What is the best thing that I love about my work?
This is a such a wonderful question because it asks about a sense of purpose .
It is about have I made a conscious choice, to do what I do- and why.
By not narrowing down to a particular profession; your question leaves me an open canvas for my work, without a boundary, for me to reflect on – whether I have found my purpose and how my work is aligned with it.
The dilemma can be : Even when the purpose is discovered, it is always a challenging task to capture such an abstract concept, in words. And if the purpose is not discovered yet; it becomes even more challenging. So, I thank you for asking this question.
The best thing that I love about my work is, indeed, having sense of an alignment with my purpose. That is about contributing to, what I believe as, a collective quantum leap of evolution of human species in its development journey, by being of service to others.
This is achieved by using empathy and by practicing kindness – connecting with individuals requires establishing a common wavelength to be able to “feel” his/her way. This process facilitates my appreciation of a greater cause and hence synchronising my purpose with it. I see that as a field of enormous potential that blossoms through collective participation .
Each and one of us , dissolving into greater concept (something bigger than us) sharing apiece of its authentic energetic puzzle, based on our own experience of a human life.
To facilitate this extraordinary outcome, also requires substantial investments on my part, to bring in -reflective awareness, compassion, patience , focus .
What my idea of happiness?
Happiness is a feeling of an euphoric yet profound calmness that can only occur in an aware state of being. I experience happiness when my system (mind, body and spirit) is present in the moment and I don’t feel any physical or psychical discomfort. When I am aware of what my senses are picking up and processing on that. Only when I manage to silence my “monkey brain” can I fully pay attention. That is usually followed by experiencing gratitude -witch is to me, a base line of happiness. I would describe happiness as a state of mind ,an utterly subjective experience out of an inner feel of deep fulfilment. It is, in a way, resonating at my “natural frequency”- being in the flow. This frequency is reached by finding my rhythm in harmony with nature.
Happiness can also be invoked by external factors- like seeing joy in my son’s eyes, smelling the summer on my husband’s skin, hearing the sound of my dog dreaming, tasting a first sip of a morning coffee, sensing snow under my boots.
Any expressive art like music or painting can also be a great medium to finetune with that state of being.
What is my greatest fear?
Not having enough time to develop and finish all my projects.
What is the trait that I most deplore in myself?
That would be, when I get detracted into seeking temporary moments of pleasure which may harm my long term interests (mind, body & spirit) system. I am talking about earthly pleasures like smoking or a glass (of too many) of wine. Staying up late or having incoherent noise of inner dialog that makes me doubt myself. I wonder how despite being aware about human health and its maintenance, I sometimes fall short of applying it consistently enough.
Which living persons in my profession do I most admire?
In generic terms I am grateful to all the artists and medical and non medical healthcare professionals . Nevertheless, as a grownup and an evolving human being, I do not restrict my identity only with my profession, but more with my purpose.
This opens my canvass to acknowledge my learning and admire most of parents, teachers, writers, scientists, farmers, nomads, time travellers, philosophers , space holders, dancers, peacekeepers, creators, practically – everybody that makes this planet a better place
What is my greatest extravagance?
My greatest extravagance is to be empathic and understanding with myself while creating an opportunity to explore all of my human potential and develop fully. This means that I am allowing myself the freedom to think, act, look and interact beyond the confines of the conventional framework of a modern society in the Northern hemisphere. By conforming to society, just to be accepted and in a way to feel safe- I would lose my own authenticity, my own voice , my opportunity to make a difference.
Finding myself in the paradox of an overt human need for belonging (to a group) and an inner human urge towards authenticity- is being for me, an extravagance itself. What I usually come across in social and professional live, is a surprised reaction when I tell people that I practice different professions and that are they both, equally important to me. Somehow, keeping the same values and life philosophy seems an abstract idea to many, in the context of different areas of expertise.
On what occasion would I lie?
If mine, or somebody else’s life would depend on it – if my ‘truth’ is likely to harm someone, including myself.
What is the thing that I dislike the most in my work?
Timeframes and deadlines.
Working as a healthcare professional I dislike the fact that I am not being able to engage enough / have a decent conversation with my colleagues. Our main focus lies on our patients and working at the hospital has a very specific dynamic. To me, the medical staff is a group of highly devoted people, committed to the practice of doing meaningful work. I feel that if we have adequate space/time to also share even non-medical stories and experiences; it would add great value to what we do, creating a deeper bond.
Working with artists, on the other hand, I experience enriched bonding ,thanks to the sharing of our personal stories and profound conversations about philosophy, life, art and everything in between. We are bonding, exploring, daydreaming, fantasizing and which can be easily extended into a world filled with talking trees and flying furniture. This results sometimes in -not being able to finish a project within a deadline, usually followed by hassle or despair. Mostly both.
These two work areas represent two ends of a spectrum and I, by transcending obstacles, am discovering a way to map this space defined by one group who is fighting for human life and the other – defending the very purpose of it.
Picture credit: Jackie Mulder
When and where was I the happiest, in my work?
A couple of years ago I worked, as an scenographer, with a great theatre group “Alweer Geen Revolutie “. We were developing an extremely complex theatre play, downtown in Amsterdam. Located in a very old, visually inspiring building, with beautiful high ceilings , extra wide windows but agonisingly poor heating.
On a particular day, we were discussing and figuring out how our décor, as a “third player”, would naturally develop itself. This specific and our only scene was a garbage belt , a kind of metaphor for an insanely materialistic society and where would its progression eventually take us. Some serious art and life questions were being considered, we were questioning the (in)significance of our work in general and ourselves, as individuals, in the larger context. We were regressing into a spiral of negativity and frustration in our minds, as I can remember. And we were beyond cold.
Somebody suggested that we need to warm up and before I knew it, we were dancing. We, all of a sudden, transformed from a group of four half-frozen, seriously discussing adults, into a rhythmically moving crowd high on energy/enthusiasm- dancing to some catchy tune, laughing and acting playfully like children. In a matter of seconds, we went from questioning our existence to being open, carefree, happy and most of all -warm , sparkling and happy lifeforms.
If I could, what would I change about myself?
That would be the intensity of my ambition. I would like to switch to micro ambition, especially in te the context of the time management. Mindfulness is a solution to this problem I suppose. Rituals and meditation as well. If anyone succeeds in doing this, please let me know how.
What is my greatest achievement in work?
Developing Human Resonance Project
After two years of research I have developed an art project that has the most profound benefits for the one I am creating a portrait, and also for me –a participating artist and a human being. It is an interactive form of creating an abstract portrait (based on a shared resonance) and it is about awareness of multilayered human interaction. It is about how we are shaped in early years of our development and conditioned by those experiences. I have created 11 of them and it is the most challenging and most profound experience that I’ve ever had. At first, this project was a tool for me, to understand a human being holistically . I was collecting information from neuroscience to spirituality, from psychology to biochemistry. They offered me different perspectives -physics / quantum physics in particular, because they study energy, vibration, waves, frequency and resonance. Once I synthesized all the knowledge, the complexity of what I was doing dawned on me, which made me realise that it would probably take me a lifetime to explore . It has since become my life’s work.
Where would I most like to live?
In a quantum reality where John Lennon’s “”Imagine”” would be the way of how the things are organized down here on Earth.
What is my most treasured possession?
That would be exactly 12 four-leaf clovers plus one with five leaf’s clover, kept in a book to preserve and dry. I have found them while walking my dog , in just the last couple of years. I have been finding them all of my life and that is not because I am a lucky person, but because I once , honestly believed to be one. As a child , I sometimes needed the ”guidance from above” and the story of a miracle of finding a four-leaf clover, fitted perfectly into my world. So over the years, it became an unconscious habit, my eyes mastered finding the pattern and I can spot it easily . They are less rare than we believe them to be. This story serves me as a good analogy of explaining the frequently occurring miracles in our lives and constantly finding the four-leaf clovers, is my proof of it. It is a good reminder of how we can be shaped by our beliefs and how that can serve us (or not) along the way.
What is my most marked characteristic?
Curiosity.
What is my most inspirational location, in my city?
Amsterdam is an inspiring city in its entirety and it is hard for me to name a specific location. It depends on the ‘mood of the moment’.. Nowadays, I live a couple of kilometres away, in a village nearby. There is a traffic stop light when exiting the village and you wait for the green light, long enough , you might get a feeling that you are in front of a living Rembrandt’s painting. Especially with a partly- cloudy, blue sky’s. A freshly green, Dutch landscape with a couple of slowly ruminating, indifferent cow’s, including an old windmill in the background — it creates a particular ambience where my spirit gets inspired and takes me 400 years back in time.
What is my favorite place to eat and drink, in my city?
That would be in a comfort of my home.
What books influenced my life and how?
Discovering a subgenre of Science Fiction ( as a genre) at an early age, shaped my development and a way of thinking on many levels. It gave me a world of countless possibilities and the knowledge that we as species do not necessarily benefit from the progress in technology and science . If misused, it can be fatal.
You Only Die Once. What music would I listen on my last day?
Do you mean the last 24h? Well that depends on a what I am dying from. If it would be a sudden death, I would carelessly continue with a soundtrack of my everyday life. If I would have to prepare for the transition then- Beethoven’s 5th of course , to start with. Then I would make things a little lighter with “Shine on you crazy diamond” (Pink Floyd), “Three” (Massive Attack), “Redemption song” (B.Marley), Bobby’s Mc Ferin’s live concert in Montreal (free on you tube), the whole album “Progressing” (AKD),…..and then I would hit a shuffle on order to get surprised on what’s to come.
Who is my hero or heroine in fiction?
Arthur Dent , the only surviving human in the known Universe ( from Douglas Adams’s Hitchhiker’s guide through the Galaxy)
Who are my heroes and heroines in real life?
The people whose bravery is to be seen from their getting out of their comfort zone, in order to develop and grow..
Which movie would i recommend to see once in a lifetime?
DMT: The Spirit Molecule by Mitch Schultz ( based on a book of Dr. Rick Strassman )
What role play stories in my life and work?
The most meaningful one!
What do the words ‘You are the storyteller of your own life’ to me?
Storytelling is an ancient way on passing and preserving the knowledge and wisdom. It is an art on its own. It is a skill -how you tell a story in such a way that it stays remembered. So the “storyteller of you own life” would be awareness of self, at the first place. Then about telling the difference between the narrator and the observer. This is an phenomena that occurs both in quantum physic and spirituality ( it is worth elaborating more on it). Only when you are aware of who is telling the story, you choose to integrate the story in your system. Preserving the wisdom and knowledge that comms with it, in order to remember.
Who is my greatest fan, sponsor, partner in crime?
My husband, my lover, my friend , my fellow traveller -Damir
What project am I looking forward to work on?
Organizing an exhibition of the works from Human Resonance Project
Where can you see me or my work?
http://www.katarinadodic.com
What do the words “Passion Never Retires” mean to me?
They mean that if you find yourself in a space/time zone where your drive/lifeforce energy is low, its good to remember what was your passion at first place. Passion comes from alignment with a purpose and from the lifeforce energy itself. It is a phenomenon that never retires.
Which creative heroes/ heroines should Peter invite to tell their story?
That would be my mentor and friend
The founder of Powerful Perspectives
Mr. Yatin Samanth
The Heroine's Journey 