Come away with me to Italy.

Come away with me to Italy.

Today, I’m sharing a one-minute video of Florentine jewelry artist Valentina Caprini so you can experience presence, and how it compels.

Watch here. 

Just joining in the conversation now?

"Fully present and honest" is the final piece in the 3-part communications framework I’ve been outlining over the last few weeks:

Be:

Aware of the Moment  Notice the shimmer that makes a moment come alive.

Clear on Your Objective Let your audience get it with “headspace” ease. 
—and—
Fully Present, and honest. This is your fuel, or alchemy. Use it and transform the requisite two above into something compelling and unmistakable.

It’s a game-changer. Let me show you how. 

Fully present and honest: these are qualities Valentina possesses, and that are captured so evocatively by Rachel** in the videography and storytelling.

This is what presence looks like. This is how it feels, lingers, and haunts your imagination in a good way. 

Valentina’s example is instructive. Learn from it to create your own presence. The kind that takes up residence in your audience’s mind. Yet feels pure.

So let’s dive in.

Ask yourself: Where is presence channeled most powerfully in the video of Valentina?

If I had to pare it to two elements, I’d point to:

Valentina's energy. It’s calm, yet strong.

You see this in the directed, yet unhurried way that Valentina moves: how she walks, pushes open the metal gate, moves through her studio, puts on her apron. The clear light, spare background music, slow editing cuts, and Valentina’s thoughtful English enhance this quality.

The care with her words matches the care with her filigree, and it triggers an emotion. And a shimmer.

This serene, yet alert energy transports us into Valentina’s world. It’s on par with the opening shot of Florentine stone buildings, Valentina's nod to meditative practices, and her embracing Renaissance traditions for the modern world.

The quiet confidence feels on-point, intentional, and magnetic.

Second, Valentina’s clear investment in her work.

She’s connected to who she is and open to why she does what she does. She's clear on her objective, and her motivation.

Chatter dies down. And purpose steps in. 

You feel this investment or motivation in the way Rachel entwines Valentina’s voice (and the artist’s reflections on her training and studio practice) with footage where we see Valentina carefully work her silver wire + tools, unfold ribbons of rich fabric, and display her cast jewelry.

Valentina addresses her investment as the video closes. She champions creativity through her vocation. “Creativity,” she declares, "is a very important thing in human life" and this is “the reason that I do this job and love this job. It’s not just to make jewelry.” 

Where do you feel anchored, present, and invested in your work? and

How do you express that motivation with honest, matter-of-fact feeling?

The point is NOT to copy or mimic Valentina’s way of being in the world, but to reflect on it as it relates to your own.

When you are fully present...you do things with intention.

And this allows you to uncover your point of view.

Powerful artists + creators—the ones we return to and treasure—have a point of view that they cultivate through their work. {i.e.: it is created in the making of things and ideas.}

It’s rich, with layers and depth. (Peeling back the layers in Valentina’s case: it’s jewelry making, animating the present with the (Renaissance) past, and beneath it all championing creativity as a vital act.)

Why should you care?

Because it's this point of view (this honest, invested presence) that creates trust and connection between you and those you want to reach.

Presence, like the "deep work" described by the author Cal Newport, is a rare and exquisite skill, and one increasingly valuable in our distracted, noisy 21st century world. 

It transforms shimmery potential and a clear objective into something magnetic, and a breath of fresh air.

Cultivate it. Who knows what you might create, and how you might step forward in your work in a way that connects with those who you want to serve.

**A big thank you to my niece Rachel Siegel for allowing me to share her gorgeous video. Rachel is an economics major and lifelong storyteller, with a trove of art and creativity yet inside of her. Give her a shoutout on Instagram @siegel.rachel. Visit her at: http://r-siegel.squarespace.com You can find Valentina Caprini on Instagram: @valentinacaprini_giolielli