Snowflakes in München

Dancing snowflakes in front of my window. Behind me a bar, nicely buzzing with low voices. My run-away place. The appartement I am living in is as empty as it is cold. I long for some rest...a comfortable environment, sofas, pictures on the wall. But you don´t complain, when you are a guest, you rather go and buy some posters for the walls.
Or you think of a better plan:
The Pinakothek is right around the corner, and isn´t art created to make people happy? To show a different approach to life? Something out of the normal, something exiting! That´s what art is for, so let´s make it real.
I went in, carefully, limping a little bit because of my sprained ankle. Looking around I immediately noticed the big, tall guy right in the first room after the entrance hall. He would be my complice, I decided. So I approached him carefully, looking left and right and up if nobody was watching. No, they were pretty busy with guarding the art, imprisoning it. "Art is meant to be free!" I whispered, when walking past him. A small turn around and a smile and I was again contemplating the piece in front of me. A Klee, if I remember correctly. But the one I wanted was by Max Ernst, Totem and Taboo. It fit the bigger plan. Mr. Big began to move slowly. He shifted his weight off his right leg, it crackled some as he pulled it out of the anchorage. "Not too many people know that." he answered. His voice was as thin as the air on a 8000 mountain, barely hearable. If I had not called him before I would have thought is was the air condition. "Will you help me?" I asked and looked straight into his steely eyes. They began to twinkle and shine, a shiver ran over his wrinkled body. "Young lady, how will I not help you? If you just called on my vocation!" "So let´s bring life to this deathbed!" I clapped my hand on his rough shoulder.
His twisted body straightened visibly and I began to scream, scream as lound as I could and as my lungs would hold. "He moved, he moved!" I screamed and the guard came running from the next room to see what the hack was going on there and who dared to disturb the deathlike silence of the place. I was pale as a blanket, my finger trembled as I pointed onto the statue: "He moved!" Now that was abviously too much for the guard, he had no training in what to do with customers who go mental. First he just stared at me and when he saw me grin he cracked up laughing. He was quite young, had a sharp face and was most probably totally bored by his job. Yes! Perfect person! And this was the best reaction possible, since with every more vibration of life in here Mr. Big would become stronger. His job was to take the picture while mine consisted in keeping up the illusion. I don´t know which one was more difficult. I am quite used to walking and grabbing things with my hands, he probably did it for the first time. He was an expert in letting people see what they want to see while gently twisting their thoughts into a certain direction. But if this was going to work out we had to enter unknown territory, both of us. You can´t preach one thing and do the other. If our plan was to work out, it had to be carried out in its own way. Totally.
So here I was, trying to gently twist the thoughts of the nice, young guard into one direction, away from the moving statue. I had never done this before, but I also had never been in a situation where I needed to steal a picture. Being right there in the moment things come to you when you need them and either you fail or you succeed.
My eyes were fixed, but relaxed, as I talked to him. I let him see right into my mind, at least until the big screen that I had placed there for him. Like in a movie where the projector shows the episodes that were previously recorded. I had recorded a lot in my life, so the only thing to do was to pick the right topic. Fairly easy with this guy. He loved travelling, you could tell from casting just one look. So I talked about the world and its wonders, high mountains and deep seas and kept my eyes straight in his ones. Don´t let go! I smiled and he smiled back. Strike! Behind his back I could see Mr. Big struggling with his uncoordinated limbs, shambling towards the desired object.
A question pulled me out of my trance. What I liked best in my life? (How had we come to this topic?) But let´s go along. In this phase the most important thing was not to disturb the natural flow. "You" I said honestly. It was true. In this moment he was all there was space for in my mind, so he was all I could think about and all I could possibly like. It was quite a risky answer to give, since the band between the eyes was all there was that hold him onto me right now. He laughed. Surprised, a bit uncomfortable. Don´t turn around! I laughed, too, just to loosen up the situation. But my eyes stayed fixed.
I took a step back and he followed. Now I knew I had half won. Mr. Big was moving his clumsy hands near the picture. Totem and Taboo...
We stood closer than before. The next step! Please don´t leave me now, my totem, tell me what to do!
"Why me?" he followed up. Thank you! Now it was easy to continue. I examined him, enough to find out the strong and weak spots and the ones that were open to be talked about. The air was filled with life and Mr. Big kept moving. "Because you are a very human person." "Oh, and what makes me so human? Now I´m curious!" Small challenge there! (Did I say I had no idea how to do this? True, but there was always help in the crucial moments.) Compliments about his attitude, his way of talking, listening and just in general his open personality. "Thanks" he said.
Mr. Big was done. He had taken the Totem and Taboo out of its frame and hung it over his head. This way it looked just like an old rag, poor picture. But it would have to take this humiliation just for a very short time.
"I got to go now. Wanna have some coffee together, later?" His answer made Mr. Big freeze onto his original post again. Not without giving me a last most happy, proud and whimsical twinkle. He had put the cloth in the notch that resembled his pocket. A last hug and I was gone. Totem and Taboo will be the first piece in an empty room that is ready to be decorated.

Momentary picture

Remember to ask for the Sputnik Kosmonauten-
gurkerl! Anything else? ;-)

Eurostarstrip

We are in Berlin right now. Love this city. I want to live here. Great houses, alldifferent, great people, all different. Ich komme ja auch irgendwie aus Berlin, immerhin ist meine Mutter hier geboren.
Yesterday we went to this gay bar on Oranienburgerstraße, very nice one, fur on the walls and silly Kronleuchter all over the place. Leuk.

Presentation

Last friday we had to present our business idea to a springboard. I sucked big time. I had no energy, I was not able to tell what I really want to do and how I see it working. They asked me exactly for the things that I was still unsure about myself, like "Where is the innovative business idea?" "What about your project is different from your competitors?" Damn. Then you just feel very small and with a silly project that has no value. Not the nicest feeling.
But I picked myself up afterwards, also got some nice comments of my classmates, and I will use the feedback I got and make a better impression next time!
And althought the business design module is now over, I´ll still keep on track and pursue my idea. Change it a little, probably. It´s a work in progress, right?

It goes on...

Have not written in a long time...that already tells something. The flow leaves you abit after the first enthusiastic days or weeks. Especially when you have nobody to report to. But: now I´m back on track! And this whole waiting and being busy with other things than my company also helped me become more sharp on how I am going to proceed. Some things just develop naturally. Wait and suddenly the next step seems obvious!
In my case it was a talk to David Madié that woke me up. He suggested I should call hostels and get feedback from them. So I called 3! (Concrete numbers help to actually do it. I´ve called 3 hostels and achieved what I set out to do!) Now they want something written. So I had to produce something written. Good move! Puts up some pressure and an aim, which helps a lot.
Hopefully Lori can help me with getting my branding straight today, since I don´t want to let them wait for too long.
And this weekend I am going to buy the web domain! Be prepared! :-)