Commencement at my high school a long time ago
The best graduation I ever attended was my own at the end of high school. Instead of renting some famous hockey player (my elementary school) or activist poet (my college) for the occasion, the head of the board of trustees gave us a simple and inspiring speech that I’ll never forget. Like every good teacher, his words inspired because he knew us and gave us something to do.
Let me step back for a second and add that it is very important to remember that high school graduations are quiet moments during which most soon-to-be ex-students are thinking about whooping it up, throwing objects in the air and having the first beer we can’t be thrown of school for. Reflection comes hard to a seventeen year old, and I was no different.
The words were quite bracing. The Head-of-the-Board fellow told us that we were lucky to have received the education we were now completing, and that it was an honor that also conferred a responsibility.
What? I thought to myself. Responsibility to whom? I wanted to be free of all responsibility.
Our job, he said, was to take this education that we had been given and put it to use, giving back to society. It was not intended only for our own gratification or betterment, but was a tool that we were now charged with using for the good of others.
Long pause.
These were strong marching orders, and I had never looked on what I had been doing during my high school years this way. But it made sense, and it gave such a sense of completeness and purpose to the ups and downs of my adolescent high school years that I was deeply moved — and immediately on board.
The memory of this moment stuck with me and came in handy years later when I suddenly found myself rudderless after college. I’d worked hard, found my talent and my path in the arts, but was left without a sense of direction when my first job left me disillusioned and cold. Applying glitter to plastic fruit on a sweltering day in July had a purpose, but did not constitute the higher mission that I now realized had been planted into me and which I longed for.
It took two years of work (carpentry, barista, etc) and travel (by bike and foot in Europe and Northern Africa) before I went back to school to become a teacher. After getting my MA in English Literature, I ended up teaching elementary school for seven amazing years.
While this may seem like a strange left turn, it was a direct path to get back on mission, and while I was deeply scratching the itch that wanted a mission, the germ of an idea that was to become Apartment Therapy was born.
How?
By falling serendipitously into teaching in a Waldorf school for five of those years, I deeply learned the impact that an environment has on a person (particularly children). I saw, first hand, that the children who did best in the classroom came from the best homes, but this had nothing to do with any rich/poor divide, and all of the ingredients of the good homes that I witnessed were accessible to all.
While teaching, I came to see that the design of our homes and the things we put in them were far more important than I'd thought, and that they affected how we did in the rest of our lives.
After one lifecycle working with children, I left teaching in 2001 with the idea for a company that would help people improve their homes at affordable rates. It was nearly fourteen years since I sat at my high school graduation and the beginning of finally putting together my passion for design with the marching orders I had received all those years ago.
It felt great.
That August, I took on my first client, but then a few weeks later the Twin Towers collapsed. Sara and I stood on Broadway watching them with a crowd of people — no one knew fully what was going on. It was a day I'll never forget and over the next few weeks, it seemed the single worst time in history to try and start a new business in lower Manhattan that had only the bare outlines of a plan.
It worked out.
I have learned since then that when you marry your passion and your skill to a mission that has a greater good in mind, the world supports you.
You still have to work your butt off, but it supports you.
Previous:
4. My Path Has Been Twisty & Turny
Next:
6. Our Mission is to be of Service
Good Links
>> Introduction to "The Ten Things..."
>> Waldorf Education @ Wikipedia
(Images: Andover black and white commencement pic from The Phillipian, Waldorf Classrom via Wikipedia )
Veronica & Keith's Handmade Chic 
Before & After: A Bathroom Goes From Pinky Peach to Sleek and Chic
Good Food to Share 
The Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces 
Apartment Therapy Presents 
The Eight-Step Home Cure 
Hunslet Dinner Plate
A Beginner's Guide to Superb Stir-Fry: Quick, Healthy Meals from a Wok
Easy Pitcher Cocktail Recipe: Strawberry Basil Margaritas
Comments (26)
My 6th and 8th graders have been at a Waldorf school since Kindergarten-- what an amazing, life-changing education they have received there! And what a great gift you gave the kids you taught!
It's really serendipitous I'm reading this today. Have been wracking my brain for a marketing direction, came up with wanting to find clients/bring to my clients what I discovered when I lived in Tuscany - similar to what you write about. I had just started to settle on the idea of workshops on "creating your own (life)style" and weaving in "sustainability" somehow. And getting excited - this is what I do, this is what I'm passionate about. Then I felt nervous - this is a down economy.....Then I picked up this blog post - and here was my answer/encouragement.....:)
Great article! You are so right in seeing the connection between a well designed home and the impact on those who live in it. I think that sometimes people get intimidated when they hear "design" and "decor", because they think they either don't have an eye for it or they don't have the money to do it, when really you don't need either one. Design is different for everybody, and it's simply about making the most out of your space to create the best experiences and environment for your lifestyle. It doesn't need to be fancy by or live up to any standards, it just needs to be beautiful to your own eye and encourage you to live your best life. So great that you are helping people achieve that! Here is my DIY project that helps me get the most out of my space: a closet office! http://livefortheseason.wordpress.com/2011/02/23/diy-the-closet-office/
This series of posts is so inspiring! You have no idea how the story of your journey is impacting the way I think about my life, Maxwell.
Your story is as inspiring as your work. Thank you.
There are certain things about your life that you can't change. Where you were born, who your parents are, your race, your height... but one thing that you can change is your environment. For centuries, the Chinese Feng Shui teachings have shown the importance of objects and their placement in your home. Your home does indeed effect the rest of your life and this should be taught in school. How can you be happy if your house is dirty and falling apart? How can you be inspired if your objects are useless, ugly or broken?
Incredibly, deeply helpful, and right at this moment. This is awesome and I thank you for it!
Love hearing this! Thank you!!!!!!
from Norway
This is possibly the most interesting 'design' post I've read since I started blogging two years ago. Félicitations. Looking forward to reading more. All of a sudden your blog just seems more substantial to me.
Thanks.
I'm off to bed with a smile on my face.
"I saw, first hand, that the children who did best in the classroom came from the best homes, but this had nothing to do with any rich/poor divide, and all of the ingredients of the good homes that I witnessed were accessible to all.
While teaching, I came to see that the design of our homes and the things we put in them were far more important than I'd thought, and that they affected how we did in the rest of our lives."
I would love to hear more about that... for instance, what, exactly, are the ingredients...This always fascinates me, 2 objects, say a book and a chair, but, what book? what chair? the difference opens up completely different feelings depending on "what".
We both attended the same high school -- and I definitely feel the same way about education. Well put blog!
while I do appreciate beautiful things around me and I do appreciate well designed space, saying that children from well maintained home do better than children from ones that's not is sort of sounds foolish to me. In my college years many of my classmates married young and lived in student dorms with their young families (that is young kids as well). Americans would not understand these sort of things and probably would consider it absolutely horrible environment. ALL of these kids done very well in school and proceeded to the best universities worldwide. I think it is due to the very diverse community in our dorms and a lot of adults in their lives. We went to the concerts and theaters together as big companies (kids included), we hiked and traveled, we were young and the kids were growing up as in a big and vibrant community. So it has nothing to do with the design of our dorm, which was horrible to say the least ;).
Awesome series of articles. I am partial to your journey as I progress through mine. Thanks for sharing.
thank you. i needed this.
I rarely post, but after reading @zarazame's post I felt compelled to comment on this particular AT posting. I didn't get the impression that Maxwell's overarching argument was that children from well-maintained homes always, without fail, do better than those whose homes are not. To me, he was suggesting that that was one ingredient in a constellation of other possible ingredients whose convergence contributes to a child's well-being and stability. Although a well-maintained home can mask a world of hurt, I personally believe that there's a strong link between a poorly maintained home and more serious underlying issues.
I have thoroughly enjoyed reading this series. I think anyone who is passionate about what he or she does can identify when they had that "a-ha" moment where suddenly, everything made sense. I can certainly relate to that and I think that when you apply your God-given gifts in the direction that they're supposed to be applied in, things really do work out in amazing ways.
Thank you for sharing this post, and thank you for starting AT. I've enjoyed the daily inspiration as I work toward developing my life passion.
"when you marry your passion and your skill to a mission that has a greater good in mind, the world supports you.
You still have to work your butt off, but it supports you."
I've been saying this for many years based on my own experience, but you said it more eloquently than I. It is absolutely true!
With regard to children's classroom performance, I tend to agree with zarazame - community and exposure are probably key. Sporting activities, children's craft projects, travel and impromptu entertaining have taken priority in our household, but they do create mess and chaos (eg, we had a couple of trial bikes in our front room for a few years, and there are usually suitcases still unpacked somewhere in the house). So I would also be interested to know what are the ingredients of what Maxwell would consider the 'best' homes.
To take yet another left turn... have you thought about a post exploring classroom decor? I know it sounds odd, but as a school teacher, it's something I constantly think about. I'd love to apply some of the principles of this site to my classroom.
I agree that children do absorb their surroundings, however in the interest of fairness & full disclosure, I'd like to state that Waldorf education is very controversial and secretive. You can Google around to learn more; I don't want to open a big debate (and an old wound). I'll just say: question authority and learn all you can about the "philosophy" that behind the pedagogy. Mothering magazine online has a lot of pro and con threads on their site. Other parents/educators can also Google Waldorf Critics.
Maxwell, could you perhaps please expound what you meant when you wrote this?
"...the children who did best in the classroom came from the best homes, but this had nothing to do with any rich/poor divide, and all of the ingredients of the good homes that I witnessed were accessible to all.
While teaching, I came to see that the design of our homes and the things we put in them were far more important than I'd thought..."
Me, I interpret this to mean that living in a well-designed home, a home which embraces beauty and functionality, changes the way you live life, and changes your view of life, your outlook.
The coach house renovation which was posted yesterday is the sort of home that I see illustrating this. It is unusual, and has a different view of what life should be like, and of grace and beauty.
It's more than a question of living in a well-maintained or well-organized home. At least that is how I read it. Beauty changes the brain...
very inspiring post....i am needing direction and have anxiety because I am 30 now and don't have things figured out. It is good to know that you had to travel a few different paths before you found your true calling....and in the end those different paths turned out to just be one. Keep doing these posts...they are great.
I, too, am loving this series of posts. Everyone can find inspiration and encouragement from others' success stories. On the way to success and happiness, everyone experiences twists, turns, stumbles and horrible failures. Only from experience - our own, and other people's - can we finally begin to see, much less fulfill, our mission. Thanks, Maxwell.
I also wanted to comment on the topic of design and its influence on people's lives. I don't think it's about *design,* as in a highly contemplated master plan with perfectly chosen pieces. I've always believed that a home that is loved, cared for, energized and purposeful is one key component of a good life. Home is where we start and end our day. A nicely framed photo or piece of art that makes you smile placed near the door - how great to walk out your door smiling? I don't think it's a question of money or taste - it's a matter of effort and pride.
I love how you found your inspiration, Maxwell!
I have read Maxwell's Cure book, and in it he writes more about the homes of his more successful students. Basically, they are environments that supports the dwellers goals and lifestyle.
As a teacher of the blind and visually impaired, I can tell you that today's classrooms are too visually cluttered, especially considering the number of special needs children mainstreamed into the regular room. When one teacher modified the environment and materials per my suggestions for a child with cortical visual impairment, she noticed that our student, plus her autistic students were much, much more successful. Both are conditions that are neurologically based and making things easier to process from a sensory standpoint (not just vision) makes a huge impact.
Amazing post. You have such a genuine voice and story. I have to read the whole series now.