage artist.
My company:
I’m bringing together all of my business and creative career paths as the Founder of Double or Nothing Media:
• I craft products, programs, and projects that make a difference;
• I build the business plans that make what I craft financially sustainable;
• I tell the stories that matter about the people, places, and products that inspire me.
Follow my adventures on Twitter at https://twitter.com/christanyc and Instagram at https://instagram.com/christarosenyc.
View all posts by Christa Avampato
2 thoughts on “Beginning: Let Yourself Get Carried Away”
I like the advice here, to be careful about what you think you’re controlling. Being flexible is one of the many lessons I keep re-learning. I think it’s certainly helpful to be flexible, because so often things don’t turn out as we had planned or hoped they would. Thanks for posting the print and quote from Brian Andreas. I had never heard of him, so I followed your link to his StoryPeople site. Amazing stuff! I’m going to have fun checking out his various works with illustrations and text. Thanks for this post!
Oh, I’ve loved Andreas and StoryPeople since I discovered them in the late 90s!! I have a couple of prints myself. We’ll have to discuss (and I’m a control freak too hmmm)
Quotes that come to mind on this happen to be from songs:
It’s no better to be safe than sorry.
Sometimes, if you feel the pain, you’ll find you’re holding on – everything has changed.
A thousand skeptic hands won’t keep us from the things we’ve planned, unless we’re clinging to the things we prize.
I have more, of course, but that’s enough for now. 🙂
Christa Avampato 
I like the advice here, to be careful about what you think you’re controlling. Being flexible is one of the many lessons I keep re-learning. I think it’s certainly helpful to be flexible, because so often things don’t turn out as we had planned or hoped they would. Thanks for posting the print and quote from Brian Andreas. I had never heard of him, so I followed your link to his StoryPeople site. Amazing stuff! I’m going to have fun checking out his various works with illustrations and text. Thanks for this post!
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Oh, I’ve loved Andreas and StoryPeople since I discovered them in the late 90s!! I have a couple of prints myself. We’ll have to discuss (and I’m a control freak too hmmm)
Quotes that come to mind on this happen to be from songs:
It’s no better to be safe than sorry.
Sometimes, if you feel the pain, you’ll find you’re holding on – everything has changed.
A thousand skeptic hands won’t keep us from the things we’ve planned, unless we’re clinging to the things we prize.
I have more, of course, but that’s enough for now. 🙂
LikeLike