22 Action E
"What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make." Jane Goodall
KEY WORDS
Move
Progress
Business
Proactive
Forwards
Leader
VIDEO
MEANING
Let your actions speak for themselves. Begin with good acts and repeat them so they become good habits. If your progress is halted in one way, find other ways to continue - don't stop. Continue along the path and your actions will send ripples out into the world. "We do not need, and indeed never will have, all the answers before we act ... It is often through taking action that we can discover some of them." Charlotte Bunch
It is not enough to be busy if you are going in circles, the action must serve to carry your story forwards into the next chapter. The challenge is to motivate oneself to take meaningful action, bu stepping beyond tired old ways of doing things. Each small step towards success may seem insignificant to you, but over time they add up to deep change. Your actions define you, so be sure they are aligned with your values.
OBJECTS
Moon (Light) Creative inspiration will come to you in the silence of the night. Make space to let it in.
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Bird (Air) The bird can only fly to freedom if it flaps its wings. Actions must precede rewards.
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Fan (Air) With practice a once laborious task can be accomplished in an effortless flow state.
Poison (Dark) Pause for a breath, but beware the toxicity of too much inaction.
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Fish (Water) Be one with your environment so you can choose when to swim with or against the tide.
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Sword (Fire) Decisive action is needed. Cut away from anything that is holding you back.
THE MAGIC SEAL
THE ART
Action brings us into the depth of the lush tropical jungle we already discovered with Inertia. The vegetation is thicker, big leaves impede the trek, tall trees are shading the light of the moon, which sits low on the horizon.
A little curious fact about the style of the art: if you look closely, the shadows are always falling flat. My idea was to recreate the effect of a Victorian paper theatre: every layer is casting a shadow onto the layers below, creating the illusion of a big tridimensional space. In this way, every card is a little theatrical world :)
AUGMENTED REALITY
In the animation I wanted to make the theatrical effect I described above more evident by putting some of the jungle's foreground layers on top of everything, outside the border of the card too. Every Action can be a little adventure. The Giraffe popping out in the last scene is a fantastical creature, its muzzle is in the shape of a clarinet. It is an creature I invented some years ago for an illustrated short story about a mystery of a musical animal whose melodious voice sounds his barbaric yawp over the roofs of the jungle...
THE MUSE
In order to bring together the image of a pioneer venturing boldly on an expedition, we approached Felicity Furore as our model, and we couldn't be more pleased with the energy she brings to the card.
Felicity Furore is an incredibly powerful performer - as a Burlesque star she commands the stage with extraordinary musicality, and she captivates the audience with her magnetic mixture of raw wild ferocity, and perfect style and finesse. We see her here like a star of the silver screen embarking on a bold adventure into unchartered territory.
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You will notice Felicity Furore stars both in this card and in the Ephemeral card, where she is playing another Hollywood role - one with a very different but equally magnetic energy. What similarities and differences can you see in these two characters, and what does that tell you about the cards meanings?
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Discover more of Felicity Furore's world at: www.FelicityFurore.com
THE MUSIC
It's time to cut through the chatter and forge our path through this jungle. Their noises are deafening at first, but if we proudly walk our path and present our vision, gradually other like-minded voices will join us. The music is entirely made of words and vocal samples, because our words become our Actions. We may be a lone voice to start with, but gradually our natural support network will reveal themselves and they will be cheering us on and marching beside us, and we can make progress onwards and upwards. It all begins with us cutting through the chatter and taking consistent positive action.
LINKS TO GO DEEPER
Lights... Camera... Action!
Action is about achieving your dreams. Take a look at the now classic movie Dead Poets Society. (Trailer on YouTube)
A great example of a simple action which can benefit the world is the innovation of NeoNurture's Baby Incubator for the developing world.
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If you are looking for wise advice that will stir you into creative Action, we recommend watching Neil Gaiman's Commencement Speech at The University of the Arts on YouTube.