The photo above is of the interior of an empty building – a former foundry, to be exact. The floor, walls, and ceiling are blank. Everything you see is an image cast by 140 projectors. It took one year of fine tuning to get it right, and now the blank space comes alive with the images of Imperial Austria and the paintings of Gustav Klimt, among others, all dynamically shown in synchronicity with the music of Mahler, Strauss, Wagner, and Beethoven.
The curators of this immersive experience at l’Atelier des Lumières in Paris created it from a vision, and every day, that vision comes to life with meaning and power. A blank space is transformed. For now, it’s Imperial Austria and Gustav Klimt.
The next exhibition will bring a new vision and a new experience. Every one of us has an opportunity to do the same thing with our lives, our work, and our businesses. We can start, and restart from nothing, any time we wish.
This exhibit does not appeal to everyone. It has its detractors, mainly those who think that art should be viewed in its original form – a painting, or sculpture – and not as a digital projection. For me, the good news was in discovering that, just like this exhibit, I don’t need to appeal to the entire world, either.
For the vast majority of us, millions of people don’t have to buy our products or services. Once I understood that I wasn’t looking for universal acceptance, I was free to share my take, without reservation, on how best to understand brand as a promise and work with like-minded companies to inspire them to deliver that promise by providing extraordinary customer experiences.
I shifted from trying to convince, to offering an invitation. Now my focus is on getting the word out, so that “my people” can find me. It gave me a great sense of relief and allowed me the freedom to go all in on my philosophy, without worrying that some might not like it, be offended, or disagree.
Are you holding back in fully projecting who you are, what you believe, and why you approach business the way you do? Choose to be bold. You don’t need the whole world – just your people. By the way, if you’ve read this far – thank you! Reward yourself by clicking on the link, above. The still photo doesn’t do it justice.