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Reality Shows can teach us about Survival Tooth and Nail

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Reality Shows can teach us about Survival Tooth and Nail

I’ve watched a few reality shows in my day. After awhile, I get tired of the arguments, the scheming and the pettiness. But if that’s your cup of tea, you probably like the cutting edge changes this season.

The Discovery channel is pushing the envelope with “Naked and Afraid” where the participants mirror savages, except without the loin cloths. If the forbidden jungles are not enough, these survivors are baring it all in an attempt to get more ratings and viewers and may end up mushrooming into a popular new trend.

You never what the reaction of viewers will be. I remember showing my nude drawings to relatives at a family reunion years ago. I was so proud! One of my drawings had won first prize in the linear category. It was a brush and ink drawing of a live model where the brush had never left the page from the first touch to paper.

I expected a compliment, perhaps even praise for my amazing prize-winning fete. Instead, I got hushed and whispered reactions. People were embarrassed. They glanced down or turned away. I was shocked by their reactions at what I conceived as a beautiful work of art. Some viewers of the new reality shows may have the same feelings of disgust or rejection.

While the nudity may be a ploy to grab attention and get new viewers, the show actually has a different purpose. Pitted against the most stark and difficult surroundings imaginable, the real focus is not the challenge of nature, but the difficulty in juggling human relationships. That’s the case in almost any undertaking: marriage, divorce, friendships, neighbors and co-workers, parents and youth.

Take that a bit further by delving into art leagues where people jockey for position, pit artistic genius against talented newcomers and you have a recipe for angst, envy and failure. The battle is to the fittest and the prize (sales) often goes to the best marketer, the most prolific painter, or the most outspoken. The fact that fresh talent is discovered and newbie’s have a platform to show their wares is often a pleasant byproduct.

How do you handle stress? Do you have good communication skills or do you have rough edges that others may have to negotiate. Sometimes it’s not enough to be a talented artist. You must learn how to sell your art and push your talent without ruffling other people’s feathers.