Wednesday - Tracing story

Being my business manager today. Have always liked that kind of work since I first started doing that as a visual artist - its creative, gives your imagination a work-out as well as eats up lots of time.

For the same reasons I really enjoy producing storytelling events. Juggling lists, keeping track of lists of details so things will run smoothly.

I used to set up large art fairs and fund-raising dinners. Its all the same - concept art. You have to imagine the event and how its going to work out - and then make it happen. I always start with the event itself - think through it - what I want to happen and how it will look - and then I walk backwards on the face of the calendar - walk back to the day I first start it. Develop my list from there. Its works.

Here is a surprise. Writing this I started to remember one of the biggest challenges I took on - a three state campaign trip with actress Polly Bergen and a group of four. It was like tackling a major painting. At the beginning someone loaned me a White House trip plan - each step of an old presidential trip itemized minute by minute. I studied that three-ring binder for days as I worked out the plan. Over and over. Until I felt pretty sure I could plan and manage it. Then I proposed it. Once the plan was accepted I started my own notebook. It was a great challenge. There are many stories tied up in that trip - the planning process and the doing of it.

It will be fun to work on a story of that adventure.

One key moments is a crisis which resulted in my tipping our Limo driver more than $700 because I was so over-tired and then having to ask him to return the money - "or I could lose my job." I was unbelievably grateful when he did.