Agent for the Arts

Truth's Design

"Truth" is an interesting thing. Elusive, deep, guarded, abrasive, sometimes carefully constructed, often unbelievable, seldom what we expect, and always what sets us free. Once it's out there, we can deal with it - but until it's officially revealed, we may suffer by it.

Our economy is also an interesting thing. It's been poorly managed and brutally abused for years, but things seemed okay. Today, finally, we have some sense that the truth of our malpractice is being laid out on the table. Today, finally, we have a president who vows to cut our excessive budget and pressures big businesses to do the same.

Today, finally, we can deal with the truth and take advantage of our freedom. Because tomorrow, our economy will thrive on cooperation and creativity - and those who want to play by a different set of rules will be left behind.

Ants Marching

OK, I'm stealing a few great ideas for this one... but hear me out. Besides, my creative writing teacher in college told me that "good poets steal and bad poets borrow."

We all know (and hopefully love) Dave Matthews, but I never understood his philosophy on the relationship between creativity and entrepreneurship until recently. It was after I heard a talk by James Surowiecki about the importance of social media that this realization occurred. He mentioned the circular mill phenomenon among ants and related it to the blogosphere... brilliant.

Ants are not smart individually, but they can achieve great things when the whole colony works together. However, sometimes ants will wander and eventually get lost. If that happens, they're programmed to follow their instinct, which is to do exactly what the ant in front of them is doing. Eventually, all the ants end up marching in a circle, or "circular mill," until they die.

Dave Matthews alludes to this in his song, "Ants Marching," where he says, "No words exchanged, no time to exchange them / and all the little ants are marching / ... / they all do it the same / they all do it the same way," and eventually, "lights down, you up and die."

The metaphor is clear - don't be afraid to be creative and different because it will save you from marching nowhere. Sometimes you have to risk getting out of line or you'll become exhausted doing what everyone else is doing.

I would invite you to take a look at a few of your closest competitors. (If you're a local coffee shop, don't put Starbucks on the list - just the other local shops.) Then, decide who's leading the group - who is constantly coming up with the new ad campaigns, products, designs, or marketing techniques. If you can't pinpoint it, you might all be stuck in a circular mill..... so take a sharp turn to the right. It'll be fun, especially if you keep doing it, because you'll be able to look behind you and see the rest of the ants trying to keep up.

Creativity - OLE!

Elizabeth Gilbert on handling the pressure of being a creative genius - needs no other introduction.

OLE!

Tell Me Why I Should Care

I just finished a great book by Daniel Pink called "A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future." It wasn't great in the sense that it inspired me to run out and do something extraordinary, but it let me know that I am (and have been) moving in the right direction, according to economic and marketplace trends in America. I highly recommend the book for anyone feeling frustrated or overwhelmed by the sometimes overly-analytical, data-driven workplace.

In today's market, what sticks is what makes the customer FEEL good, and it doesn't really matter HOW we accomplish that. For example, you may sit through a 45-minute presentation with important charts and graphs and only remember one slide with a picture on it. Perhaps the picture made you smile or there was a compelling story that went with it - but either way, that's what stood out.

The reason? It's so easy to find information online these days - often by reaching for our cell phones and blackberrys. I bet you don't know who played Ruth Joad in "The Grapes of Wrath" in 1940, and I'm sure you can't tell me how many people for every 10,000 were injured at work in 2007. I'm also confident that you can give me the answers in less than 10 minutes, but that won't give me a sense of how brilliant of a writer John Steinbeck is or what its like getting caught in a paper shredder.

Data is important, but it takes a lot more than that to sell your ideas. Check out Seth Godin's blog for more.

Generation Gaps

Last night, Alligator Mouth Improv worked with Corning East High School students to teach them some fundamentals of improvisation. The students, who all had some stage performance background, worked hard, paid attention, and honed their skills in the short time we shared. Ideally, some of those students will return for a month-long workshop in the summer.

After we gave a brief performance-demo and said our good-byes, I went backstage and powered up my Blackberry. I had received an email from a publication editor I recently started working with (I contribute a free column and receive some exposure in return). In the blurb at the end of my column, I wrote that I am an "Agent for Creativity." The editor thought he'd do me a favor and edit that part out, mentioning that it's a "bit too much for the target audience," and that it would be "best to play it safe."

It was an interesting contrast. Thanks to technology, I went from the open-minded high school stage to the play-it-safe corporate world in a matter of seconds. I never thought I'd say this: it felt much better to be back in high school at that moment. And not to be harsh on the editor (he's may actually be right about being a "bit too much" for the audience), but that mentality makes it increasingly difficult to dig our economy out of the hole it's in.

I'm not too interested in playing it safe. I'm interested in being an Agent for the Arts and for creativity - and I'm looking forward to working with businesses who are ready to try something new.

Wanted: Hero

There once was a boy who grew up in a small village. Every day, he passed the same familiar faces, and every day he heard the same comments: "You're not good enough!" and "You don't fit in here!" So finally, when he was old enough, the boy decided to move away. He met new people, tried new things, and had many wonderful experiences. He was amazed at how much he learned from all of these adventures.

One day, the boy (who was now a man) moved back to the village he grew up in. He brought back stories and shared new ideas, and all of the villagers were eager to learn from his newly-gained wisdom. The mayor of the village even built a tower, and every day the man stood in the tower to impart new ideas and lessons to all who would listen. To his amazement, the familiar faces who so often made fun of him sat right in the front. They were proud of the man - for despite all their comments and jeers, he returned to be a teacher, a mentor, and ultimately... a hero.

You've heard this story before. It's the classic "hero" story that has been passed from generation to generation, through some of the most popular books, movies, and more. The main character leaves home on a journey and encounters a transformation through his experiences. He then returns home to share his lessons and prove his knowledge and strength. It's the story of Simba from The Lion King, Luke Skywalker from Star Wars, and Odysseus from Homer's The Odyssey.

In all these stories, there are challenges and risks that the hero must face in order to prove his wisdom and talent. Without them, there would be no reason to return home.

Everyone wants to be a hero. Does your community offer the right challenges or job opportunities for college students to return from their journey? Is your business willing to take risks and entertain new ideas from young professionals?

Or will these potential heroes continue searching for the chance to make a difference somewhere else?