Just Be Nice

Though many of you may not necessarily be familiar with me enough to know this, but I spend 40 hours of my week chained to a desk from 9 am to 5 pm.  What might also not be readily apparent, is that I'm chained to a desk doing work in financial services in the NY/NJ/CT area.  

YOU GLUTTON FOR PUNISHMENT, WHY?!  What the hell is an artist doing in financial services?  Paying bills, mostly.  But also, working with people, which I love to do, and doing most of my work as a creative director.  But mostly what I'm doing is learning.

If working with the money of doctors, lawyers and accountants, amongst the many has taught me anything, it has taught me this: these people are fucking mean.  They scream at you, they call you names, they get nasty and threaten to sue you, all over things as simple as resubmitting a form.

No matter how nasty they are though, how rude, how hurtful, no matter what they do, I cannot reciprocate.  In fact the only thing I can do is to Just Be Nice.


This is a picture of the bulletin board next to my desk.  

A lesson that almost gets lost in our generation, in an effort to get what you need in this dog eat dog world, is the lesson of kindness.  Below the sign to remind me to just be nice, I have hung all the compliments and cards and thank you emails I receive from the clients that appreciate these kindesses.

There will always be mean people.  There will always be insecure people and people who only have hurtful comments to say because they have no way to better communicate.  I will not contribute to this.  I will not add to the pool of vitreol and mire that surrounds much communication, and honestly, why should I.

Now, anyone who knows me, will also know that I am a blunt, honest person, that I don't take bullshit from anyone.  I'm guilty of a short fuse.  That's why I have reminder signs like those on my bulletin board--"Use your coping skills" and "First world Problems" and "Just Be Nice" to remind me to be kind, and if I have a problem with someone, something or some sort of decision, that there are appropriate ways of dealing with them.  

Thanks for reading.

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