Sunday musings…

Integrity.

Definition of integrity

1 : firm adherence to a code of especially moral or artistic values : incorruptibility. 2 : an unimpaired condition : soundness. 3 : the quality or state of being complete or undivided : completeness.

While everything was shut down, we all had an equality. It was much easier to hold to the integrity we wanted to re-enter the industry with.

Now that the industry is re-opening, where does that leave you? Where is your integrity? Where is your authenticity as it relates to that integrity?

Integrity, nor authenticity has to be loud. It just has to be present.

It doesn’t have to be exaggerated or fancy. It has to be minimalistic and clear.

Integrity needs to be determined by how you live, authentically.

When the playing field suddenly shifts, where does that leave you? How are you negotiating that?

Here are my thoughts.

As an artist you must remain pliable in order to adjust and play within the work. HOWEVER, your integrity remains solid within that work, what you bring to that work, how you approach that work, how you behave within that work.

What are you there to do? What are you committed to within the work? What are you committed to around the work? What are the boundaries? What allows you to lean forward and say “yes”, and what determines the decision to question and lean back and say “oh hell no”. ?

As our industries continue to find out their footing, so do each of us. How do you determine that? What are you willing to do? What are you willing to give up? What are you willing to put in the balance and see how the chips fall?

We don’t have to go out looking for a fight. We don’t have forget the artistic work to have integrity.

We need to commit to the process, and be aware of the spaces we find ourselves in. We need to be prepared to question our own thoughts, as well as to question responses to the spaces we find ourselves.

We do not need to be combative, but we do need to be aware.

We do need to be clear about our truth and what our boundaries are.

We need to be firm in what crosses the line and what we are willing to do, to protect that line.

How complete is your moral and artistic code? What are you willing to say yes to? What are you willing to say no to? What are you willing to call out? What are you willing to simply walk away from, quietly? What are you willing to burn down?

It doesn’t have to be all or nothing. It doesn’t have to be loud and full of fire. it often can be quiet and still and be just as powerful.

Someone who is very dear to me, that I have learned much from used to say “You know, this isn’t working for me” and walk away. (She knows who she is!!!). That was enough to reveal and at the same time solidly stand in her code, authentically with integrity.

Sometimes you aren’t going to fully know your code of integrity until you are in a situation where it is challenged. Will you simply be ready to allow the challenge and rise to the occasion?

We need to discover the complete undividedness of our integrity and claim it fully.

Then, and only then, will our industry begin to claim the true changes it thought it was doing during the pandemic.

Thoughts, wishes, wants don’t create the truth of action and change. We do that together. Undivided.

with fondness & fierceness,