In a previous post, I declared I Can Beach, however, I did not delve deeply into what that means and left it up to your interpretation. I plan to dig deeper into what “Beach” means in this post.
Prologue
In 2023, Greta Gerwig directed a groundbreaking film about the push and pull between the patriarchy and a matriarchy. The film, Barbie, features the iconic doll and her rumored romantic partner, Ken. At best, he is a 2D accessory to Barbie.
Though the film is about Barbie, Ken takes a personal journey too. He has an identity crisis when he travels from Barbieland to the real world. At first, the real world is very different for Ken, and he soon realizes he can’t even “beach” anymore. This simple and yet abstract action that Ken partakes in, known as beach, is not a job title, it’s not a profession, and it might not even be a complete concept. However, there is a certain understanding that you can glean from the movie but is difficult to put into words. Let me tell you what I think it means to “beach”.
We can all BEACH.
My Beach is not Ken’s BEACH.
We all BEACH differently.
This is Improvement Dave, and… I beach.
For me, BEACH is three things:
- Simple
- Informal
- Not Logic-Based
Listen to us discuss this topic, at length on the I’m Just Ken episode of the If You Ask Betty Podcast, here.
#1 Beach is Simple
- Relaxed – The first step is to be relaxed. “Beach” is never forced, it is summoned.
- Not complicated– Identify the next right thing and then do that. This will not lead to being overwhelmed this will lead to being on the right path with the least amount of mental delineation.
- Simple does not mean stupid. Do not make bad decisions. Work slowly, think about it, and take the next best small step
- In Thai, we say Sabaii Sabaii Dee “easy easy good” In many ways we could just say look at Thai culture, traditional Thai culture, and in that way, you can identify BEACH.
I lived in Northern Thailand for 7 lucky years. The Thai people smile all the time. There are 16 unique smiles in the Thai language. There is a sad smile. Thailand is called “The Land of Smiles”. Did you know that when you smile because you are happy, the scientifically measurable mental state is the equivalent of smiling when you are not happy, but then you become happy because you smiled? So, in other words, smiling all the time is a reverse-engineered way to just choose happiness. Now THAT is Beach!
#2 Beach is Informal
- Not formal, also Not trashy, but quality
- Relaxed fit, No slim fit, and Not super baggy
- Good example: Trendy, but not expensive, Sandals from Nordstrom Rack Nordstrom rack. Not sandals from Bloomingdale and not the cheapest sandals at Walmart or Amazon.
So, I am using fashion as a metaphor in the bullets above. This is not about where you buy your clothes. However, if you search at Bloomingdales there is an inverse relationship of correlation with being BEACH. This is about how you present yourselves overall and can include a more informal thought process, posture, or style about you. If you will go there with me, we can call it “Chill Vibes“.
Speaking of Chill vibes, this song will take you to BEACH wherever you are.
#3 …But wait, “I BEACH”… that doesn’t even make sense
- Not making sense is a crucial step in the creative process.
- If something doesn’t make sense now that doesn’t mean it won’t make sense in the future when you better understand it. After you nail it down and know what it is and what it isn’t.
- Being bold and brave enough not to make sense is a way to innovate and try new things out.
- This might lead you to a new solution that is better than what we have now.
Stop Making Sense – in 1984 the music group The Talking Heads did a tour called “Stop Making Sense” where David Byrne begged us to let go and stop making sense. It is arguably some of the best live recordings of stage rock/funk music ever compiled. In each song, the band adds a new band member.
Epilogue
BEACH ON! Before we get to the summary let’s watch the scene this is taken from.
In conclusion, the phrase “I Beach” is an illogical one, but that does not mean that we can not pull meaningful direction from it. That is the whole point of this point. Simply because something doesn’t make social sense does not mean it has no value.
Epilogue 2.0
Also, on the Podcast mentioned above, the Hostess with the Mostest, Betty Dannewitz admits that her favorite scene in the Barbie movie was right when Barbie and Ken traveled to the real world and some construction workers hit on Barie, so she explains that “Oh, we do not have Genetals.” …AND, since I BEACH, I made a cartoon out of it, and I hope you enjoy it!
Credits
The Betty Dannewitz did copy editing on this writing and suggested it to be a VLOG video, but I left it as a Blog post. (Mostly because I am behind and I have COVID-19.)
Song Credits taken from Wikipedia
“At the River” is a song released in 1997 by British duo Groove Armada.
Stop Making Sense is an independently produced 1984 American concert film featuring a live performance by the American rock band Talking Heads.[5] The film was directed by Jonathan Demme and executive produced by Gary Kurfirst, the band’s longtime manager. The film was shot over four nights in December, 1983 at Hollywood’s Pantages Theatre while Talking Heads were on tour promoting their 1983 album, Speaking in Tongues.
Improvement Dave 