This story came into being when I found a box of hidden photos and documents after my father died suggesting that he had lived out other identities in his life. I had been a creativity and innovation catalyst working with the public and with organizations to help them be more creative especially in uncertain times. Bringing my father’s story to light in the context of what I teach seemed an interesting challenge.
Genealogical Research
I spent 10 years and did all kinds of genealogical research, hired researchers, went to Europe, wrote letters, made phone calls and tried to piece together the story. Some information was available, some wasn’t. On this journey I uncovered so many fascinating stories of that time in history I chose to weave several of them together into one epic story of interweaving characters, places and events.
What the book is about
Fran, a change-averse accountant, is overshadowed by her elderly father’s demanding and eccentric ways. Thinking she would be set free when he dies, Fran finds herself tangled in a web of betrayal and confusion. Her inheritance in jeopardy and her father’s true identity threatening her future, Fran must find an inner strength she never knew she had. From Vancouver to Vienna of today to the Sahara Desert and carnival entertainers of the past, Fran fights to uncover the truth both to save her father’s legacy and find the secrets that will unlock her soul. What she discovers will change her life forever.
Also you can buy the book on this website, read the blog, see discussion questions, read book reviews and check out sample chapters at http://www.thechangeartistbook.com/.
Alvin Toffler, the famous Futurist, once said that, “The ability to creatively handle constant change will be the most sought after skill in the 21st Century.” Also, Pablo Picasso once said that, “Everyone is born an artist. The trick is to re-capture that innate ability as an adult and put it into all aspects of life.”
I think people are more likely to be creative artists of change not through intellectual reasoning by through daily habits. That’s why I run events open to the public for staying creatively adapted in uncertain times.
People who can lead, adapt, innovate, and facilitate while facing constant change are the leaders of the future. An “artist of change” sees how to benefit from changes affecting their life, can create their own change process, and can build a culture of innovation wherever they go. There are simple habits anyone can apply daily that will allow you to:
* do things you didn’t think you could do
* find a way to benefit from a change that seems “bad” as first glance
* thrive during uncertainty and be a living bridge for others in that regard
* move from being reactive about change, challenge and conflict to being proactive
The Artistry of Change is an innovative system that blends diverse fields such as educational kinesiology, western and eastern psychology, change management theory, creative process models, and neuroscience. Witness how these fields are merging in exciting ways to produce the new ‘business artistry’.
Three public seminars across Canada and a retreat are coming up this year entitled “The Artistry of Change: The Top Creativity habits of People Who Will Thrive in the Coming Decade.”
They are in Edmonton on Apr. 28, in Winnipeg on May 14, and in Vancouver on June 17. There is also a 4 day retreat October 1-4 at Hollyhock Retreat Centre.
You can read more about these events http://www.carlarieger.com/artistry_of_change_seminar/
Joseph Campbell, the great mythologist of the 20th Century, often talked about stories as a form of medicine. People often ask why I wrote The Change Artist since it was such a huge amount of work to research, write and publish. I did it as a way to heal generational shame in my family and to help reconnect to my roots, and to inspire other people to do so. It had a profound healing on me and seems to have affected many readers in that way, too.
Also, the theme of the book is about being the source of your own creativity. I speak, consult and write about that, so I thought it would be more congruent to make the writing format as artistic as possible. I also have a strong background in myth, storytelling and Jungian archetypes and the power of story as a form of medicine. Those are the reasons I chose a novel format rather than a step-by-step, analytical textbook.
Non-fiction often brings up memories of school, college and cramming for finals for people. Whereas, stories are associated more with leisure, enjoyment, being able to relax the left brain and surrender to a more fulsome whole brain process.
People most attracted to my book are Boomer aged people who feel challenged by change and who want to expand their creativity as leaders, to find the courage to take a step in a new direction; plus those whose fathers and mothers were affected by World War II on both sides of the conflict, Gen X & Y folks who are seeking a way to reconnect to a more tribal, artistic and community-oriented way of living within the confines of modern disconnecting living.
Often in a typical “quest” or “journey” story the main protagonist is male. Usually the mentor characters are also male. For example, Frodo and Gandolf in Lord of the Rings, or Dan and Socrates in Way of the Peaceful Warrior by Dan Millman. I noticed that there seemed to be a frustration, especially among women, that not many quest stories revolved around a woman’s journey. In fact, during an interview with Joseph Campbell, an expert on myth during the 20th century, a woman asked him why so few myths throughout history had a woman as the central figure. His answer was that women didn’t need to go on spiritual quests because they already do that through childbirth. While I imagine that giving birth and raising children is a powerful mythic journey, I also feel that women go on many kinds of quests throughout life and yet our stories don’t reflect those back very often. So, I disagree with Joseph Campbell, I think it’s just the fact that fewer women have been in an economic position to be sharing their stories up until more recent times in history. And while I feel I have been mentored in my life by some very incredible men, even more profound have been the women mentors I’ve had in my life. I think the fact that Fran gets mentored by three powerful women Marguerite, Helena and Sophia rings true for those who owe their success and even their lives to strong women.
The story is suggested by true events. However, for more simplicity, brevity and clarity I collapsed the journey of uncovering of my father’s other identities into a few events in this story. In truth it was a 10 year journey. I also changed the names of all the characters, collapsed several characters together, changed the gender of some characters, added in a few plot elements and took out some other ones.
