Bryan has had reason to think about this recently, as he was asked to exhibit paintings at the 'Art et Fare' gallery in Akaroa earlier this year.

SIMILARITY #1 - HARD WORK AND DEADLINES

The task at hand was no small matter. Producing three gallery quality paintings in eight weeks would have been a reasonably tall order for a full time artist, so fitting it around his career and business was both a challenge and a labour of love. Bryan got stuck in by getting up around 5am and painting for two hours each morning before starting work, then painting for 5-6 hours each evening, and pretty much all weekend from early morning to late at night.

The three paintings took approximately 450 hours to complete, but the stunning end result was worth the effort.

SIMILARITY #2 - SEEING SOMETHING FROM A VIEWER'S OR CUSTOMER'S PERSPECTIVE

Putting your creation out in the world takes courage, because as Bryan acknowledges, 'the public don't hold back if they can't connect with the art, and I can be as cutting as the next person.' It's important to be true to your own vision, but forget the end user or viewer at your peril. They will let you know what they think, and they will notice if they've been forgotten.

SIMILARITY #3 - PATTERNED THINKING

Artists will get nowhere by simply representing isolated information out of context or lacking meaning. To see patterns is to see the bigger picture and to derive meaning and usefulness from apparently disconnected facts.

It's one of the secrets of good art, and a key component of good consulting.