Today’s guest acquired the skill of an artist, making him internationally renowned, as a direct result of a broken back from a boat accident in 2015. As he shares his story, it quickly becomes clear that his refusal to allow external circumstances to dictate his path makes up a large part of his decision-making framework. We address: How can I look past my weaknesses and capitalize on my strengths? Why does embracing challenges and adversity tend to lead to unforeseen breakthroughs? What lessons can I take from the past to inform my decisions in the future? Paul welcomes visual artist David Marchi. He shares the decision-making framework that led him down his unique and storied career, going from being a highly successful, world-class marketer to becoming one of the most innovative and artistic painters in the world today. 3 MAJOR POINTS DISCUSSED When in doubt, be honest and authentic and just put everything out on the table. When he came out as gay to his wife and children, a huge weight was lifted off David’s shoulders and that decision propelled him into the next stage of his life. He initially planned on laying out his intentions in “phases”: to come out first, then to speak about divorce, etc. But he found that the best way to maximize understanding and empathy between all parties is to simply tell the truth, and tell all, right away. Turn your disability into ability. Always find a way to push past your limitations (perceived or otherwise) and focus on fulfilling the potential you, uniquely, are capable of fulfilling. On the more extreme end, David helped Jack, a young boy with autism, to paint for the first time by dipping his paintbrush in his favorite color. “If you give someone a chance, and if you give them the tools, you can be a big part of where they may go.” Thoughtful decisions are based on previous decisions. Look back at the big decisions you’ve made in the past, as well as those smaller ones. Evaluate, with an objective eye, which of those decisions have led to success and which have led to failure or disappointment. The lessons you extract from these varied experiences will help you create a structure for the decisions you make today. OUTLINE OF THIS EPISODE David’s decision-making framework [03:52]Entering the marketing world [06:11]Leaving the advertising industry [11:50]Being President of Ryan Partnership and collaborating with well-known brands [20:50]Working with Pepsi [27:15]Moving to TracyLocke [35:19]Coming out as gay after having a family [40:47]Becoming a world-class artist [45:34]Finding out about his acquired savant syndrome [50:30]Painting with Jack and Max [53:30]David’s parting advice on making more thoughtful decisions [56:51] ABOUT OUR GUEST David is the son of an Italian immigrant mother and a father with roots in Italy and Argentina. The methodology to David’s art is a spiritual and subconscious process. He dreams the colors and painting structures first, imprinting the image in his head. In his studio, he sits on the floor, looks at the negative space and starts to pick the colors from the shelf leading to a thoughtful completion. His passion for painting was the direct result of a broken back from a boat accident in 2015. Prior to this, David never painted. In 2019, he was diagnosed by Dr. Darold Treffert with Acquired Savant Syndrome. This is where dormant savant skills emerge after a spinal or brain injury or disease in previously non-disabled persons. Today, David's life is his painting. He is currently studying with Larry Poons and Peter Bonner at the Art Students League in New York City and has traveled to Hamburg, Berlin, Paris, Sao Paulo and London to paint with other artists. His work is collected world-wide and is currently being critiqued by Pulitzer prize and New York Magazine art critic, Jerry Saltz. Through his art, he supports Positive Exposure, The Human Rights Campaign, and Lady Gaga’s Born This Way Foundation. Recently, he started the "Smile" Campaign, raising money to support our front-line nurses during the Covid0-19 pandemic. https://www.gallerymarchi.com/ Instagram: @marchiart ABOUT OUR HOSTS JON KRAMER: Jon Kramer, Managing Director JMK Solutions www.jmk-solutions.com is a marketing services veteran with 35+ years of experience working with leading agencies, and major consumer packaged goods brands. Most recently, Jon was the Enterprise Sales Marketing lead at WestRock, a $16B packaging and display company, responsible for interfacing with their largest clients. Earlier, he was CMO of the RockTenn Merchandising Division where he created a shopper-marketing team, and go-to-market strategies for the Henkel company. He was also responsible for providing the selling organization with insights into the evolving US retail environment. Previously, Kramer served for 10 years as CEO of J. Brown, the Shopper Marketing agency of Grey Worldwide. He was responsible for creating the organizational positioning ...
