My name is Jim Connolly and I am a freak!

It’s true: I am a freak!

Having now outed myself as a freak, I’d like to explain why you too should embrace your inner freak, if you want to achieve the potential you are capable of.

I want to begin with the man in the photo on the right.  He is an amazing artist I met this week.  His name is Ben Wilson and I have followed his work for years.  Ben makes art from the pieces of gum stuck to the street; transferring each one from an eyesore into a unique piece of art.

Ironically, I took this photo of Ben on Monday; outside The Royal Academy of Arts, London.  Of course, Ben is as much an artist as those whose work is displayed within those rather grand walls.  Indeed, his own work is regularly covered on TV and he has exhibited (inside) galleries all over the world.  What you may not know until you meet him “at work” creating, is that huge numbers of people stop and look at his art and talk to him, film him and take photos of him and his art.  That connection itself, is part of his art.  It’s beautiful.  He loves what he does and BOY does it show.

Defining freaks

I discovered Ben creating his art, as I walked from the train to meet with another amazing artist, my client, friend and inspiration, Nile Rodgers (that’s us on the right.)

What struck me, was that these 2 unconnected people are both similarly passionate about their art, because it matters so much to them.  To coin a term Nile is famous for, I believe that people who are driven to create and share in this way, are freaks.

When I say freaks, I am referring to those rare people who embrace their difference, rather than fight it and conform.  When Ben transforms gum into art, he’s not doing it for the money.  When Nile gets on stage and performs, he’s not doing it for the money either; with an estimated fortune of $40million, Nile’s doing OK, financially.  They are both doing it because it matters so much to them.  Freaks are the type of people Steve Jobs referred to as “The crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels.” in Apple’s 1990’s Think Different ad campaign.

Embracing YOUR inner freak

It isn’t just painters and musicians who match this definition of freaks.  We have them in every industry and profession, delivering their unique style of; web design, school teaching, marketing, legal representation, cooking, training, team building, medical care, circus skills, consulting, etc.  In fact, you see them every time you witness a person applying their craft to work that matters.

I wrote about this in detail in the following 2 posts, which are among the most popular pieces I have ever written:

1. What you need to know about Work That Matters.
2. Discover the key element that’s missing from 99% of businesses!

Rise!

Yes, it’s perfectly fine to get your head down and do what’s expected of you.  However, it’s far more rewarding in every way to raise your head, raise your expectations and embrace YOUR inner freak!