Artists paint the landscape they inhabit. Athletes pick up sports they are physically suited for. Activists speak against injustices they have personally suffered from. Poets write based on their life experience. Legislators work on issues closest to their hearts. Writers explore ideas they are intrigued by. Chefs create foods that inspire them. Economists study issues they have seen play out in their life’s context.
I am thankful that so many people pepper their life’s work with their life’s color. We will never be able to inhabit this array of experiences and their work offers a view into a sliver of humanity that would otherwise be out of reach. If it wasn’t for people infusing their work with their personal inspiration and vitality, our lives would be duller, our imagination weaker, our courage meeker. In business, the words “it’s not personal” are used as a free pass to care less. But the best work is personal, and aren’t we glad!
“I dream my painting and I paint my dream.”― Vincent van Gogh
