Here's to the unsung helper heroes
Behind everyone’s success is another
individual who helped along the way.
Oh, those big noisy success stories! How we love the rabble rouser! The rebels! The defiant ones! The underdogs!
(Note my exclamation points!!!)
However, . . . independent, “pull myself up by the bootstraps,” “did it all on my own” hero stories are . . . myths. For I ardently believe that no one achieves anything without others’ hands reaching out to help along the way.
Oftentimes families have a member that is the behind-the-scenes helper to everyone else.
Is that you?
In the spirit of Mother’s Day, I have a little story about a mom behind a famous artist.
Andy Warhol’s Mother Behind-the-Scenes
It’s the story of artist Andy Warhol’s mother, Julia Zavacky. Born in Czechoslovakia, she immigrated with her husband to the United States in 1921, bringing with her the family’s Eastern European heritage and love for music, dance and art. She filled their home with singing traditional folk songs she’d learned growing up. She loved to draw — favorite illustrations were cats and angels — decorate with embroidery, make flowers from tin cans and crepe paper.
When Andy was six years old, he contracted an illness that caused him to be bedridden. His mother moved his bed into the kitchen so she could be near him as she worked, entertaining him for hours, teaching him to draw, trace and print images. Encouraging him to pursue the creative ideas that came to him.
Inspiring his art.
When Andy was 24 years old, his mother moved to New York City from Pittsburgh. She lived with him from 1952 - 1970, continuing her own drawing and calligraphy. In 1957, five years before Andy’s iconic Campbell Soup cans, she illustrated a book called Holy Cats. Later, Andy would use her calligraphy in his illustrations. In 1957, Julia’s handwriting was the sole piece of art for the musical group Moondog’s album, “The Story of Moondog.” Julia’s album cover calligraphy won an award from the American Institute of Graphic Arts.
Despite the accolade, Julia insisted on staying behind-the-scenes. Even signing her own book as “by Andy Warhol’s Mother.”
Of course, that could’ve been good marketing too.
Jo, Too
This theme of acknowledging and appreciating those who are behind the scenes is key to the intrigue of my novel based on the true story of Jo van Gogh, SIL of the famous artist, and how she saved his artwork from obscurity through fifteen years of determined work.
Her story is not broadly known. I hope to change that.
Her life is a beautiful example of servant leadership. The value of cheering from the sidelines. It expanded for me the vision that not only do we stand on the shoulders of those who have gone before, but that we’ve had many hand-ups along the way.
I love shunning our Western culture’s independent individual myth. It does not diminish you to recognize your helpers. Or to be one.
Most Helpers Aren’t Looking for the Atta-girls
Helpers tend to get underrated, but you know what? Most helpers aren’t looking for the atta-girls. We help because we want to.
Servant leadership is quiet — from both women and men, of course — coming from all tiers of society, not just the materially successful.
For the record: My mom was a servant leader. She held an MEd in education with a focus on reading methodologies. With Dad, she raised four kids. And she stormed the kindergarten castle every school day for thirty years, teaching life lessons to hundreds of five-year-olds like: Take Your Turn, Pick Up After Yourself, and my favorite: Be Kind.
Happy Mother’s Day, to mine and all the moms.
Warmly,
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