Sharing some energy that is still flying around since David visited Seattle
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From: Steve Ball
Sent: Tuesday, May 5, 2015 10:58 PM
To: David Singleton
Cc: Steve Enstad ; Steve Turnidge ; Don Myers; Curt Golden;
Subject: Reflections
Dear David (and extended BTV-brothers) – I’m happy to hear you made it home safely!
Thanks all for sharing quick reflections and follow-up.
I too had a great few days last week connecting the past to this present.
Of course, I’ve also done just a bit of digesting, some summarized here in this odd place where no one goes anymore (online diaries)!
I managed to scan the Saturday lunch sushi sheet(s) and included a potentially useful picture there as well recapping one of my own primary take-aways from studying how we’re operating given our goals: doing better means doing less.
Now, a few more quick links before I do less and go practice:
- Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ a San Francisco startup, in the news a bit last year about the art of tour financing. This came up as I’ve been thinking through support models for the Vicar.
- Jo Hamilton: I’m a patron: http://www.johamilton.com/patrons/ - but undecided on whether this is/was a good idea. I checked it out because of the model, but I don’t actually really like her music. Welcome to modern music discovery: I detest your music, but your business model is interesting.
- Patronage: Finally, a well-known, but worth re-reading Kevin Kelley essay on 1000 True Fans.
One other quick thought for the evening: “success” (whatever that means) seems at least partially-contingent on the idea that someone other than the creator(s) may be interested in our work. But can this be true in an XX-overloaded modern world? (where X = email, movies, music, media, money, management, memories – not to mention families, social engagements, hobby responsibilities…)
Maybe this is the new reality: with everyone becoming creators (musicians, bloggers, artists) because the democratization and distribution of cheap tools, everyone is now a creator. Which sort of has this result: “Who has time to listen to you -- I’m focused on me!”
Patricia Fripp has a sort of meme about this; she says something like (my paraphrase):
“while you’re presenting (performing) and worried that everyone is thinking about you (stage fright), you must recognize that they are not. They are actually thinking about: Is this chair comfortable? What’s for lunch? Did I lock the door? What should I say next to appear smart? Is she looking at me? How is this thing I’m enduring helping (or hurting) me? and the bottom line $10K question: “what’s in it for me.”
Realizing that everyone is only ever mostly focused on themselves can be a kind of freeing realization.
With this idea, I have a different kind of stage fright -- if that makes sense?
So, what determines this little tricky little answer: is what I’m doing excellent enough to engage my audience (student, boss, co-workers, circle members) and pull them up and out of their “what’s in it for me?” hypnosis?
Okay, way more than enough.
Wishing you each well in your whatever is in it for us.
-Steve
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