Meeting an artistic guru inspires me to consider expanding my horizons

March 29, 2010

Every Year after Expo West I take off to I’m not always sure where. This year was no Carlos Paez Vilaro exception – but on this adventure I was blessed with an unexpected encounter that I found to be not only inspiring, but life changing.

On this excursion, I was privileged to have the opportunity to meet with the internationally acclaimed artist, activist and humanitarian Cárlos Paez Vilaró — and to meet with him in Casapueblo, the dazzling domicile he designed and built himself. So vibrant and magnetic a personality is Vilaro, with so pervasive a presence, so much positive energy, and so youthful and loving a spirit that you’d never take him to be a man of 86. He’s the kind of individual who can speak volumes without even talking, who seems to communicate directly from the heart.

This man has traveled the world, taking considerable risks to support the rights of black women and protect them from discrimination in the most impoverished parts of Africa. In the process, he contracted many diseases, including malaria. His murals are on display from China to Buenos Aires, and hang in the personal collections of a who’s who of celebrities. His studio, where we had our meeting, is one he actually constructed into the side of a cliff using his own hands. His goal, as he explained it, was to build his house without any straight lines. What he ended up creating was a kind of alabaster eagle’s nest curled into the cliffs looking straight west off Punta Bellena, and every night that Casapueblo he is there he stands on his balcony and recites poetry, an expression of his joy at seeing another sunset .

So how was meeting Cárlos a life-changing experience? Well, I couldn’t help feeling that his sense of determination to change the world and live life in accord with his own sense of aesthetics was a bit contagious, and may have actually rubbed off on me. Whether it was building his home without a straight line or setting out to find his son after a plane crash in the Andes Mountains when he was told there where no survivors, he did it his way (just like in that old Frank Sinatra song). Yet his demeanor when I visited him was so humble so childlike and so loving, without a trace of hubris, that I couldn’t help but feel that I had been personally blessed by a genuine guru atop a mountain. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if this meeting led to a canvas and easel in my own future ---along with more attention to things like poetry and sunsets. I am so fortunate to have had this opportunity to meet him.

Works by Cárlos Paez Vilaró

Enthusiasm exhibited by warriors for the planet proves contagious at
30th Natural Products Expo

March 17, 2010

Natural Products Expo West has just concluded its 30th conclave, and again it was great to encounter so many friends and acquaintances in one place, with all the hugging and positive vibes involved. Expo is always an emotional event for me, evoking as it does a swirl of past business success and failures, and it’s always fascinating to see what the latest group of green entrepreneurs has to offer.

This year’s high point for me was the first night’s mini-reunion of “survivors” of the epic hike through the Children’s Eternal Rainforest of Costa Rica. Initially, we all met for a drink, but the get-together proved so intense that no one wanted to leave for the formal dinner they were scheduled to attend, the conversation was just that real and that enjoyable. The general sentiment was that we have now reached the point of “global boring” where most people are really no longer concerned with climate change, and that consequently we may have moved past the opportunity to save the planet. This was the feeling expressed by individuals who have dedicated their life to these types of causes. But as one member of the group pointed out, this is not all about doom and gloom, but rather about fighting the good fight. And I felt honored and inspired to spend time with some of the best warriors for the planet you will ever meet.

The second thing I most enjoyed about the Expo was observing how popular it was and many people it drew. I couldn’t believe how crowded the convention center was. While I’m not sure what the statistics are, it felt like the show was oversold by at least 20 percent, as just getting around and through the aisles was nearly impossible.

I’m also happy to report that the entrepreneurs are alive and well. From Shaman Organic Chocolates to the newest orange superfruit to vegan pet food, booths seem to keep getting bigger. This show is starting to look more like the Food Marketing Institute every year.

Now here’s the part that really got to me: Whereas I used to know at least 75 people of the people at this show, today I only know perhaps 25 percent of them. My ratio of familiarity has totally flipped. Perhaps the explanation is that as I get older, I’m less able to stay on top of all the latest developments in the natural products arena. But driving away, I still felt fulfilled after relating to so many old friends, and in rehashing the event in my mind; I felt that spark of desire to develop another new product to launch at next year’s Expo West. Stay tuned.

Recent earthquakes remind us Mother Nature is still in charge

March 1, 2010

On Saturday Chile was hit with an 8.8 magnitude earthquake. Having grown up in southern California and been in multiple earthquakes, including the Northridge quake of 1993, I get chills watching the pictures. It has just been reported that this temblor was one of strongest on record - - hundreds of times more powerful than the one that struck Haiti in January.

These two recent quakes were a reminder to me that no matter what we build, no matter what we pour concrete over, Mother Nature is still in charge, and will prevail.

Working on environmental causes like I do can really get you down. Gaining an understanding of such things as how our oceans are being wiped out by acidification from global warming and overfishing, as I recently have, can really make you wonder if mankind can right all of its environmental wrongs.

In a weird way, it takes a natural disaster such as an earthquake to make one realize that, though we may believe we’re running the show, we will never quite succeed in subduing Mother Nature.

Zcause Blog

Works by Cárlos Paez Vilaró

Enthusiasm exhibited by warriors for the planet proves contagious at 30th Natural Products Expo

March 17, 2010

Enthusiasm exhibited by warriors for the planet proves contagious at
30th Natural Products Expo