Recently, while flying home from a meeting, I watched the documentary “Holy Frit.” It is the story behind the making of the Resurrection Window, which is the largest single stained-glass window ever created. Inspiring scenes of the documentary include the art studio where “Only the Best is Worthwhile” is emblazoned on the wall.
In the documentary, filmmaker Justin Monroe follows Los Angeles-based artist Tim Carey over three years. Carey, who gets a church to give him this commission, struggles to learn, adapt, invent, and be true to himself while completing the window. His triumphs and tribulations are engaging, but who enthralled me was Narcissus Quagliata, also an artist, desperately recruited by Carey to help him complete the window. Quagliata is known as the “maestro of stained glass.” As he mentors Carey through this three-year journey, I was struck by how his words of wisdom easily applied to the optometric practice. Let me explain.
Notable quotables
Here are some of my favorite quotes by Quagliata in speaking with Carey, as they sparked important reflective questions:
1. "Don’t do what they asked for without asking yourself what the best possible option is, and then present it to them and let them decide."
Q: Do we let patients tell us what they want and not even try to tell them what their best option would be and give them the chance to say no? They don’t know what they want until they know what the possibilities are.
2. "If you do the minimum, the result will be mediocre, and you will be out of business in two years."
Q: Do we really believe in the power of doing our best instead of being mediocre? We may not go out of business in two years, but we won’t see the full potential in our business and the best outcomes for our patients if we live in the mediocre.
3. "Every time you say, 'that will do' and haven’t done everything in your ability, you are notching down the radiance of the window."
Q: How often do we settle for giving less than our best in our services, skills, and knowledge, as well as final product in our materials? Do we ever say to ourselves “that is good enough”?
4. "Every time you put a piece in a crate, you have to say, 'I am good with that' and mean it."
Q: Before bedtime, can we say with confidence “I am good with today”?
Other memorable quotes include “It must be a masterpiece; don’t compromise,” and “Usually, people paint a cliché, but you paint from your heart.” I’m certain we can glean the messages being delivered here as they apply to our practices.
Artists in business
As artists in business, let's always give our best. Maybe we all need the wall sign “Only the Best is Worthwhile” as a reminder.
Email: april.jasper@conexiant.com
X: @DrAprilJasper
Facebook: @OptometricManagement
