Brevity for Productivity and Connection (and Heart and Humor)
Plus: Illustrated Six-Word Memoirs from Kansas City Art Institute and Six-Word Reviews
Threw Spaghetti at Wall. Some Stuck
The Six-Word Memoir that resonates most with others has to be "Threw spaghetti at wall. Some stuck." For a while now, I’ve felt the need for a group beyond my immediate circles (and outside my home) to throw that spaghetti with. So, I was thrilled when I was invited to join Sidebar, which founder Lexy Franklin describes as "the peer group you didn't know you needed." In Sidebar, your group members (typically eight people) become a "personal board of directors" for your professional life. As someone who has spent the last 15 years tapping into the wisdom of groups by teaching them a tool to get to the essence of whatever they’re trying to figure out, I love that description.
In both our personal and professional lives, we often have the answers to our problems but need help tapping into those answers. A peer group can offer just enough distance to offer a fresh perspective. As trust builds within a group, your peers can begin to ask the hard questions. I’ve found that by answering those questions thoughtfully and honestly, I begin to solve the problem I’ve posed to the group — my peers simply helped get me there.
That’s the experience I’ve had at Sidebar. The platform encourages members to share their ideas and expertise with the broader community beyond their own peer groups and so I recently led a workshop called "Brevity for Productivity and Connection." After introducing the Six-Word Memoir concept, the group shared their personal Six-Word Memoirs. My favorite: "The one holding the shit umbrella." The group’s next challenge: In six words, describe your job to your mother (hands up if your mom/dad/sibling doesn’t understand what you do). The crowd favorite came from a high-level employee at a fitness company who described his job as "Streaming spin classes for rich people." Everyone left the session knowing a little bit more about their peers in the Sidebar community and perhaps even a little bit more about themselves.
Welcome New Friends!
A quick intermezzo to welcome new friends who’ve found their way here from other corners of the Substack universe, including Elizabeth Gilbert’s lovely Letters From Love, John Roedel’s poetic Around the Campfire, and Rob Walker’s attentive The Art of Noticing. Thank you all for subscribing to Say Less. For a brief history of Six-Word Memoirs and my approach to thoughtful and efficient brevity, check out my post “Six Words Turns 17.”
Classroom of the Month: Kansas City Art Institute’s 2024 Ilustrated Memoirs
Each year, I receive illustrated Six-Word Memoirs from Professor John Ferry’s “Image and Form” class at the Kansas City Art Institute, offering a glimpse into the minds of young artists today. The angst reflected in the class of 2022’s pandemic-inspired illustrations gave way to lighter, more playful art in 2023 as the world began to open up. In 2024, as the world feels more unstable, it’s unsurprising that the students' work is imbued with stress and uncertainty. Here are a few selections from Ferry’s seventh incredible season of teaching six words.
Short Cuts: Six-Word Reviews
From Substack: Anna Codrea-Rado, the author of You’re The Business and co-host of the Is This Working? podcast, uses her A-Mail newsletter to explore her fascination with how work affects our emotions. One of her most popular features is the quarterly “Income Report” where she transparently shares her earnings as a writer. Recently, she initiated the Substack Income Transparency Project, a survey aimed at uncovering writers' earnings. Her latest reader prompt invites all to share stories about a time they’ve felt shamed at work.
Larry’s six-word review: “Codrea-Rado is right on the money.”
From The Rest of the World: Recently I attended Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, located in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. Nestled amidst tourist attractions and beneath the shadow of the Smoky Mountains, this craft school has an unbelievably rich history. Arrowmont, established by the first women's fraternity as a settlement school in 1912, provided education and medical care to the then-remote community. During my weeklong stay, I met people from all over the United States, hobbyists and career artists alike, and learned about their experiences in art. Stories were told within the walls of the campus buildings and in the pieces we created with paint, textiles, metal, and wood.
Community manager Danielle Shum's six-word review: "An artistic escape into storied legacy."
NEVER TIRE OF THESE SIX WORDS. :)
Power of peer to peer learning! & the adaptation of text to visual 6WM always inspires.