Finding Your Wings: Lessons From Charley Harper & the Art of Focused Coaching

Our family really enjoys mid-century modern design, and the artist Charley Harper is a particular favorite. His distinct, geometric birds are not just on our walls; my partner even has an impressive tattoo sleeve dedicated to Harper's art. It’s this strong appreciation for his style that makes his artistic philosophy connect so clearly, especially when thinking about the path to achieving our own goals. Harper famously said, "I don't see the feathers in the wings, I just count the wings." This ability to distill a subject to its core isn't just an artistic skill, it’s a useful lesson for life and effective coaching.

We all have aspirations, often a lot of them. It's easy to get lost, trying to define every "feather" of every potential goal. This is where Harper's approach and the principles of coaching can help us find a clearer way forward.

Coaching, much like Harper’s art, is about identifying the essentials. A good coach helps you cut through the noise, to see beyond distracting details and identify the fundamental "shapes" of what you truly want. Instead of chasing many fleeting desires, coaching encourages you to focus on a few key objectives – the ones that will truly help you progress.

Think of Harper's well-known cardinals or blue jays. He captures their essence not by detailing every single feather, but by focusing on their defining colors, their characteristic shapes, their clear spirit. Similarly, coaching helps you:

• Clarify Your Core: What's the main "bird" you want to bring to life? Coaching helps you pinpoint this primary focus.

• Simplify Your Approach: How can your main goal be broken into its simplest, most actionable "shapes"? Vague ambitions become concrete steps.

• Eliminate the Unnecessary: Harper skillfully omitted non-essential details. Coaching guides you to shed distractions that don’t serve your primary objective. It’s about "counting the wings," not getting lost in an impossible number of feathers.

  
  

Harper aimed to create an "ordered universe" in his art. Coaching strives to bring similar clarity and direction to your ambitions. By focusing your energy, you create a clear path where each action purposefully contributes to your bigger picture.

Just as Harper’s minimalist birds show energy and identity, a focused approach to your goals, guided by coaching, can lead to clearer and more recognizable success. So, when life feels like a flurry of too many details, remember Charley Harper. Ask: what are the essential "wings" I need to make real progress? Often, achieving more comes from the benefit of focusing on less.

Charlie Harper - Bluejay Bathing