Day 13: Ruby Slippers

"30 Paintings in 30 Days"
Day 13


Ruby Slippers
8" x 10"
Oil on Canvas Board
$75

An homage go the Wizard of Oz, but a slightly more grown-up version. I think I'll do a full-scale version of this as well, along with an actual figure to fill the shoes!

Day 10: White Corset

30 Paintings in 30 Days
Day 10

White Corset
11" x 14"
Oil on Canvas Board
$125

The photo is a little bright on one side due to the paint still being wet. I'll take a better photo of it soon. At 11" x 14" this is the largest of the works so far. It's a lot of canvas to fill in one day, but by the end of the 30 days I should be able to do it with slightly more ease. Granted, it takes a lot of focus. I'm just on the edge of sitting inside a sensory deprivation tank!

Day 9: Florien

30 Paintings in 30 Days
Day 9

Florien
9" x 12"
Oil on Canvas Board
$100

I'll start posting these to the website soon. Doing a painting a day is definitely time consuming. Leaves little time for actual posts and admin work. But, it's all about the work, right?

Day 8: Seraphim

30 Paintings in 30 Days
Day 8

Seraphim
9" x 12"
Oil on Canvas
$150


Koi are such amazingly beautiful animals. I'm surprised at how similar koi and humans are when it comes to painting. Koi may have many different colors, but they hold the same luminosity, which can be difficult to capture sometimes.

Day 6: Violin

30 Paintings in 30 Days
Day 6

"Violin"
9" x 12"
Oil on Canvas
$100


This is a test painting for a larger work. I think this would look great as an 18" x 24" or larger. It has the right amount of detail and by manipulating the colors a little I can evoke a particular feeling. I suspect many of these smaller works will become larger ones. This is most definitely on that list.

Day 4: Serenity

30 Paintings in 30 Days
Day 4

"Serenity"
8" x 10"
Oil on Canvas Board
$75

I have a lot of koi photos from SecondMom's koi pond. I think quite of few of them will find the light of day in the next 26 days!

Day 1: Pensive

30 Paintings in 30 Days
Day 1

"Pensive"

8" x 10"

Oil on Canvas

$75

30 Paintings in 30 Days kicks off with a small portrait that I'm calling Pensive. This is of a pal of mine who wanted the honour of kicking off the event. This is a great warm up piece and has definitely put me in the right head space to paint faster and with more focus.

Admittedly, this one started off very hard. I wanted to add more detail and double check measurements and do a lot of thumbnails and color studies. But that isn't the point, is it? It took much longer than it needed to. But, this is the keystone piece to this. I often have such a painting when I go through a new phase. Pensive is that piece, and for that reason it is likely to be one of my favorites.

Portrait Q & A with Geraud Staton

Why do you have so many non-traditional portraits in your portfolio?

I don't do very many traditional portraits for two reasons. The first is that traditional portraits are boring. Now, if you're getting your first portrait done, it can be very exciting. Especially a family portrait. But, a portrait has very little different about it than a photograph. If you're going to come to my studio and sit like you're taking a class photo we may as well just snap a few pictures and let you put them up on Facebook. Instead, I want your portrait to be amazing, and inspiring, and most of all exciting!

That leads me to the second reason for my non-traditional portrait style. A portrait does have its purpose. It shows a visual reflection of what you were. When you get your traditional portrait it will be a great visual likeness of the person you were one to six months ago, when you initially posed. But, my goal is to portray not only the person you are inside, but the person you want to be in the future!



So, people want to be angels or gods or warrior princesses?

Not quite. People want a wide variety of things. When we meet to discuss your portrait my job is to learn about you. To learn your loves and joys, the things you want out of life and the successes you've had. And then, my job is to work with you to come up with a visual representation of that. I did a portrait of a young lady who was one of three fostered children in her family. She said that life as a foster child was hard and that it could make you into a very jaded person. But, she and her two brothers fought through it and became powerful adults. Her portrait was titled "The Children of Loki," and it had the three monstrous children of Loki from Norse mythology. The main person was the portraitee. It was important that she see a reminder that a part of her is strong and is able to do things that most people can't because of her upbringing. The other part of her can be human and compassionate. It was important for her to be reminded that she can be both.

Portrait added with permission of the owner

Are there any rules for your portraits?

There are. Mostly, the painting needs to show who the client wants to be in the future. What do they want out of life? Are they career focused or family oriented? Are they looking for something in particular out of life, or is there some personality trait that they aspire to displaying? There have been times while sitting with a client and asking them questions about who they are that we've had to stop working on the painting idea and actually start hashing out their life's purpose. Sometimes it just takes an outsider to help put your life goals into perspective.

Once we have an idea of who the subject is, we have add more focuses. I call them focuses, anyway. They are little symbols and icons that help link the viewer to the painting. They give you a little more buy-in. That's important. None of us are so simple that one sentence could sum up what we want for ourselves. So, your portrait has symbols. They don't have to be obvious. They just need to be able to focus you on one aspect of what you want. Or, one aspect of who you currently are.

That's the third rule. You cannot always be looking forward. That way lies nothing but unrest. The person you want to be can be wonderful, but the person you are today has also done wonderful things. It's important to look at your portrait and not only see what you hope to be, but also what you are. That makes you visualization that much stronger.



Does a portrait like this really help a person become better?

This is no longer the realm of hocus pocus. There is a great deal of research that discusses the link between visualization and success. (Australian Psychologist Alan) Richardson's famous experiment with 3 groups of basketball players is the most used argument. One group would practice throwing free throws for 20 minutes every day. The second group would visualize throwing free throws, but no actual practice was allowed. The third group did neither. The astounding results, as most of us know, is that the group of visualizers improved almost as much as the group that only practiced!

Vision boards and even Pinterest are great examples. Images and drawings help the brain respond with much deeper interest and attention than some 1000 word affirmation. And a portrait that you can relate to, that can show you, even in mythological proportions, what you can be is incredibly powerful!



Do you have one of these portraits?

I have a couple actually. The latest one is in my bedroom. I look at it every morning.


---------------------------
If you're interested in a portrait quote from Geraud, just contact him at gerauds@gmail.com or at 919-423-7841

Primal: The First Weekend

This weekend was harder. My cravings finally kicked in with a vengeance. I woke up with them. All I wanted was pancakes and syrup. But, I fought off the craving successfully by eating some chicken salad that I made a couple days ago. All was well.

Then, I went out to run a few errands. I picked up a few art supplies and drove past McDonald's, which I don't usually care for at all but was suddenly calling me like the Sirens calling to Ulysses. I stuffed my ears with Bon Jovi and sang at the top of my lungs until I drove past it. Then, I ran into the Bojangle's. There, my weakness for all things that start with Bo, including Bo Diddley, Bo Derek and Bozo the Clown!

I was...good? I only got a bacon, egg and cheese biscuit. I avoided the fries and the tea. I decided that was doing great and didn't kick myself too hard.

In the evening I met some friends for karaoke. I had a scotch and soda, along with 2 beers that I milked through In the Jailhouse Now, When You Were Young, and How Far We've Come. 

Sunday was MUCH better. The cravings for fatty foods went away, but the desire for sweets picked up where the grease train left off. I was rummaging through the house looking for cheap chocolate, butterscotch candies, or those unwrapped mint candies my grandmother used to have on her kitchen counter. The gross ones. The ones I never would have eaten under penalty of death. If that bowl had been in my vicinity I would have scarfed the whole thing down.

But, alas, it wasn't, so I settled on a piece of Orbit gum. 

Primal: Day 6

I have been cooking all day. That sounds like a complaint, but in truth I'm very pleased with myself.

I should qualify. When I say I've been cooking all day, I don't mean I've been slaving over a hot stove like a 1960's stepford wife. What I mean is that I've actually cooked all of my meals today. At home. With real food.

Breakfast was simple. Bacon and eggs. Nothing crazy. I ate a couple hours after I woke up.

For lunch I made a variation of a Cuban pork chop, using cumin, lime juice and garlic. It was amazing. And, it was easy. Whipped the whole thing together in about 15 minutes. Ate it with a sliced up pear and a half of an avocado.

For dinner I separated a whole chicken and grilled it up using a new recipe from Allrecipes.com. Again, it was quick. And, even more importantly, it was delicious. Had some wilted spinach on the side. I'm using the chicken back and legs (neither of which I really like) to make a Parmesan chicken salad for tomorrow.

Earlier today I took Kosmo, Koolest Dog in the World, for a 3.5 mile walk. A good full day, but a healthy one, too.

I feel great. My feel less groggy. I have some spring in my step, though some of that could be mental. Not that I care. Spring in step is spring in step. Even had a little wine with dinner. The whole bottle? Nope. Stopped at two glasses, and that's only because TheWife didn't enjoy the wine very much.

I still haven't weighed. I don't want to know. I want to see if this thing makes me feel better, and if it helps my health issues. If I find I'm not losing weight as fast as I would like I might bail on it. So, I'm forcing myself to remember that this isn't for weight loss. It's for my actual health.

Has anyone out there had any good experiences with Paleo/Primal? Or bad experiences? Let's hear them all!

Primal: Day 4

I spent the morning laughing and cooking and drinking wine with AussieDiver. Her humor and joie de vivre is an excellent start to the day. And doing it over Skype makes me feel like one of these TV chefs. But, with an audience of one.

It was simple fare. An omelet with peppers, jalapeno, and potato. I know, potatoes aren't primal. At least, according to most camps. But some people argue the case for the poor white potato.

Those that say "aye" argue that potatoes are real foods. They don't require much processing like legumes and grains. The best argument I've heard is that chimps have been been known to dig up potatoes with a stick and munch on them. Only Encino Man was more primal than that! Or those cavemen from Geico.

But, there are those that say "nay," and their argument is good, too. The most important of those being that Primal/Paleo isn't just about natural foods, but it's also about limiting the insulin spike caused by eating things with a high glycemic index. Primal dieting is about cutting out all the sugars in our diet. In my case, it was a ton of sugar. I believe the term was "shit ton". But the reason for cutting out those sugars and complex carbs is that we want to limit the regular high concentrations of insulin within our bodies. Potatoes help cause that high insulin spike.

"I just want to be friends! Don't leave me!"

So, where do I sit? I firmly believe that I should limit potatoes in my diet. But, potatoes weren't the thing killing me. It was bread, Doritos, ice cream sandwiches, pancakes and syrup, cereal, graham crackers, Belgian waffles and fast food.

So, cut me a little slack. And, maybe cut yourself a little slack too. When you run a 17-minute mile you do not need to worry about whether your toe is flexed a little too much. That's advanced shit. You've got bigger things to deal with.

Eventually, my potato and I may part ways. For now, it was great in my omelet. More importantly, I felt great throughout the day. Maybe the potato isn't so bad after all.

Primal: Day 3

I have frozen shoulder, which is a fancy way of saying that my shoulder is all fucked up and nobody really knows why. Best guess, I have a swollen bursa that causes me intense pain when I raise my arm too high. It's been an issue for a few months. Physical therapy is doing alright in that I can move it much more. I can sleep most nights without waking up at three in the morning feeling like someone has taken a dentist drill to my shoulder joint.

Range of motion is at 70%. However, I have the strength of a 4 year old on one side. Ok, that may be an exaggeration. But, where I was once able to lift three small Cirque du Soleil gymnasts in my right arm I can now barely manage one. Also, it hurts when I do it.

So, imagine the wailing that was happening while, this morning before breakfast, I was trying to force my gargantuan frame off of the floor in an attempt to do 10 push-ups. I made it to 3. I wasn't sure if I was too weak to do another one, or if I just wanted the shooting pain in my shoulder to stop. Either way, I was finished. 

I did the last two sets on my knees in what used to be called girl push-ups. Hopefully women stood up and made a stink about it, forcing us to call them something else. Of course, I wasn't listening, so I don't know what that new title might be. May as well call them Geraud Push-ups. I managed to do a set of 4 and a set of 1. 

Can you call "1" an actual set? My calculus professor would be disappointed.

I did some shoulder stretches with the pull up bar and then 3 sets of planking. Don't let anyone fool you. Planking hurts.

My eating was great. I cooked three meals, avoided all the extra carbs, and felt really good. My energy levels were still high today. And still no desire to snack or run out to the drive-thru. Not that I'm bragging. It's been three days. You can spend 3 days in a hotel fire wearing gasoline pants. Three days is nothing.

Neither if four. Off to the next day.

Primal: Day 2

Two days isn't enough to evaluate much of anything. I've probably eaten primal for 2 days by mistake at some point. So, when I say I feel good I recognize that this could be for a thousand reasons. But, the effect is still there: I feel pretty good. 

I walked nearly 13,000 steps today at a good, steady clip. I ate an omelet with bacon for breakfast and a chicken salad for dinner. I had a bite of dark chocolate for an evening snack. I did eat a low fat yogurt by mistake for lunch. Full fat is the name of the game, because low fat crap is filled with sugar and chemicals. I took a spoonful of strawberry yogurt into my waiting gob and it tasted like the sugar fairy had pissed all over it. I looked at the ingredients and sugar was the third ingredient. Even before the actual strawberries. I ate half of it and had an apple instead.

I was expecting to be starving. Carbs are filling. But, my meals have been moderately sized, especially for a behemoth like me. But, I am not only sated, I'm also not feeling the urge to snack. 

Again, it's been two days. Let's see how day 20 goes.

Primal: Day 1

Today was easy. I ate roasted chicken wings ordered from Dominoes. It would have been better had I made them on my own, but I was hanging out with The Minx and she was paying. How could I say no to that? Also, I love wings.

For dinner TheWife and I ate at a sports bar where I watched Denver get its ass handing to them by the Seahawks. TheWife was pleased. I was not. But, dinner was great. I had a salad and some French Onion Soup. I had bourbon salmon. Again, not perfect. It would have been better if there hadn't been a bourbon glaze on the salmon. But, baby steps. I drank a lot of water with lemon.

I even took a nice long walk this morning. Kosmo the Wonder Dog was happy.

At the end of the day, I'm tired. I don't know if it has anything to do with eating or exercising, but I want to keep track of these things so that I know how this is working.

Stabbed in the Back by Nature

The weather was amazing. A cool 80 degrees with enough humidity that it doesn't need to rain because rain just seems to remain suspended in the air like curtains. The sky was overcast and there was a slight breeze. Very slight. Like a cat's breath on the nape of your neck. I call it cigar weather.

I also call it scooter weather. I recognize some folks would call it motorcycle weather, but your judgement rolls right off my back. Today is too nice to be judged...it's THAT nice of a day!

So, I'm out with my baby. I call her Flo-Jo, because she's black and fast. We're cruising home from an amazing lunch. Everything is on my side. I'm breathing in deeply, going 40mph in a 50mph zone, with no cars speeding past because all those other boobs are at work. I am cruising...dare I say?...ROCKETING at speeds that would startle any skateboarder or unicyclist. The sky is grey. So grey that it makes everything around me grey. Artist would only use three colors to paint this kind of scenery: black, white and grey. It was so grey that I was expecting Liam Neeson to run out into the road chased by a pack of wolves.

Flo-Jo. She's one cute Scoot.

I had a little song in my head. It might have been "How Bizarre" by OMC. Or, maybe "That's Not My Name" by the Tink Tinks. Both are floating around in there regularly, and they both make me smile. And I am, indeed, smiling. Smiling for this amazing day, one day before my birthday. Smiling because it's my mom's birthday today, whom I loved with all my heart. Smiling because of friends and family and life and nature. Nature is fucking awesome!

Suddenly, there's this pain under my left shoulder blade like like I've been hit by a blow dart being shot by a goddamned pygmy. It doesn't flare, or build. It doesn't feel strange and grow into something worse. It's a piercing pain that erupts like Mount Vesuvius. And my back bone was the city of Pompeii!

I swipe at my back, not wanting to lodge this shuriken any deeper into my body. When I do, I feel the culprit! It isn't the throwing knife that I'm expecting. Instead, in my hand is a tiny wasp. And when I say tiny, I mean almost cute. Then, I realize that it isn't dead. It's flailing around in my hand with it's stinger aiming at nothing, like some drunken boxer throwing wild punches in the ring. The moment I realize this little bastard is still alive AND still angry it is no longer cute. It is no longer some tiny bit of nature that I'm holding in my hand. Suddenly it seems to be the size of a Godzilla...or at least, Godzuki.



I sling it off to one side and off it goes. Thank goodness I've slowed to a less rockety 25mph, because I'm cruising one-handed on Flo-Jo and flailing around like some Raid-zapped insect. And already I can feel it swelling and itching.

I'm statin' the obvious, but Nature is a cruel and uncaring mistress!

3 Small Changes to Aide Weight Loss

Here's a quick update on my weight loss goals, for those that actually care about that sort of thing.

First off, a little self-congratulation. I weigh less now than I have in 2 decades. I am feeling incredible! I'm weighing in at 257 lbs these days. It's a total of 63 lbs. lost. I've still got a bit to go, but I'm over the halfway point.

I am not a yo-yo dieter, so for those of you that are, I don't have any real advice for you. I have been either losing steadily or at a full stop.

Ok, enough about that. What you guys want to know is HOW. Well, surprisingly, my changes were not huge.

1) More out than in.
This is statin' the obvious in a big way. There isn't a human being on the face of the planet that doesn't understand this. And yet, we find a hundred different things to focus on when we're trying to lose weight. I did it for a while. You start worrying about the percentage of carbs or how fast you ran or increasing the number of times you chew each bite of food. I am not saying there isn't a place for these worries. But it confuses things, makes them more difficult.

You may have heard of decision fatigue. Decision fatigue is the cause of many irrational trade-offs. Judges in court have been shown to make less favorable decisions later in the day than early in the day. The more decisions you need to make, the harder it is to make good ones later.

Jay walking, eh? Well, based on...Wait...it's 4:56??? Hang him! 

By eliminating the concern for how much protein I was eating, I have been able to concentrate on the one important rule: Burn more calories than I take in. You can be healthier, but you should be building one habit at a time.

2) Document
It's been proven that people who write down all of their food are more effective at losing weight. This was very true for me. I don't know the reasons why it works for others, but for me, it keeps me in the right frame of mind. On the days where I don't write something down it's because I'm feeling sneaky. And sneaky leads to eating that 3 pound chocolate Easter Bunny and not admitting to it. But, if you write down everything you eat, you are keeping yourself accountable.

I think she's re-enacting a scene from the Inglourious Basterds. .

I also track my activity with a Fitbit. It couldn't get any simpler. And, this goes back to Rule #1. I know how many calories I'm burning throughout the day. Makes it easy to know how much food I can eat.  Which leads to my biggest rule...

3) Don't eat it if you haven't earned it
I know a lot of people who want to lose weight who eat badly during the day and then say, "Oh boy, I am going to have to run about 5 miles tonight!"

Of course, they do not. Why don't they? Who knows: Kids, work, a new Joss Whedon TV show. Whatever the reason, it doesn't get done. I used to do it, too. I spent a lot of nights running at 11pm thanks to cheesecake at dinner. However, I don't do that anymore. Instead, I check my Fitbit and if I haven't burned the calories then I don't get the cake. Run first!

This isn't a crazy thought. Personal finances are the same. We all have that friend who burns through their credit card and swears they will pay it off immediately. In most cases, that friend is borrowing food out of your fridge within a few months.

The best personal financiers use credit when they don't really need it. They pay off their cards immediately because they always had the money, anyway. They aren't robbing Peter to pay Paul.

Your eating is exactly the same. If you make a habit of spending your calories only when you have the deficit to spare you will never be caught off guard. You won't have to force yourself to come home after that party and do 3 Jillian Michael's DVDs back-to-back.


Have you got some simple tips that would help our fellow adventurers out? Throw them in the comments. We'd love to hear!

Sometimes Art Takes a Back Seat

The High Priestess
18" x 24" 
Oil on Canvas

-------------------------------------------

Many of you have noticed that I am not producing art as fast as I once was. If my painting speed is comparable to the pace of a moderately healthy distance runner, than it has slowed to the pace of a dehydrated man crawling his way through the Gobi beneath a circle of hungry vultures. I used to feel bad about it. Art is my life. Art is my soul. Without it, I am that same starved and thirsty man trekking aimlessly through the desert of life.

"There's another artist down there."
"Yay! I love starving artist Tuesdays!"

But...is that true? There are some of us who are so focused on one or two things, nearly to the exclusion of others. We call these individuals "focused." It is high praise and is often the bailiwick of Masters-of-their-Craft. But, in truth, there are dozens of things that fill the gas tank of my soul, as anyone who has tried to follow this blog knows. I have a thousand interests. I promise, I won't try to blog about ALL of them.

<Editors Note: He obviously has forgotten about:
Swimming Post: A Note to Swimmers
Business Post: How to Develop Your Tag Line
Travel Post: Prague, The Little Quarter
TV Post: Why Defiance is Better Than Revolution
Song Talking Post: Pressure >

But, one can only do so much, and these days my time is being taken up by the creation of three businesses and graduating from business school. Alone, neither of these are small efforts. Together, and it's a wonder I have time to blink, much less paint.

But, as you can see by the above work, I haven't stopped altogether. I've only slowed down. In fact, even with the slow down, I'm produced quite a few works this year. There are a few that haven't been posted here that were done for competitions or shows. You'll see them soon.

The key is simply remembering that life is cyclical. Or, maybe the key is remembering that nothing lasts forever. Hmmm, actually, perhaps it's something about leading a horse to water but you can't look him in the mouth.

Wait, am I supposed to lead him to a gift?

Thanks for the water, Bro!

Yeah, that's it. You can give the gift of water to a horse, but don't put it in his mouth. So, that's my advice. The things you love will sometimes take a back seat to other things you love. And that's ok. We are multi-faceted individuals. The world is an unimaginably huge place with a shit ton to do and not enough lifetimes to do them all in.

But, always remember, you can give the gift of water to a horse, but don't put it in his mouth!

Any other advice? We'd love to hear it!

The Challenge Week 3 - Start Small

The High Priestess - Tarot

Before we get into The Challenge this week, I'm posting the progress of the latest painting. It's been too long since I've worked on one of the tarot series. It's been pleasant getting back into it; like being snuggled in the arms of some beautiful lover from your past. It feels like home.

Now, as for The Challenge, people ask me regularly what I'm doing to lose 50 pounds. Some people ask because they want a little advice. Some people ask because they wonder if I've thought about it. Fifty pounds is no small feat. For some of us it would be easier to fly to the moon by flapping our arms rather than pass on the second helping of Cheez Doodles. I don't claim to have any huge, life changing secret for weight loss. In truth, no one does. We all know how to get healthy. We've known since the first time either we made fun of someone or we were made fun of by someone for being overweight. This ain't the Illuminati.

By the way, Illuminati...I didn't get my invite to this year's "Illumi-Naughty" Bash!

But, there is one tip that I can give you. Start small.

Ok, this is starting to sound like the set up to a dirty joke.

Over the past two weeks I've been concentrating on one thing and one thing only: keeping my calories at a 1000 calorie deficit. Yes, I've been doing a little running, but not very seriously. To call what I do "running" would be to call the seven drunk sorority sisters at karaoke singing "Call Me, Maybe" a musical act.

Isn't that the lead singer from Paramore???

In fact, the main reason that I run is because I have a party to go to that night, or a dinner event, or because I had that second helping of Cheez Doodles. If I'm going to get that 1000 calorie deficit every day, I'm going to need to take a few extra steps.

What some people don't know is that, according to science or doctors or some kid who mowed my lawn once, 3500 calories works out to be approximately 1 pound. A 7000 calorie deficit each week should be roughly, all other things being equal, a two pound weight loss. So, that's what I'm going for.

Since this started, I've lost 3 pounds. Not bad. Slow and steady. Yes, some people can lose 3 pounds in a week by eating nothing but crackers and fizzy water. I'm looking for the bigger win.

Now, you'll have to excuse me. It's Cinco de Mayo. I see a lot of beer in my immediate future. So, you know what that means: I have about 95 miles to run this morning if I'm going to keep my 1000 calorie deficit for today.

Everyday Motivation

The morning was quiet. The sun had already revealed its presence to the world with the same scream of light it always did. Light, but not warmth. The covers didn't want to let me go. The added warmth of TheWife next to me added to the comfort of bed.

But, eventually you've got to face the world, whether its freezing...and in the middle of April!...or not. Besides, life is good, so there isn't any reason to hide away in bed like a black Brian Wilson. I can hear half my readership opening a tab and googling "Brian Wilson." You've just learned something new today. You're welcomed.

See, that's how life works. Just like the bulk of you, I wake up every morning better than I was the previous morning. I'm a little bit smarter, or healthier, or more flexible, or less poor, or more wise, or a little prettier. Maybe my sex count went up by one. Or three. Maybe my reputation got a little better.

Seven out of ten days, I'm a better man when I wake up. But, I have to force myself to remember that. See, unlike most of you, I wake up every morning reminding myself that I am a fat piece of shit and I should not have eaten that double scoop of butter caramel ice cream from the Parlour last night. I remind myself that I am struggling to build a business and that a ton of people are counting on me, "so try not to mess it up, loser!" I wake up to the thought that I'm older and that I haven't gotten as far as my neighbor or my cousin or Robert Downey Jr or that guy from Saved By The Bell.

"Of course you can't compare to me, mortal."

It's habit.

But, reality sets in.

I throw the covers back and put my feet on the floor. I look around at the sun filtering through the blinds. I see my dogs sleeping like the world has never been more safe. I look around at the paintings I've done, and the souvenirs from far away lands I've visited. I remember that I ran 5 miles yesterday, and that I have a meeting today with a guy that may be giving me a building. A fucking BUILDING!

I stand up and take a deep breath and see my shadow against the wall. And, yes, at first I see the shadow of my love handles, making my shadow look like I'm holding a tire swing against my chest. But, reality sets in once again. And I realize I'm seeing the old me. Yes, the new me still has a gut, but that gut is smaller than it was yesterday, and the day before that, and the day before that. It's not the same size as what I saw at first. That vision was habit.

But, as Mulder would say, "the truth is out there." And I remind myself that, in truth, I'm a little bit smarter, or healthier, or more flexible. I'm a little less poor, or more wise. And, yeah, I think I'm a little prettier.

And I remember that, unless I get hustling, I won't be able to say that again tomorrow.

5 Rules For Developing Your Tagline

You want to create buzz or generate some excitement with the mere mention of your company name.You want people to Just do it or to realize that you Bring good things to life... and that you can do it in 15 minutes.

Well, here's a little help for you. A few rules that will help you win friends and influence people.

1. Your Tagline Is A Focal Point
There are entire websites devoted to helping you create the world's greatest tag line/slogan. Suspiciously, however, business schools spend very little time on this. Do you know why that is? Because a tag line is only as good as the marketing behind it. You think Just Do It was enough? That by sticking that everyone Nike was able to gather a following the size of Alpha Centauri?

Not at all. A lot of work went into making Nike's tagline as popular as it is. It took focus. Every ad you see from Nike is about people out there, DOING it! And, of course, we want to be those people. Nike makes sure of it.

That's your goal. You not only want a tagline that motivates, but you want to make sure you give context and a reason for that motivation. If Nike had started creating ads that concentrated on the comfort level of their shoes, no one would give two farts about Just Do It.

2. Your Tagline Isn't About You
Fisher Price could have easily have said Our Toys Are Pretty Damned Great. Not many people would have argued. But, it doesn't inspire, either. Instead of simply bragging about the company they reminded us of what we want for our children. Play. Laugh. Grow. Simple, but very effective. When we hear those words, we feel as if we understand the message behind what makes Fisher Price who they are. And it aligns with what we want.

If you're working on your tagline, or just reviewing it, and it reads Jimmy's Art, It's Really Good, you might want to do a little altering. Now, Jimmy's Art, It Looks Really Good Over Your Couch could be just the change you need. How about Jimmy's Art, So Good You Just HAVE To Buy It!

3. When You Need A Tagline
According to Abby Kerr of The Voice Bureau, you need a tagline when your business name is bland, like The Geraud Gallery. No one knows that I do, or what they will find there. It's screaming for a tag line. She also recommends a tagline when your business concept isn't made obvious by the name of your business. Keyser Soze Accessories could be anything ranging from necklaces to kitchen appliances. A tagline will help it out. Personally, I like Keyser Soze Accessories, Memo Boards For The Quick Thinker. Or, perhaps Keyser Soze Accessories, Killer Shoes For The Everyday Man. 

4. Make It Visceral
Your tagline should be filled with emotion. You want me to relate to it, then you've got to wow me. Let's forget that there are 1000s of advertisements on TV, in magazines, and for the first 47 minutes of every movie in the theatre (which is also when my popcorn runs out). Most of these are bland. Even the good ones get lost. But forget about that. It's not a competition. Not really. It's about connecting to the people that you want buying your product or using your service.

Now, MAYBE visceral is bad for your business. Stepford Ladies Tennis Club, Breaking A Foot Off Into The Competition would probably not bring in the sort of people you want. But, generally speaking, you want people to get excited when they see your name and hear your slogan. Action comes from excitement. You want me to get up off the couch and call, you'll need to give me a charge. I'm not turning off the game just because I hear Cagney Exterminators, We'll Get Rid of Your Bugs. But, if I hear some guy or gal doing a Cagney voice and I hear Cagney Exterminators, We'll Never Take 'Em Alive I may just head over to the phone. If not right away, then definitely later.

5. Make It Long Lasting
You can change your tag line. In fact, it's good to review it every year or two to make sure it still rings true and aligns with what you do and what your customers want. But, you aren't TRYING to change it every year. So, make it last. Global Fireworks, Best Fireworks of 2013 is terrible. It may be nice for January of 2014, but after that no one cares. Also, don't reference pop culture (unless, perhaps, you're a pop culture-based business). These references get old fast. Iggy's Housecleaning, Cause Ain't Nobody Got Time For That is hilarious for a little while. But, in a year or two, people will just think you're grammar is terrible.

Looking for some steps to build your actual tagline? Check out these 19 Steps For Creating a Great Tagline. But, more importantly, just get cracking! Start thinking and see what you can come up with. I'd love to hear your ideas!

Geraud