Say my name, b-word!

Some of you may remember the title quote from the movie American Pie. While some Orlandons would like to think that "a rose by any other name would still smell as sweet," they are wrong. How we address people, especially in a cultural conglomerate such as Orlando, denotes how we feel towards them and about ourselves.

The "self-fulfilling prophecy" posits that how we feel about people creates the condition for us to be more aware, sensitive, and erroneous about to actions. For example, if Bob has a strong disdain for Sue, Bob is more likely to think everything Sue does is wrong or perceive her actions erroneously.  A simple "hello" from Sue may garner negative emotions from Bob. However, if Bob thought kindly of Sue, he would be less likely to perceive a simple "hello" as hostile.

Accordingly, in an era of text lingo and abbreviations, many people tend to shorten things, including names.  Perhaps "Richard" is not fond of being called "Rich," "Rick," or "Dick." In some extreme cases noted in Orlando, Richard may even be addressed as "Tom" even if Richard's emails and other correspondences contain his proper name.

Those who elect to address Richard improperly by calling him other names are showing that they have a blatant disrespect and disregard for others. They feel they are too important to be polite and show proper etiquette. It is very selfish and rude to continue to address people by names other than their own and against their wishes. Those people have a sense of self-importance and feel they are too busy to show common courtesy.

What about shortening names to only the first letter of the name? That is pretentious in a professional, business realm. It may be appropriate to address your best friend, Barbara, as "B;" however, if someone is hiring or interviewing you, it is highly inappropriate. Would you want to hire someone who shows no courtesy to you or does not respect authority?

Makeup Artists

I'm finding that many #MUA are not very intelligent, do not exhibit professionalism, do not use common sense, & can't follow simple instructions. This is your craft - your business. While many of your clients may be at a lower standard, artists should still carry themselves in the best of ways. Know how to protect your work legally. Even with publication submissions, photographer releases are required. GET ONE! In Florida, model permission to use images is required. How unprofessional can one be to not understand this? How hard is it?

Even though my name was on the correspondence, the artist called me by another name. Know your clients, business associates, and audience. When pointed out, the artist offered no apologies. You aren't even sorry that you don't care to know a client's name?!

Instead of answering the questions in the appropriate area, her responses has to be moved and edited. She has absolutely no writing or basic grammar skills. Way to make artists look literate. You may be a genius with cosmetics, but you are not a genius at other things.

She showed no appreciation for the opportunity afforded her. She did not submit all requested materials. She failed to submit one of the two major components of the assignment. Sure, she may have been busy, but if this is how she is with clients, then she will receive no referrals or business from this author.

Apparently, business etiquette is a lost art.