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Dave’s blog

Is easy creativity, “cheapened” creativity?

Andy Warhol created the famous Marilyn Monroe montage below.  It probably took him a while and I’m sure the original is worth millions.

I created this montage of my dog Ziggy in 20 minutes using a filter on my Pixel 2 phone and PowerPoint.

Has easy creativity “cheapened” creativity? 

No, I don’t think technology is narrowing the gap between real talent and tech-stimulated creativity.   Technology is enabling those of us not making a living as artists to be able to enjoy being creative without a steep learning curve.  “Ziggy Warhol” was fun to make, and now fun to write about.  I don’t think Andy Warhol, if alive, would feel threatened.

What good is relaxing when I’m stressed about it?

I’ve been getting more done, a LOT more done, stimulated by the book, Deep Work, which has encouraged me to work in pockets of focused time. Now I’m thinking about how to use a bit of the time gained to relax.   

But 

When I relax, I’m haunted by the feeling that I am wasting time while being unproductive.  

This is truly disappointing. When I was working all the time in a disarray of unrelated tasks, I had less guilt about being unproductive because I was busy. True, I was frustrated at how little meaningful work I was accomplishing, but at least I was working a lot. 

Yes, this conundrum is idiotic. I live in Colorado to enjoy my life!  My tagline is Live – Work – Love Colorado.™  I’m working on this (see photo). It’s a process.

 

Talking About Life with Santa Reminds Me to Connect

Santa was about to close-up for the evening at the mall. No kids in line so I asked him if I could take a selfie with him. He said, “Sure.”

After I took the picture, he said, “It’s been a long day. Stay and talk with me.” So I did. We talked about his role in the world and our families.

It was strangely surreal and gratifying, and I’ve thought a lot about it – about why, knowing the circumstances of Santa’s appearance at the mall, I was so struck by my time with him.  Here’s what I’ve come to think about that:  he had spent all day having brief and superficial conversations.  He wanted a deeper human connection, and I was the object of that desire – that touched me and made me feel special.  It made me feel drawn to engage.

I’ve referred a lot recently to my belief that social media is distracting us from deeper human connection and my conversation with Santa is a great reminder.  In business, in life, people crave deep connection. Remember Dale Carnegie’s timeless How To Win Friends and Influence People?

P.S. I was so engaged in the conversation that I forgot to ask him for anything! 

 

Sincerity only achieved by solving SOMEONE ELSE’S problem

(When a baby bear gets my attention on LinkedIn, Part 2)

In Part 1 of this blog, I reflected on getting attention in today’s noisy marketplace. A social media expert’s advice comes to mind: “Talk about your audience 10 times more than you talk about yourself.” People are taking this approach – so many posts celebrating, appreciating, liking what others are doing – and why?  Because those posting often believe this reflects favorably on THEM: “Look at me!  I’m talking about you!”  It’s a cacophony of BS.

Sincerity is only achieved by solving SOMEONE ELSE’S problem.

I’m reading Seth Godin’s new book, THIS IS MARKETING – You Can’t Be Seen Until You Learn to See.” He states there are three sentences we must complete (well) to be effective marketers:

My product is for people who believe…

I will focus on people who want…

I promise that engaging with what I make will help you get…

This creates alignment of people for whom we can solve problems.  That’s sincerity, and focusing on THAT will get us more of the attention we want, and we’ll deserve it.  Want more inspiration?  Read another of my book recommendations:  Bluefishing, the Art of Making Things Happen.

A baby bear gets my attention on LinkedIn

A year ago I was promoting the views of the megafamous digital marketing guru Gary Vaynerchuk who proclaimed that “every company needs to be a media company first.” I still think that’s true.  And yet, there is SO, SO much NOISE. Browsing LinkedIn, among all the sincere posts to build brands with important updates, you know what got my attention? A heart-wrenching video of a baby bear climbing up a slope to reunite with its mamma (OK, here’s the link).

We don’t really care about what others post as a means to their ends – and that’s most of what’s posted. Noticing that online powerhouses like Amazon and rising star Warby Parker are opening physical stores, and having re-read Bluefishing, the Art of Making Things Happen, I’m shifting my thinking – back to deeper human connection. Please take a moment to think about this.  I’ll share my conclusions in my next blog.

P.S. The video to which I’m referring has recently illuminated the negative impact of drones on wildlife!
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