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Authenticity, Transparency and Poetic Musings

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Written by Karen D.  Swim

The sky blushed with soft shades of rose, clouds softly rolling in darkening the sun
A heart that was heavy lifted as emotions floated on the wind, I exhaled and the sky blushed.
Soft droplets of rain falling gently from the folds of lavender robes as a clap of thunder trumpeted the arrival of a majestic display of power and humility
Branches bowed low in worship, leaves danced in delight

Emotion seeped from hidden spaces, riding waves of tears pushing past floodgates of fear
The sky blushed and I exhaled.

____________________________

Over the long weekend I began reading a fabulous book, Collapse of Distinction: Stand out and move up while your competition fails (NelsonFree). (Big fat huge hugs to Kelly Erickson for the book!) There are a wealth of lessons which I will share liberally in later posts, but the book got me to thinking about authenticity and transparency.

We all agree that transparency has its boundaries. We do not need nor want to know the intimate details of everyone’s life. We need not be privy to every dark thought or struggle.  It is my belief that ultimately it is not transparency or authenticity we seek;  we crave humanity.

We want to know that there are real live people who think, breathe, cry and don’t always have the answers behind the logos and branding messages. We want to know that you feel, and care about many of the same things we do.

Yet, we require that humanity in a silo.  In my own life, it is time to bleed the  lines. I have always been fairly “transparent” yet I realize that my self imposed limits may be stunting my own growth. I am a writer desiring to grow, stretch and learn yet until now have been fearful of  sharing certain kinds of writing on this blog.

Yes, there is a fine line to walk here.  You cannot do what you feel in spite of what your market wants BUT to innovate and grow you must be willing to test.

Paint slosh
Image by krandolph via Flickr

There are many things we use and like that we never could have predicted.

McKain’s book inspires  the  question of whether we want to be different or do we truly want to be distinct? I am not out for fame, fortune or even market share but I do want to be my own class.  I want to be wanted for me and not as the writer or marketer that is like so and so.

To achieve that end, I have to find my own voice and be willing to make mistakes along the way. I must break down silos and share the other pieces of me – yes the bad poetic musings, the half baked fiction and the often really good ideas that emerge from the schizophrenic process.

How can I be authentic in the market if I am not first true to myself? While I will not use this space as a laboratory, I will blur the lines as I create that crayon in the box that is clearly marked “Karen.”

What about you? Do you want to be different or do you want to be distinct?

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Comments

  1. Hi Shari! Thanks for that boost of encouragement! It is so fun to take this journey with all of you, still a little scary but when you push through there’s no shortage of good people to do the happy dance with you! 🙂

  2. Andrew, I really value your support! When I feel a little scared, I really do find courage thinking of all of you! Growing into who God made you to be – no better way to truly be distinct. 🙂

  3. Karen:

    I applaud your actions to embrace your whole self and eagerly anticipate your sharing. I will be in the audience with Brad and Ulla and all the others.

    Enjoy your exploration!
    Shari

    Shari Smothers´s last blog post..drafting

  4. Karen,

    Like Brad said, I look forward to hearing more from you as you continue to challenge and expand upon the boundaries in terms of what you are willing to share with us on this blog.

    Personally, I am not so concerned about being different or distinct, but am more concerned about growing into the person that the lord our god made me to be.

    Andrew´s last blog post..Hate rappers – social menaces or genuine entertainers?

  7. Kelly, I tweeted about the book and to my surprise Scott joined the conversation! He earned huge points from me for being there and willing to engage in conversation, and he’s very nice! T

    You are so right : “The funny thing about humanity is, if we really show it, distinctiveness is the only possible result. ” You said it sister!

    My one complaint, Amazon smeared your address, so I have this Thank you note sitting on my desk! I 😉

  8. Ulla, big hugs to you! I am so glad you liked that and it painted a picture for you. Whoo hoo! 🙂 I love the way you frame that question, yes, yes, that cuts to the heart of it ! We are distinct but do we allow that to show? Brilliant Ulla!

    Like Brad, your honesty and openness have allowed us to see and love your distinction.

  9. Jeanne, I read and grinned with absolute delight even as tears filled my eyes. What you said is worthy of framing. Hello Everyone, did you read that, how cool is that comment! 🙂

    I really appreciate you sharing that story as I believe many others are in that space. She is so blessed to have your insight and compassion to guide her through this transition. Finding the right balance, I think, comes with time as we test the boundaries. In my book you are doing just fine!

  10. Alex, an organizer who can’t compatmentalize? Meh! 🙂 You are truly Alex all the time and deliciously so which is such an integral part of your charm. 🙂

  11. Brad, your honesty is what makes you unique! You share your insights and perspectives and turn things over and examine them as only you can. Your work is unique because of the way you do it. I know your clients see this too. 🙂

  12. Karen, I’m very happy you’ve decided to share some poetic lines. Must be something in the air just now 🙂

    But I have to say.. you’ve always seemed like someone who’s stretched and pushed at the margins, and shared some deeply personal things, funny things, things that could *only* have been written by your wonderful self.

    It’s why we read your work, and sing your praises.

    Just so’s you know 🙂

    Joanna Young´s last blog post..The Courage To Hear Yourself Sing: Free E-Book

  14. Karen,

    Glad to send it, after your wonderful description of Randazzo’s market at MCE. I second Ulla’s comment—You do paint great word-pictures.

    The funny thing about humanity is, if we really show it, distinctivenss is the only possible result. Like Alex’s warts, lol. Nobody’s got warts that are quite the same.

    I love listening in on your thoughts and your evolution, Karen. Keep moving forward!

    Regards,

    Kelly

    Kelly´s last blog post..What Do You DO in the Afterglow?

  15. Karen,
    I don’t agree with you – your poetic musings are not bad, because they managed to create images in front of my eyes while reading the lines. “The sky blushed and I exhaled” – I think that’s a wonderful expression.
    And I would prefer changing your question to
    “do you allow yourself to be distinct?” Because I think everyone of us is distinct, but too often we cut that distinctiveness off, being afraid of unpleasant reactions. I can fully support Brad here: “I just try to be honest”.

    Ulla Hennig´s last blog post..Berlin, Pariser Platz

  16. Karen, your post helped me to connect a few thought dots that have been forming. A former colleague called me for advise about leaving her corporate job to start a business. During the call she said, “I just can’t stuff who I am all day, every day, any more”. She had used the very words that I used to describe why I left corporate more than a dozen years ago. So many people find themselves well suited to their jobs but miscast in their environment. Even when outside the restrictions, we can continue to let fear stifle us. As someone fairly new in SM, I am currently wrestling with finding the “right” balance for me.

    As for you, dear Karen: From the first moment that I spoke with you, I knew that you were distinct. Over the years I have seen many facets of you and they are multicolored prisms of beauty and light. Here’s to letting them fall into place like the breathtaking scenes in a kaleidoscope!

  18. Hi Karen, I look forward to reading your blog as you expand boundaries – it is such a “Karen Swim” thing to do. Your courage and honesty are admirable and your ability to express these attributes so powerfully in your writing is certainly distinctive. Personally, I quit thinking about whether I want to be different or distinct a long time ago. I just try to be honest, express as much of myself as I’m comfortable doing, and let others reach their own conclusions. What feels honest and what I feel free to express change and grow, sometimes because of something as simple (but powerful) as reading a post like this one. So I think, Karen, as you discover changes in yourself, you inspire others to explore and grow.

    Brad Shorr´s last blog post..The Benefits of Talking about Features