The Spotlight Campaign: Taste
ABOUT THE CAMPAIGN
Our ideas, our creations, our spirit, and our great actions have always been key. I know what it’s like to create something, the hard work it takes to accomplish goals, and to stand with others. I know with my readers we share an elevated approach to food, information, and inspiration. Liberating food and taste is the mission. It is a holistic approach to living well and freeing our taste in food and much more. Pointe Viven reflects my spirit and its clients. It is a dynamic community of liberating food and taste.
Over the years it has been terrific to meet, spotlight, and feature creators, doers, and inspirational figures. I know no matter where I am, where I visit, and with whom I meet I will learn something and be re-energized by their endeavors. Each month join me in spotlighting the famous, the not so famous, the local celebrities, and those you believe have earned a thank you, a congratulations, and the recognition.
Each month a new theme will be chosen, so be thinking of those people you know exhibit the traits. Often the trait is something not so measurable, rather it is shown through the mundane, certain instances, and moments that surprise you. This is your opportunity to join me and take part in the campaign.
In October we celebrated honor. Those that exhibit fine character, intuition for the truth, and great reputations. Individuals making great strides in liberating their lives and the lives of others through powerful and kind acts.
November: This month we are spotlighting great taste. We are looking for those that demonstrate mindful choices and actions from business to community, relationships to cooking, self-treatment to art, fashion to humor. We look to spotlight those void of snobbery, rather look to those doing excellent things, making their life and the life of others more enjoyable, more beautiful, and of higher quality.
Taste is something that can be cultivated through good habits and learned through observation, asking questions, practicing, effort, and exploration. A sense of taste in good wine, friends, clothing, presentations, and more requires “discerning and appreciating what is excellent”. It is an active approach to living life. Some relativists may argue taste varies person-to-person. Taste instead is normative, it’s whatever is pleasurable, makes someone feel good, or what they think looks good or is right for them. Taste though is more than preference. Debating taste often is a disguise and deflection from poor judgement or insecure feelings. Especially when talking about taste in the realms of politics, society, music, relationships, or clothing. Taste, as with goodness, rightness, equality, as matters of living, do not rely on popular opinion. Nor whose voice is louder. Taste is rather a means of healthy well-being.
Ownership is key to good taste. If you mess up a recipe for double chocolate cake and ignore the sour expressions of those eating it, then good taste requires acknowledging you messed up. Before producing a movie, it is best to think through the message, the theme, and the quality of the work before creating a cinematic injustice. Acceptance of the truth is another key to good taste, rather than disguising your flaws and errors behind the philosophy of relativism. Learning, observing, and avoiding bad decisions to begin with is essential to living life with good taste.
As we look for individuals that are hallmarks of good taste we look to those that role model good reasoning and positive features. Rather than stereotypes by social class or status. Individuals with good taste are mindful in their living, asking good questions all the time: “Why am I buying this item?”, “Why am I creating this presentation?”, “Why am I dating this person?” This inquisitive nature and sensibility is rooted in quality. No cheap thrills, nothing simply for a quick, fleeting moment of gratification.
We eat the foods we think we deserve. This same concept is true in our relationships, finances, and friendships. Eating poorly made foods, fast foods, foods with little nutrients, foods that don’t have great flavor is not liberating, is not an expression of freedom, it is not living. The metaphor carries over into other life choices we make as well, drugs, certain relationships, overspending, etc. Each of these has several opportunity costs. That brings us to the big question. Why do we do it? Why do we do the things that we know don’t elevate our lives and the lives of others. When we think we are not worthy, when we don’t respect ourselves, when we are fearful it opens doors to bad eating, bad relationships, bad spending, and much more.
Avoiding traps, avoiding the metaphorical alligators, snakes, and bears in life is key. Bad taste or bad decisions can be avoided. Don’t paint your whole bedroom bright red or neon orange. Especially if you want to sleep. Don’t fool yourself into thinking you have created avant-garde art, when you actually created something of poor craftsmanship, offensive to someone’s sacred beliefs, or use profanity as a means to get attention. Don’t fool yourself into thinking shorts and a t-shirt is appropriate attire for any occasion. As patrons of the arts, music, food, and more we must beware falling into “The Emperor’s New Clothes” syndrome, jumping on the bandwagon, and letting others such as celebrities fill our minds with what to do or think. Bias and dishonesty are not hallmarks of good taste.
This month is for those individuals that masterfully personify taste and those that encourage us to do well and be well through great taste as well. Tell us the person you wish to spotlight for good taste and why.
Credits: etymonline.com, Pexels.com
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