This weekend at a Liberty Fellowship alumni event in Greenville, S.C., we were asked to study the famous James Ensor painting of 1888 “Christ’s Entry into Brussels in 1889.” Do you know the one? It is filled with color, activity and chaos.
The lesson was about leadership and the challenges of making order out of chaos.
We at The Creative Coast know a great deal about chaotic activity as our small staff and volunteer board offer a long list of services including FastPitch, StartupLounge, Geekend, TEDxCreativeCoast, RailsBridge, mentoring, coaching, podcasts, blogs and just about anything we can to support thousands of entrepreneurs in Savannah’s innovative economy.
Fortunately, Savannah’s gentle spirit reigns here distinct from Ensor’s Brussels. This spirit enables thought provoking exchanges of ideas such as the conversation I witnessed last week between our Mayor Jackson and Chattanooga’s Mayor Andy Berke.
I imagine both mayors might relate to Ensor’s image.
James O’Toole, in association with the University of Denver and The Aspen Institute, uses this work of art to teach values-based leadership. He points out that lasting change cannot be commanded, manipulated or shepherded.
Yet, O’Toole offers that perhaps leadership is powerful with small groups of committed followers whose deep trust and devotion ripple through continually expanding audiences until impactful change results.
As we face our hectic lives, how can we positively influence the crowd? Is it best to start with only those immediately around us and listen to their needs? In what ways can we be leaders of leaders?
I embrace this lesson in leadership and also treasure four additional lessons from the painting. Mostly, what I love about the painting is that it is so full of activity that it is impossible to view in its entirety.
Thus, we get to choose where our eyes focus. I personally choose the happy elevated clown, the determined woman over the scary masked man or the conforming soldiers clogging the middle.
This choice mirrors for me the daily choice we each are at liberty to make with our attitudes. Life situations are complex, and we all are presented with challenging ones often out of our control.
We do, on the other hand, have the ability to control our attitudes and responses. Choosing joy and fortitude work better for me than feeling fearful or overwhelmed.
Secondly, I value the invitation to jump in anywhere and begin leading. If Christ, as the subject of the painting, is set at the back and forced to develop an audience, we too can step forward and make a positive difference in our community.
We do not need to wait for an official, elected or authoritative title. Your talents and passions are welcome in every corner of Savannah, so please jump in.
Thirdly, I rejoice in the fact that art is always an educator.
Ensor’s painting is an intricate commentary on the place of church leadership, citizens, and government of Brussels in the late 1800s. From hieroglyphics to high society, art continually communicates to and about communities.
Locally, the Telfair’s Spanish Sojourns can transport you to Spain in the early 1900s right from our fair city.
Finally, as someone who celebrates failure, I appreciate that the painting was rejected by Ensor’s artistic group and was not exhibited until 1929. Today the painting is on permanent exhibition in Los Angeles at The Getty Center and is taught throughout the world.
It is interesting to note that the painting itself is living out its own legacy of leadership.
Bea Wray is the executive director of The Creative Coast, a not-for-profit organization that promotes the creative and entrepreneurial community within the region. Bea can be reached at 912-447-8457 or bea@thecreativecoast.org.