Seems that a number of occupations are reflected on this site. I've seen a few attorneys, an artist, and there's me, a Cosmetologist-Masseur/Casino Dealer. It seems that we're all successful not only at what we do, but I assume such is also true in our personal lives (or is just me that has some semblence of a social life?). But something had to have inspired us, shaped us, given us some ideas along the way.
I do credit my parents for giving me guidance and encouragement-and that's first and foremost-and a foundation of values and ethics; if ya don't have that, it's like building the house on sandy ground. Academically, I had a number of magnificent teachers in High School, College and Vo-Tech who took the time out to get me on track and awaken my curiosity and tap deeper into my creativity. And for a sense of style and a zest for life, my beloved Uncle Jim (oh, the stories that could be told!). So there's the mortar and bricks.
Professionally, my inspirations and influences vary, but I do have some that are consistent. In the realm of Cosmetology, my influences are renowned hairstylists Jose Eber and David Evangelista, manicurist extraordinaire Jessica Vartoughian, and makeup artists Way Bandy and Kevyn Aucoin. In terms of my Croupier work, I am definitely indebted to my teachers at Dealer School, but the work does bring out the showman in me, and just like the bartender I once was, I'm there to also entertain (so I know a number of magic tricks and occasionally ribald jokes). My influences are varied here, but I do draw my inspirations from Lance Burton, David Blaine, Criss Angel, and Harry "that guy from TV's Night Court" Anderson.
It's a tall order to fill every day and night, but I'm successful for it all.
So who does everyone here look to in terms of personal and professional inspiration and guidance and influence? Who do you admire and learn from?
Way too many to count, for me. I will be a deacon in the Anglican Church in late July, and will be a priest less than a year from then. I would say that my mother and grandfather were my greatest influence. Aside from them there was Rev. Dr. James Buskirk from First United Methodist, Paul Taylor and John Kilgore from Liberty Church, and one of the priests from Holland Hall School.
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Originally posted by Johnboy976
Way too many to count, for me. I will be a deacon in the Anglican Church in late July, and will be a priest less than a year from then. I would say that my mother and grandfather were my greatest influence. Aside from them there was Rev. Dr. James Buskirk from First United Methodist, Paul Taylor and John Kilgore from Liberty Church, and one of the priests from Holland Hall School.
Holland Hall? Man, back when I lived in T-Town in the 1980s, you guys threw the best book fair; used to go every year until 1990.
Still a great book fair. Only ran 1 day this year though.
I get some influence from about everyone on here. Some give ideas of what "to" do, and some let me know what "not."
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Originally posted by sgrizzle
Still a great book fair. Only ran 1 day this year though.
I get some influence from about everyone on here. Some give ideas of what "to" do, and some let me know what "not."
Well, I must say that Conan and IPLAW do get me to think on my positions on the issues, and I'm honored to share the board with them for this reason.
Tulsa artist Olivia Hogue was my earliest artist role model. She showed me you could be cool and live in Tulsa at the same time. I remember her taking our class to a little gallery in Utica Square (now a coop gallery) to see Philip Pearlstein's realist studies of nudes. Not long ago I saw some late work of her father's (Alexander Hogue) and I saw a real correlation to Pearlstein's art.
Oklahoma Educational Television was a big influence too. It really broadened my horizons.
My older sister/sometimes best friend Norma had a tremendous influence on me. Sometimes she wanted a tag along and she would take me along and introduce me to adult subjects and her adult friends. I can remember sitting in her apartment on Denver and listening to Bob Dylan's White on White for the First Time. Norma had enormous hip status. She was there at Tulsa's First Love-In in Woodward Park. Norma was loved by many people. She was a crazy cat woman who could never turn away from a hungry stray. She died of breast cancer in 1980.
MJ, I appreciate the compliment.
There are quite a few people I've drawn influence from and who have had a great impact on my life. It would take hours to acknowledge everyone who has been a significant part of my life. I had to think about this for a couple of days and finally narrowed it down to the six most influential.
Three have been people I worked for who wound up not only being great business mentors but also fantastic friends through whom I've learned a lot about life as well. I also had a grandmother, grandfather, and brother whom I really looked up to- all of whom are gone now.
The first of the mentioned bosses was gay and died of AIDS. It was hard to see him robbed of his energy and to see him wither away. He also attended Higher Dimensions (before Carlton Pearson adopted his "all-inclusive" dogma) and had a strong Christian belief. He struggled with the duality of his life until the day he died, but always believed there was a place in heaven for him- I've never doubted that. He was also the first person I heard say: "Love the sinner, hate the sin".
He taught me to accept all people for who they are and to not judge others "until you've walked a mile in their moccasins". He taught me it was healthy to laugh at yourself and not to be so damn serious all the time. Life is for living while you are here. He and his partner referred to my ex-wife and I as their "token straight-couple". Truly one of the most gregarious and "larger-than-life" personalities I've ever known.
The second boss taught me good business and marketing skills, but also how to be a better husband, father, and leader. I still stay in touch with him as I work in sort of a parallel business environment now.
The third I work for now. Closest thing I have to a brother. We've been buddies for many years and he's showed me the meaning of loyalty and generosity over and over.
My brother was just a great example to follow. He was the most Christ-like image I've known. He wasn't a bible-thumping Christian, though church was important to him. What I mean is that he was a very altruistic person- always putting other's needs first and in so doing found he had few needs of his own. He also taught me a lot about being humility. There were many good deeds he'd done my mother and I never knew about until after he was gone. He was always too interested in other people to talk about himself. There were also a lot of lessons I learned about myself in his death- all good.
My grandmother taught me about manners and gave me a moral compass.
My grandfather was a self-taught machinist and engineer. He had to drop out of Texas Tech during the depression before he could graduate. He used to like to say that he got his "B.S." from the "School of Hard Knocks". He'd take something apart, figure out how it worked then either improve on it or make something better. He was someone who could always find a solution to a mechanical problem. Biggest thing I learned from him was to stand back, take a look at a problem (concerning tangibles or intangibles), and approach it logically.
These were all people who taught me something either by direct instruction, or just being fascinating enough for me to follow their example.