I went into Manhattan for the first time in a year yesterday, March 19' 2015 ...to support a friends' Earth Day booth in Union Square.
I hawked his products, pitched his patent, videotaped with his phone as requested and suggested a better booth design, but I was unprepared for the cold winds that descended. Still did my best to attract energy to his sparsely staffed booth. By the end of the evening, he was not longer a friend (although everything changes and maybe he will gain some perspective when he's not stoned).
I was all set to leave the city at 7:30pm. But since coming into NYC was SUCH a nightmare, taking over 90 minutes for what should have been a 40 minute voyage on the way into the city...I hit traffic early, a mile before the bridge, at 96th St. I circle back around to the 79th St. boat basin where I got out and began making light paintings to market my friends product and website(*link)!
Accidents had traffic backed up on the George Washington Bridge - it took at least half an hour to cross, before another half hour getting downtown to Union Square. My body aches from being on my feet for so long, so I needed to get out and stretch rather than sit in traffic for another hour, and decided to make good use of my time.
After an hour documenting the deepening darkness which actually enhanced my light paintings, I decided that traffic was moving enough for me to head home as I had an early-morning errand to get my mothers car fixed at the body shop.
Just then a text message came in asking if I was still in the city? It was my friend, inviting me to come to his hotel suite with a balcony just so that we could have a smoke. He offered to feed me as small compensation for my assistance and offered to pay me on top of that. I declined the money, saying I was glad to help out and be of assistance, but I am a bit hungry so if you could order some coconut shrimp I would appreciate it.
It's okay another half an hour to get back downtown and over to the Eastside at 39th St. and Lexington Avenue. I went up to the 12 floor and was greeted warmly by a friend I haven't seen in many years who is had great success thanks to his perseverance and foresight.
Are you recounted the time when I was visiting New York City to produce the arts for social change awards, where we first met. He had just moved into an apartment and allowed me to crash there in an extra bedroom for a month after my production. I shared how I loved to play catch with his cat, Xing-who loved to chase bottle caps no matter where they landed in stacks of boxes only to retrieve it and bring it back, dropping it in your lap waiting for the next throw. We played this way for hours it was great fun.
My friend recounted how he got to be dealing with Microsoft and Apple, with each bringing 25 lawyers to the table to defend or challenge is patent of which there were 64 points none of which could be disputed making him a very happy and excited camper. But things turned I n short order.
Earlier When I had gone to his website, there was a list of categories by which one could order up a series of web pages which would then be played back automatically once you selected a category to file the links under. However in all of the categories, there was nothing about creativity; no or no music no science no education no entertainment the categories seem to be very mainstream and antiseptic.
Being the consummate artist that I am I found this to be disconcerting. It's bad enough that the schools are slashing art and science budgets, and I'm concerned about our future and the children's intelligence, ethics, inability to adapt and communicate as a result of traditional education and educational institutions, making a case for Creativity Café.
This was just after we had gone out for a smoke and for me to make some photographs of him and the logo I had reproduced in my Blinkytape and wanted to unite his physical image with the virtual logo and branding on the ledge with the Chrysler building down the block which is what I did, we did!
However he took offense that I would find fault on this great day of celebration with his tool. I told him I was merely giving him a novice users feedback and I found there being no major category that was in any way reflective of creativity bothered me.
My innocent feedback angered him which caught me quite offguard. Rather than him saying I'll look into it, he began to angrily diminish me. Saying things like
I shared that I was here all day to help him, and offered my assistance in anyway I was able. He starts telling me that I've done nothing but being negative and critical. I thought to myself oh no this guy's ego is now bruised, and there's no way... since he's under the influence, that he will calm down or listen to reason! He showed me to the door, saying angrily "you piss me off, no wonder you don't have any friends." He was in a tirade and out-of-control when his phone rang. It was his girlfriend in Idaho. And with that I walked out and said good luck which he offered back to me and that was more than likely, the end of
a friendship that began long ago, in 1989, however was as one-sided as most of my relationships are, with me doing the one who maintains the connection by every now and then either calling or emailing
I had tried to rekindle our friendship by my Service. But thanks to my authentic feedback and being true to my assessment of his site, another friend has bit the dust.
I had spent an hour (better than being stuck in traffic) listening to his boasting of his network of millionaire buddies, his playing in their band (he had a travel guitar I was considering buying at one point, but passed on) and his conquest over Apple & Microsoft in patent courts - costing $50Mil. I had cheered him at each curve as I listened to his tale, feeling so glad this dear soul has gotten to live his dream... But that was all forgotten, the instant his ego got bruised by my feedback which might have preoccupied us for 5 minutes while rather than gracefully accept my sharing & moving on - he blew up - personally I think it must have been what we were smoking.
