creativity

In the pause: My promise to Team Human

Christa Avampato

If fascist, racist, homophobic, misogynistic, sexist extremists think for one second that I’m going to be intimidated by their displays of hate, especially in a town like Charlottesville that has served such an important part in my life, they have another thing coming. I am not ceding a single inch of my country that my ancestors, family members, and friends have fought to secure so that all people can freely and passionately pursue their dreams.

If the events in CharlottesvilleĀ have done anything, they’ve strengthened my resolve to continue to stand up and fight for justice. I am sick and saddened that people can be so hate-filled and I flat-out refuse to allow anyone to make me feel helpless or hopeless. What happened in Charlottesville can happen anywhere. There are constant intimidations, micro aggressions, and open displays of intolerance across our country and the world every single day in every community.

This is my promise: I will not retreat and I will not be silent. I will continue to rise and speak up with every breath and every ounce of energy I have, in all circumstances, for all people who wish to be a part of Team Human. That’s the side I’m on, the side of goodness.

creativity

In the pause: Love your decisions

Christa Avampato

“The more you love your decisions, the less you need others to love them.” ~Unknown

Yesterday, Phineas decided it would be a good idea to roll in goose poop. It wasn’t. Or at least I didn’t think this was a good idea. However, he loved his decision so much that he didn’t care about whether or not I liked it. He proudly marched through Central Park like he was a king. He made me think of the quote above. And though I wasn’t thrilled with having to clean him off with hand sanitizer in the park, followed by a bath once we got home, I do admire his confidence in his choices.

creativity

In the pause: Whispers in the nightā€”how our books speak to us as writers

Christa Avampato

A few days ago, I mentioned that I was having trouble writing Emerson‘s second book. Last night, I just decided to tag along with her to see where she was going, what she was doing, and who she was with. I didn’t expect or ask for anything. I just stayed quiet and listened. I was helped by the idea of aĀ dƦmon in The Golden Compass; Lyra’s dƦmon sometimes hitches a ride on her shoulder to join the adventure. I did the same with Emerson.

It’s odd what your characters will tell you when you just listen to them. I found out Emerson’s birthday is January 1st, that there are now hundreds, maybe even thousands, of people who are looking for the same treasure that she seeks, and that her travels take her not to one place in Book 2 but many places. There’s some romance, heartbreak, and loss. She will be plunged into memories she would rather not see but are vital to her pursuits and her destiny. There are portals hidden in plain sight. The line between the physical world and the world of the mind is blurred to the point where they’re really no different at all. Time and space are much more fluid than we imagine them to be.

So today, I’m putting my ear to the ground, closing my eyes, and listening intently to the adventures Emerson has taken. I imagine her now, much older and wiser, entertaining a woman (me) who just showed up at her door and asked to hear the story of her life. She has a lot to tell me. She just needs some time.

creativity

In the pause: A rEVOLution is rooted in love

Christa Avampato

You can’t have a rEVOLution without love. It’s tucked in there. Hidden. Spelled backward. Split between two syllables. But it’s not to be doubted. A great change requires a lot of love, care, and concern. Without those things, revolutions would never happen. We’d just continue on down the road we’re on, without any thought about where we’re going or why. A revolution is a change of heart, mind, and spirit. We accept and embrace the idea that we can no longer do what we’ve done, that we can’t and don’t want to go back to the way things were. Things must change, so we change. That’s what love can doā€”it can generate the greatest change possible. It can, and does, change us.

creativity

In the pause: What would be the title of your autobiography?

Christa Avampato

It’s daunting to think about what you’d title your autobiography, right? How do you sum up a life in one line? Let’s try.

I love tough challenges and I’m happiest on a vertical learning curve. If I had to pick one phrase to describe myself it would be “endlessly curious.” As such, the title of my autobiography would be I’ll Figure It Out: The Christa Avampato Story.

What would be the title of your autobiography?

creativity

In the pause: A lesson in writing from Terry Prachettā€”just tell yourself a story

Christa Avampato

“The first draft is just you telling yourself the story.” ~Terry Prachett

I’ve been having trouble writing Emerson’s second book. I have a pile of index cards I shuffle around, but the truth is I’m nervous. I’m stalling. The first book was such a heavy life, but ignorance was bliss. I had no expectations of it except to write it down as truthfully as I could. I had been thinking about it for so long (5 years) before I started writing it that its scenes and words were well-etched in my mind.

This time is different. I feel more responsibility to get it right, to stay honest to what I created in the first book. I don’t want to let down Emerson. In my procrastination and stagnation, I found this quote from Terry Prachett. It made me feel a little bit bolder and braver, less cautious and concerned. There will come a time for refinement and revision, but that day’s not today. Today, I’m just letting Emerson tell me her story.

creativity

In the pause: Dale Chihuly at the New York Botanical Garden

Christa Avampato

Couldn’t have asked for a better Saturday! I spent it at the New York Botanical Garden with one of my best friends, and it was delightful. I highly recommend a visit. Stop into the Hudson Garden Grill for a wonderful lunchā€”it was a perfect way to start the afternoon. The Chihuly glass installation is an incredible addition to these stunning grounds and will be on display until October 29th. Relax and renew your spirit with sights like these:

 

creativity

In the pause: This is everyone’s job

Christa Avampato

ā€œYour job is not to judge. Your job is not to figure out if someone deserves something. Your job is to lift the fallen, to restore the broken, and to heal the hurting.ā€ ~Joel Osteen

I never thought I’d be quoting Joel Osteen in a post, but this quote of his resonates with me. There’s a lot of talk flying around in the media, our political systems, and around kitchen tables about what people deserve. I’ll admit that “deserve” is a word that makes me wince. I don’t even like to say it because I can’t stand the feel of it or its connotation. It causes a lot of finger-pointing, blame, shame, and anger, and it’s not far removed from the idea of greed, another word that makes my stomach turn.

I’d like us to suspend with the idea of who deserves what altogether. We’re all born just trying to get byā€”breathing, eating, sleeping, and trying like hell to make sense of the great world that whirls around us. We all start this way, and then life happens, scattering our influences, values, and beliefs to the wind to be carried in a countless number of directions. And some of those directions break us down. We end up lost, hurting, and disillusioned. Some of us make it through to the other side of that heartache, and some don’t. Many need help, myself included.

I have been incredibly fortunate that most of the time when I needed support, I found it in my teachers, my friends, my writing, and my therapist. Sometimes, that help came from a stranger who didn’t owe me anything and who didn’t receive anything in return except my gratitude. Miraculously, I was also born with boatloads of grit, a hefty dose of determination, and a never-say-die attitude. For better or worse, I am stubborn as hell and my headstrong nature has been my savior. A lot of people aren’t as lucky. When they are most in need, there isn’t anyone to help. They are alone. And I know that feeling, too. It’s terrifying. It makes you desperate. It causes you to think and do things that would never cross your mind on an average day. Any one of us could become that person with just a simple turn of bad luck.

It’s on those days that we most need help, and for too many people, thatĀ help doesn’t arrive. So what if we did this? What if each of us, once a week, once a month, hell once a year, saw someone who really needed help. Someone fallen, broken, or hurting. And we offered support. What if we all took it on as a small side job to lend a hand without reason, without any kind of repayment, but just because a total stranger needed us. Don’t think about how the person ended up in their current situation. Don’t judge or make a call about what they deserve. Just make it your job in that one moment, to offer support in some way with whatever you have. How would the world change if each of us did that? How would we change as people if we began to see everyone not as “other” but as one of us, as someone we could have been if our luck had been just slightly different?

creativity

In the pause: Find your door

Christa Avampato

“If it doesn’t open, it’s not your door.” ~Anonymous

Robert Spekman, my marketing professor at Darden, used to tell us that the only way you can feel better while beating your head against a wall is to stop.

Yes, you should absolutely work hard for what you want but if the joy goes out of what you’re doing, if you feel like it’s the battle of your life instead of the path of your life, then stop. At least for a moment. Sit back, close your eyes, and breathe. Is it worth it to keep going? Are you doing this out of obligation and habit, or passion and purpose? Sometimes the only way to find our door is to walk away from the one in front of us. We only have so much time. Let’s make every day, every action, count.

creativity

In the pause: More authenticity, less BS – what the world needs now

Christa Avampato

My unfailing honesty and integrity has cost me a lot of potential paychecks over the years, but I wouldnā€™t have it any other way. Our world and our companies needs more authenticity, less BS. Iā€™m doing my part during this interview process, not only for my benefit but for the benefit of these companies and organizations whose time and talent I respect and admire. The fit has to be mutual between a company and a candidate, and the only way to get there is through trust. We build that trust by being upfront and truthful from the very beginning of the interview process. Let’s drop the gloss, and get down to business with grace and dignity. The world needs all of us to be in the right roles and at the right companies that help us to live our best lives. Anything else is a waste of time.