I was given a unique opportunity as an inspirational/motivational speaker last Sunday night. I spoke to 200 professional and accredited investors on my experiences with film investing. The opportunity allowed me to not only share my projects, but also allowed me to speak into the investor’s lives.
During my talk, I shared about how most great success stories come from people who aren’t passionate about making money, but rather are passionate about bringing change to their community, leaving a living legacy, and baring their soul through the arts. This awareness came after I learned about Nicoló Paganini and how his passion, not his investments, gave him a prominent place in history.
Paganini was a master violinist who played multiple string instruments. He started with the violin at age five and played his first public performance at age twelve. His passion for the art focused his training to the point where he could accomplish certain techniques that no one else could.
He was the first violinist who could play an entire octave without moving his hand position. He was also the first to play with a vigorous staccato. And, he eventually became known as the father of modern violin techniques.
These unbelievable techniques during the early 1800s caused his peers to rumor about him having sold his soul to the devil in order to accomplish what was not considered humanly possible.
While he had massive skill, it wasn’t the reason he excelled. His passion for his community, creating a legacy that would out live him, and for the art drove his success. This was proven out on numerous occasions, but one specific night went down in history.
His concert was moving along very well, but by the end of the second to last piece, one of his violin strings snapped as he played the final climatic note. The concert host was concerned and suggested that the concert come to a close since there was only one piece left. Paganini would not hear of it and before the host could suggest anything else to the contrary, Paganini started playing the last piece without having restrung his instrument.
The audience marveled as he sped up his fingering to compensate for the missing string. Awe filled each face as the music became more vigorous. The complexity of the music eventually overwhelmed the strings, causing the audience to gasp when a second string broke during the piece.
Paganini recalculated his fingering positions and continued without missing a single note. During the final crescendo that he played with great staccato, the third string broke. Without a moment of concern, Paganini played out the last few notes and bowed to a thunderous ovation.
After five minutes of applause, the host quieted the crowd and thanked the master violinist for his superb playing. But Paganini wasn’t ready to leave the stage. He stepped forward to the audience and reminded the fans that it was customary to play an encore for such a supportive audience. He then lifted his violin to his chin and played the most incredible piece of his career with one string.
Paganini’s passion for his community, his one concert that went down in history as a great legacy, and his passion for the art altered music. Historians share how Paganini’s performance was the turning point in music history that changed the way violins are played. There is a distinct difference in the lullaby type performance techniques prior to Paganini and the vigorous style that he introduced, making cinematic music like Indiana Jones and Star Wars possible.
His success was found within his passion and I encouraged each investor to not only consider how they manage their money, but to consider investing in the things that touch their passion as Paganini did. By doing so we are bound to touch those in our communities, leave behind a living legacy, and express our passion through the arts in a way that brings greater fulfillment into our lives.
CJ's Corner 