NY Diary - Advice for the winners: Don't show off. Be yourself.

They say that in New York you are what you do.

 

The first thing anyone asks you at a party is "what do you do?"

And everyone has a cool answer at the ready:

"I'm an artist", "I'm an actor", "I'm a photographer", "I'm a film maker"...

Now you've got a cool answer too. You can say "I'm a model".

Actually, showing off seems to be a strategy that works well, at least in the short term.

I don't deny that during the IMT contest, at parties I often introduced myself as Benetton's New York correspondent.

I don't know why but in the crazy atmosphere of the fancy Upper East Side lofts, it sounded even cooler than my real profession of creative director which, let me tell you, is pretty high on the cool factor scale.

I have to admit that I earned a few "oh my god, really?" and even some "that's freaking amazing man!" and, modestly, I don't hide the fact that there were even times when I got "Nick you are a genius!"

OK, there and then you get over-excited because you feel extremely cool, but when everyone is someone, all this showing off gets a bit cheesy and out of proportion and it's those people who really know how to be themselves that stand out.

When someone says with an intense air "well, I'm an artist" and you catch the simultaneously arrogant and sad expression on his face (Andy Warholesque), try asking "Where can I see your latest exhibition?".

Don't be surprised if he stutters an excuse about the fact that he is living a deep inspirational crisis and that his work has been stuck in his Soho studio for months. If you get to know him better you might discover that he has never finished a painting and his wealthy father pays the rent on the Soho place where, among the immaculate canvases on the walls, parties happen every night, not artistic activity.

As usual, those with talent don't need to shout about it. Talent is an intimate attribute which, when you know you have it, gratifies you even if you don't show about it.

It's always more interesting to introduce yourself as you really are.

Sometimes I have had the courage to say "it doesn't matter what I do, I can tell you who I am if you want" and do you know what reply I got? If I was lucky it was "Wow, relax man! Take it easy!". I realized that going too far in the opposite direction was also about showing off.

So, how can you be yourself? I don't know guys. I'm not a life guru. Maybe, like they say, you need to go to India, not New York, to find out. Or perhaps you simply have to take a look inside yourself. I just know that when I have been myself it felt good and everything flowed as naturally as water. Like magic, I was the star at parties, not the pseudo artist from Soho.

 

 

Nick Landucci, New York