Analyzing a life dedicated to the orange
Life lessons from one man’s monument to oranges
I spent 12 years in Houston. It’s not a pretty city, the whole no zoning thing and all. There is a particular corner where a gas station sits, flanked by The Galleria (the city’s #1 tourist attraction), an adult novelty store and a residential loft building. The view from that corner is indelibly imprinted on my mind. That’s Houston — a wildcatter city if there ever was one, unconcerned with your or my desire for the neat and predictable.
Despite its popularity, my favorite Houston attraction isn’t The Galleria. It’s The Orange Show. The Orange Show is the epitome of folk art, a 3,000 square foot installation that includes an oasis, a wishing well, a pond, a stage, a museum, a gift shop and plenty of seating for the many shows that never took place there. Tucked away in a suburban neighborhood, it is made of concrete, brick, steel and lots of found objects, including gears, mannequins, tiles, tractor seats and statuettes. Take a gander:
Each piece of The Orange Show was hand-placed and hand-painted by Jefferson Davis McKissack, a Houston postal worker. He lovingly labored for close to 24 years, assembling the monument from 1956 to 1979.
Mr. McKissack wanted The Orange Show to communicate his belief in hard work and eating oranges. Seriously. This man loved oranges. Don’t get me wrong, I like a good orange. But, it never occurred to me to amass 10,000 tons of industrial clutter to prove I care.
The Beauty of the Absurd
The whole thing is absurd. Just nuts. 24 years! That’s a quarter of a century! It turned out to be just under 1/3 of Mr. McKissack’s life. Somewhere I read that he worked on The Orange Show, at least in some small way, every single day for over a decade. Most of that time he spent alone, not because he was a recluse. In fact, he built the monument to attract crowds and to share his theories.
Toiling away in solitude in a quiet neighborhood in South Houston for a quarter century, slowly adding roadside refuse to a maze-like monstrosity borderlines on bonkers. But, here’s the thing. The fact that Jefferson Davis McKissack spent 24 years building a flea market/art installation dedicated to a fruit is much less absurd than dedicating your life to nothing.
The reality is most people don’t tell their story, find their purpose, embrace their passion. I am not suggesting their lives are without value, but they are often without intention and purpose. There simply is no life’s work. Oliver Wendell Holmes said, “Many people die with their music still in them. Too often it is because they are always getting ready to live. Before they know it, time runs out.”
A Sad Ending
Mr. McKissack’s time here ran out. It will for all of us. He died in 1980, seven months after completing The Orange Show. Apparently he died disappointed. He expected throngs of people to come see his masterpiece and learn about his theories of hard work and longevity and, of course, the orange. Did I mention that he really loved oranges? Dejected, he withdrew and died shortly thereafter.
Half Wrong or Half Right
Mr. McKissack got things half right. He found his passion. Where he made a mistake, where many of us often do, is thinking that anyone else’s approval ultimately matters. I am reading The Icarus Deception by Seth Godin — a fabulous book about the importance of making art, not in the traditional sense of the word, but in terms of finding work that has personal significance for you. Godin writes,
“There’s a huge difference between the shallow pleasure of instant applause and the long-lasting impact of true connection.”
We get so caught up in external validation, especially in business. While the pursuit of fame and profit are not morally reprehensible goals (the latter is, after all, still a widely accepted measuring stick of success in business), if we make them THE goals, we miss our opportunity to be exceptional. Those outcomes are byproducts of work well done.
I am reminded of something Steve Jobs once said — “My passion has been to build an enduring company where people were motivated to make great products. Everything else was secondary. Sure, it was great to make a profit, because that was what allowed you to make great products. But the products, not the profits, were the motivation. [Ex-Apple CEO John] Sculley flipped these priorities to where the goal was to make money. It’s a subtle difference, but it ends up meaning everything: the people you hire, who gets promoted, what you discuss in meetings.”
Here’s to Embracing Your Passion and Making Art
Jefferson Davis McKissack found his purpose, embraced his passion, and made one of the wackiest pieces of art you will ever see. And, in doing so, he connected with me. I am inspired by this man who knew what was important to him.
It may seem ridiculous to you, a colossal waste of time, for a person to spend 1/3 of their life building anything like The Orange Show. But, that wasn’t your choice to make. It was Mr. McKissack’s choice. And, he made it. He made a choice and he followed through on what he determined was his life’s work. Absurd, yes, but wacky and wonderful, too.
The Orange Show represents everything great about individuality, freedom, art, purpose and passion. It also happens to be a cautionary tale with a happy ending. Mr. McKissack may not know it, but the crowds eventually came. Not only that, but The Orange Show Foundation, the organization formed shortly after his death to preserve his work, spawned the Houston Art Car Parade and the Houston International Festival. He sang his song and ultimately many of us listened.
I hope you visit The Orange Show if you are ever in Houston. More importantly, I hope you share the music inside you, and that we all remind each other to do so for the right reasons.
Hi, I’m Brett Cenkus, a business attorney in Texas for over 20 years and serial entrepreneur. Over the course of my career, I’ve learned that the distinguishing factor in a life that is both successful and full of happiness is about congruence of what you love and what you do. I’m excited to hear what that is for you.
If you’re in business and doing interesting things a seasoned corporate lawyer can help you with, reach out.
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