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Personal GravitasBy Lynda PogueGravitas: a serious and impressive way of behaving; substance, weightiness, presence.Gravitas.A cool word.Possessing it gives one an air of confidence.Lacking it can make one a ‘lightweight’.Great leaders maintain a significant level of gravitas… as do great artists.They have a kind of depth that is both attractive and compelling to an audience.And it shows in their work.How does one attain one’s own personal gravitas? Perhaps it begins with serious, real, honest self-reflection. Ask yourself… areyou a painter and only a painter? A sculptor and only a sculptor? An accountant and only an accountant?In other words, are you a ‘one trick pony’?Do you feel that by continuing to hang onto the same processes that you use every day in your work, that you will grow?Improve? Get better?Are you relentless with yourself about ‘staying the course’ and never varying your mode of expression because you feel that thisis how you will become a known entity/successful?If you’re nodding, then perhaps it’s time to add some weight to your personal portfolio.Take a moment to look at a few of those outstanding folks who have “made it” in the Arts. You will observe that in their lives andtheir work, they go deeply into alternative inspired methodologies to convey their ideas and simply to add richness to their lives.By adding more layers to their own personal cake/body of work, they become more interesting. More yummy. More confident intheir principal field of work. Gravitas.James FrancoFranco maintains a high level of productivity and takesrigorous university-level courses in creative writing and in thearts, while continuing his incredible career as an actor.His “outlet” is often through painting and he has shown ingalleries in L.A.David BowieBowie was awarded the Webby Lifetime Achievement Awardat Cipriani Wall Street in recognition of his having pushedthe boundaries of art and technology and for his continualinnovation.Click on bowieart.com to see his paintings, sculpture, andphotography.76 ARTisSpectrum