Salt-N-Pepa sings "Push It" but Make sure you Won't Regret it!

"Parasailing Spoonbill" original drawing, matted and ready for framing on Etsy

There’s an old saying: “People who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones.” Simply put, it means if you have no faults or failings, you’d better not hurl insults at someone else. Your words or the people you hurt just might come back to bite you.

Twitter is alive and well with infighting and outfighting.  It’s not just for advertising. Now it’s interactive. Tweeters throw barbs at one another and side with different causes often before the truth is known. It’s the mob mentality except that the virtual sparring is anonymous. But people still get hurt. Sometimes reputations are ruined in the process as everyone else slinks back into the dark recesses of cyberspace.

It’s easy to hide behind the screen of an alias or a wall of protected conduits. Backstabbers flee. Name callers slither away. Untruths multiply and hearsay is repeated. The media often glorifies the gore that is left behind and encourages more for the sake of news. The truly innocent fall through the cracks and the bullies continue to bedevil those who disagree with them.

It was just a matter of time before this kind of behavior became the "norm." Today news travels faster than fact. People form an opinion before both sides can be heard. Some use a false narrative purposely to promote their own agenda adding more fuel to the fire.

By the time cool heads prevail the damage has already been done. I don’t know if there is a “fix” for this kind of problem. I caution everyone to weigh and evaluate before you make a judgment. Instead of getting caught up in the moment, try to get more information before you blast someone you don’t know just because you can.

Professionalism should govern most of our lives especially those of you who are in business. Employers not only examine your behavior at work when they do your review. Many of them are going online to see what you’re like when you’re not at work. Is this an invasion of privacy? Perhaps; but more importantly, they want to know if you are honest and forthright; a well-rounded person with no secrets to hide or to be ashamed of.

"Dregs of Winter" matted and ready to frame

That’s the reality we live in today. We live and work in a global web of interconnectedness.  We also leave a trail of crumbs behind us that almost anyone can find. If you leave a series of dishonest acts, sexual misconduct, illegal or bad behavior in your wake your clients and customers, your boss or a future employer will find you out. Think before you act. Do not PUSH, send or post unless you’re 100% certain you won’t regret it later.

The Abbreviated World of Twitters and Tweets

"Maestro" 9 x 12 Pastel on Bristol

 Most of us Tweet, even though we’re not convinced it does anything for our business. The overwhelming number of tweets sent and received each day means that many are not read, let alone acted upon.

I discussed this with my son-in-law over Christmas (perhaps argue would describe it better) about whether social media and Twitter in particular increased sales or business. His conjecture was that it did not. My attitude was more positive, as I know for a fact that it has increased readership for my Christian articles.

It would be great to get your feedback on how social media and Twitter has either helped or hindered your business, i.e. does it waste precious time, etc.

When I first started tweeting, I tried to make my tweets profound, or at least somewhat interesting. 

Many of them had some good advice. I’m “retweeting” some of them in place of my blog today:

“My tools; my soul mates: pencils, brushes, paint joining together in pursuit of excellence; changing darkness into light and breathing life into shapes and forms.

“Hands tell a story. Their calluses and wrinkles define us. We talk and express delight with hands. We applaud those things we love. Handy!

“Lift up your heart to the music of creation. Paint the world fantastic. Let nature ring. Bring on the brush, baby!

“Artists deal in illusion, turning flat lines into forms and shapes that pull the viewer into a greater understanding of the world.

“An art show is like performing without a script. The fluid style of color and shape express the unspoken words of the heart.

“Touching brush to canvas, the artist consummates a passion-filled marriage that explodes into droplets of agony and ecstasy, fire and ice.

“An artist’s prayer: wrap my soul in your love Lord; whisper into my heart and draw out a masterpiece that awakens the world.

“A good painting provides eye calisthenics, inviting us to explore the details, subtleties, and deeper realms of human thought within.”

Do you have a favorite saying or tweet? Share them with us!