Free-Range Social Media

We've now joined the Free-Range Social Media Movement, started by Brené Brown at ordinarycourage.com.

Behind it all is a foundation of thoughts on how to live, love and work wholeheartedly conncted to ourselves. And Brown emphasizes that above all other ingredients
of living an emotionally healthy life is the importance of loving ourselves.

Wholehearted living is about engaging in our lives from a place of worthiness. 
It means cultivating the courage, compassion, and connection to wake up in 
the morning and think, No matter what gets done and how much is left undone; 
I am enough.

Our fundamental need to live authentically is unfolded in The Gifts of Imperfection:
Let Go of Who You Think You're Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are.

Creativity, innovation, and truth-telling can feel very vulnerable in our culture which 
is why we often feel deeply inspired when we see it . We’d love to know more about 
how you find the courage to share your authentic self and your work with the world.

Or as Keith says: When it's time to go on, it's time to go on, and when you get up 
there you either croak, puke, fall over, or not.

Reality Is Stranger Than Fiction

It's been a while since hotness was the Anita Pallenberg's of this world.

Anita came out of an artistic world, and she had quite a bit of talent herself - she was certainly a lover of art and pally with its contemporary practioners and wrapped up in the pop art world. 

So Keith describes her in "Life", generally in the sweetest, gentlest way, though he makes no secret of her being a wild woman, passionate to the core and when drugged-up even being a complete asshole, "Hitler".

Anita had rage whether there was dope or not, but if there was no dope she'd go crazy.

As far as I know, the Jersey Shore chicks pictured above are usually drunk.
And we're not talking "elegantly wasted", but hammered, loud & vulgar kind of drunk.
I fail to see the value of their tv-existence, and to me the whole concept is one big
waste of time.

You can't turn tv into "a reality", and if you try, you'll end up watching posers,
out to pretend the filter is gone, and this is who they are. It's not only less interesting
than real life to me, it's a perverted version of being present and "real" as a person.

You're So Vain

So not only a diabolic and despotic egomaniac, Muammar Gaddafi is said to have a disgustingly vain personality as well.

For years a private Ukrainian nurse used to travel with him everywhere. Packing daily shots of Botox
for the dictator, who apparently thought he'd look younger, fresher and more in vigor from injecting the poison.

Seen it all before
Sadly Gaddafi is not alone in this quest to look like something he's not.

The art of pretending, taking on a look, persona or image is quite common among
political and corporate leaders too. As if they're uncomfortable being themselves.
And more importantly as if they've never taken the time or had the courage to get
to know themselves.

Quite unlike Keith's defining charm of looking at things directly and to answer everyone honestly:The only thing I can say is, you gotta know yourself.

Keith is certainly not hiding his past, what he's done, who he is behind plastic & Botox.
It's all there, baby.

KeithRichards.com Store

KeithRichards Store

Vintage Vinos is the first collection of material from the solo recordings of Keith Richards. Pressed on 180-gram vinyl, the fourth side of this double LP set features an etching of the iconic image used on the album's cover.

Personaly I'm real fond of the label: Mindless Records

Practise Sharing

Experimenting with the share button for practise via addtoany.com.
First thing I notice is the missing Google+ button to add though, now come on!

Share It

I clearly prefer the AddThis functionality in Chrome
for regular sites though.

It works like a charm with real easy customization.

Flawless Is Fake

I get intimidated by the business women who appear as though they went to great lengths to look flawless.

The ones with tightly coiffed hairstyle, wrinkle free make-up, perfectly manicured nails, designer acsessories and
an oh so expensive wardrobe, along with 3 spotless kids under five, a well fitting career husband and a planned out future.

They come across as overwhelming to me, unatural, tense and worst of all, it's like they scream “Do Not Disturb”.

The opposite is portrayed
Even so, most companies go for this flawless image in a pursuit of "professionalism", as if to say "We don't make mistakes. Ergo you can count on us".

But in truth the opposite is portrayed. The corporate signals seem to be stripped of humour & humanity, tolerance, openness & true presence - i.e. the ethics that tie a modern organization in with its communities and customers.

Or as Keith says of image:
If they wrote about me as the sweet, gentle, loving family man, it would probably do me more damage. And be equally untrue.

In short: Hey, you can screw up. I have.

Under The Flesh, Brother

The skull...it has nothing to do with bravado and surface bullshit. Beauty is skin-deep. This is what we are all like under the flesh, brother. Take off the hair, pull off the skin, you're looking at the I and I.

The iconic skull ring is there. Always. I can't remember a photo of Keith without it. Or without the handcuff bracelet for that matter. Both are always there. As reminders.

The skull ring telling its tale of all us being the same underneath the skin. No bullshit needed.
We're all the same!

Or as they said in the old days: Humana non sunt turpia [the human is no shame].

To me, it's best done in ink. As permanent and beautiful reminders of being "the human". And of keeping in mind that mistakes are welcomed and that sometimes they turn into second chances of doing it better, bolder & braver.

And sometimes they don't. But they're still second chances in life, love & work. We keep growing as we live. And then at one point we stop. The end.

But the message, at bottom, isn't to say 'Screw you'. It's to inspire compassion.
as Jessica Pallington West says of the skull ring in What Would Keith Richards Do?