We recently attended a lecture on Long Island shipwrecks at the Mystic Seaport Museum, and took in the related Lego exhibit while we were there. Then we went to a Mystic Schooners baseball game. It struck me that these widely divergent fields of endeavor have all developed phrases to describe easily avoidable mistakes.
In tennis or baseball, an unforced error is when players bring it on themselves. They simply mess up, not even in response to a clever trick or a great play by the opponent. The mistake is just something done inexplicably poorly. Turns out even shipbuilding contributed a comparable term, Vasa Syndrome, now used in project management. It comes from the Swedish warship Vasa, which sunk while heading out of the harbor on its maiden voyage in 1628.
The naval architects, shipwrights and captain had been afraid to tell the king, who was focused on flashy features and who kept meddling with the design, that it wasn’t seaworthy. According to the label near its Lego model, the Vasa became a case study in what NOT to do. Vasa Syndrome means a breakdown in communications due to power dynamics. Meddling from top management, resultant confusion over goals, obsession with speed, and fear of sharing bad news with leaders will almost always result in project failure.
With pastel painting, errors are usually self-inflicted and rarely disastrous, but often frustrating. Luckily, they can usually be fixed. I’m glad I persisted with this evening scene of St. Emilion, the famous Bordeaux wine village. It truly was a magical place. What an amazing experience to be there off-season, alone at night on the cobblestone streets, between ancient stone buildings.
Thank you, Sarah! Good to hear from you!
Your friend is right. The village was absolutely charming by day, stunning by might. And wine shops outnumbered people when we visited.
Yes, indeed – thanks so much! And we’re in the midst of a deluge, so a nice warming St.Emilion would definitely hit the spot.
Looks like all’s well on the new site/blog integration. That’s a relief! As is a nice glass of St. Emilion on a warm summer evening.
HI Beth–this is so interesting as I was talking with a friend who went on a trip with her French teacher and it was in the wineries in that region. She said the wineries were interesting, but the only village of interest was St. Emilion–I was there once when we came into the Bordeaux airport to visit some friends and remembered it as a charmer. So glad to see your painting–forgiveness is what it’s all about, no matter the medium or the subject.
Stunning. Love this one.