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Hey, there! How is your February going so far? Weird? It could be worse, trust me.

If you ever been to or lived in Rio de Janeiro you know that February is deeply related to Carnaval, which is deeply related to dancing and singing in the streets, which is deeply related to being happy. Let me remind you that not even World War II had the power to interrupt the popular tradition. The perspective of a February without Carnaval is for me one of the most eloquent signs that things are far from being back on track. Since we have been dealing with the expression “new normal” for quite a while now, I would like to propose a reflection on what is “normal” to you.

As far as I remember, l have been called weird by family members. The reasons would vary: tastes, looks, opinions. Weird is my old normal, so to speak. One of the most frequently given reasons was the way I move my hands. Like Italians, Brazilians also speak with their hands, but apparently my gestures are too big, too wide, too much even for Latin standards.

Of course I hated the comments and felt a bit ashamed for not fitting in, until I understood what was so peculiar about my gestures after all: they were perfect to fill the stage. No wonder they felt misplaced in mundane, domestic situations! Now try them during a performance and they seem meaningful and unique. In other words: weird in a nice way.

Changing the approach to things can be a very interesting, sometimes also very painful, but always rewarding exercise. Does it prevent you from still being called a weirdo? No. Do I gently smile each time I hear it? Yes, noblesse oblige, but let us be honest: who needs normal, when you can have grand?

Here is a practical example, so that you can make your own opinion about my stage gestures (feel free to subscribe to the channel!).

Be seeing you!

G. F.

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Hey there! Glad to see you again! So, where did we stop? Let´s see… QuaranJazz! By now you´ve probably heard the last episode of QuaranJazz, the podcast that I´ve produced during 2020 and learned a lot more about me. No idea what I´m talking about? Check out my previous post or visit my website. Or just hop on. Things will get clearer eventually. That´s my mantra for this year.

Our reflection for today is about cleaning up stuff. Virtual stuff, such mailing lists, for example. Do you have one? I do! Would you like to be part of it? Sign up here. You know, mailing lists are a very sensitive topic. Lots of people will try to convince you that they are outdated, but I say they are more relevant than ever. That´s where the gold is, in many senses. A unique set of people that willingly decided to keep in contact with you means so much more than an incidental “like” on a post that accidentally crossed a timeline. Not to mention that social network platforms are very nice, but we all know that they come and go.

I´ve always been proud of my mailing list, but now I am especially fond of it. After updating it name by name, comment by comment, I´ve realized that I have a higher number of super fans than I imagined, and what a nice surprise to see how frequently people engage with my content! Well, it is not actually a surprise, since the information was already available in the reports. I just haven´t given them the attention they deserved until now. Cleaning is healing.

Be seeing you!

G.F.