Tag: Art

Got paint?

Got paint?

What do you paint with?
#thinkdifferently

Sort to your answer and be grateful you have one that inspires you.

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This website is about our WORK. To ponder today’s post about our HOME, click here.

Born natural?

disney keynote speaker Jeff Noel in his office
Purchased domain names (websites) in 2008. Incorporated in 2009. Retired in 2014. A six year head start for my backup plan.

Before i started at Disney Institute (DI) in 1999, Richard Parks, a stellar DI facilitator, helped me prepare for a 10-minute DI audition.

Richard and i met once a week for 6-8 weeks. During this time i was enjoying my 15th year in Disney Resort Hotel Operations. i was the master of my domain in our Flagship Resort. Yet, i’d drive to DI from Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort to spend 30 minutes with Richard while he tried to prepare me for delivering a 10-minute section of the 90-minute “Service, Disney Style” keynote speech. Just a 10-minute piece. That’s all.

Each time, i was a wreck. A total cluster.

Important to remember that i never, ever had even the smallest notion to become a professional speaker. None. Ever.

And i was so out of my comfort zone during the entire process. Nothing about it felt good. Nothing felt fun. Nothing felt hopeful.

But i kept trying to learn what Richard was offering.

i couldn’t grasp it.

i didn’t want to grasp it.

Even today in 2025 i cannot recall why i even said yes to DI’s invitation.

So anyway, i decided at 1:00am the day of my 10:00am audition that i was stupid for even thinking about trying this. My plan was to call DI around 8am when the office opened and tell them, “i don’t know what i was thinking. i’m not qualified to audition, let alone potentially become part of your team.”

The point of this post is that Richard recognized my insecurities, my lack of passion to become a speaker, and my inability to quickly grasp the basics he was trying to teach.

So he asked me if i knew who Roy Hobbs was. i didn’t. He asked if i ever saw the movie, “The Natural” starring Robert Redford. Another “no”. So after a little bit of baseball history and context, Richard blurted out, “Jeff, you are a natural!”

While it sounded magical and wonderful, it didn’t change anything because i didn’t believe it.

A few years after getting the DI Speaker role, i slowly began to feel that this was what i was born to do, never knowing.

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This website is about our WORK. To ponder today’s post about our HOME, click here.

We come to know confidence

We come to know true confidence when we learn to fanatically pursue our art for our entire lifetime.

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This website is about our WORK. To ponder today’s post about our HOME, click here.

Happy winter 2024, work

Winter began 24 hours ago. Let’s think about how we traditionally tee up our winters…

Ever think of yourself as a professional artist?

If yes, why?

If no, why?

Let’s assume a few things:

  1. Artists are different than the others who do the same thing
  2. Artists offer something few others (if anyone) offers
  3. Artists gravitate to being “better”
  4. An artist’s best chance is to be different rather than better

We become what we think about.

Intentionally or unintentionally.

Can you imagine the difference between the two approaches?

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This website is about our WORK. To ponder today’s post about our HOME, click here.

Art creates freedom

mountains and unique clouds
St Mary Lodge is nearby. We drove two-hours one way to enjoy dinner at The Snowgoose Grill. This dusk view of Divide Mountain is on our return across the Continental Divide on Going-to-the-Sun Road.

Art creates freedom from conformity.

dad

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This website is about our WORK. To ponder today’s post about our HOME, click here.