What you see above is the view from my living room, the backside of my new apartment.
Given the abundance of retina-searing pop art adorning the walls and shelves of my place (52 pieces and counting), more than one guest has tongue-in-cheekly asked how I got the owners of the building above to match my color scheme and my artistic sensibility.
Ha ha ha.
Last night, over a glass of red Italian wine, I sat on my couch, admired the view and pondered:
"What would inspire someone to paint THE BACK of their building that way?"
Painting the front, I can understand. If you've got the guts to be that face-forward flamboyant, then you're comfortable with the statement you're making.
But the back? Who sees it? Who cares?
Why not spend the money on something more visible?
Or why not save the money in the first place? What's the use in spending on the out-of-sight/out-of-mind part?
The more I thought, the more I came to realize that "painting the back" is THE TRUE statement; a statement that speaks volumes about one's courage and one's authenticity. Painting the back is about the core, about one's soul.
This is the equivalent of a 360-degree deal, of walking one's talk. This is the difference between being a pretty facade and a profound entity.
On the mundane side, this is ensuring your drawers and closets are neat and organized, despite the fact that nobody other than you will probably ever see inside 'em. This is making your bed even though nobody else is home.
Going deeper, this is making sure your employees have the proper health plan even though you can get away with something cheaper. This is staying true to your creative vision instead of pandering. This is following your passion instead of giving in. This is donating to charity...anonymously.
I love that wacky pink-and-yellow building behind me. Not only do I love the way it stands out from every other one I can see from the 12 windows in my place, but I love what it has taught me this week.
The lesson? It's the corollary of my oft-stated belief that what people say behind your back is more important (and more truthful) than what they say to your face. To wit:
The real you is not found in what you choose to show; it's found in what you choose NOT to show.
The Rolling Stones sang "Paint It Black."
Well, my new battle cry is "Paint The Back."