Archive for June, 2009
My own Words
Despite a work schedule that is best described as “hectic,” I have been working on a lot of creative writing lately. I put up part of a recent work (which contained parts of past works) on this blog recently, but I’ve been cultivating something that I am a bit more proud of – and therefore, more scared to share.
My love life, which is all but non-existent, has also been inspiration for my latest endeavors – as my daydreams often provide the timbre to the chords of my emotional musings.
Writing for me has always been the outlet of emotional frustrations, so this latest bout of creative inspiration probably is the result of said “hectic” section of my life known as work. My love life, which is all but non-existent, has also been inspiration for my latest endeavors – as my daydreams often provide the timbre to the chords of my emotional musings. Still, the piecing together of the secret language that my inner-psyche speaks is a puzzle that I enjoy solving – often in public spheres on blogs like this.
I think the desire for the public spotlight stems from a somewhat irrational fear that no one knows me. Despite having a life that is extremely open – the various social networks I live on reveal most of my personality – that fear creates a dark film over many of my relationships. In my less stable days, the primadonna in me would often exclaim that “no one knows me” while parading off like the over-emotional teenager I was. That feeling, even if now kept in check, still exists and has become a running theme for my thoughts about my life in Boulder. I have caught myself worrying about the perceptions that my aquaintences have of me – which is something that this carefree Saggitarious rarely ever worries abouts. I don’t know why this is happening, but perhaps my writing and these introspective moments will reveal why this growing insecurity is coming to the forefront. Or perhaps it will work as a valve, releasing some unknown pressure that has been welling inside me and I will return to my perceived normal. Whatever the result, I figure the journey will be documented in my own words – which, in the end, is all a man can really hope for.
Over the Rainbow
Trippy picture from Stazio Softball fields in Boulder, CO – moved my iPhone while taking picture of the double rainbow.
Building Community
I am lucky because I have a really great job. Among my many tasks, I serve as a community manager for Crocs fans. Using Twitter, blogging, and the other social networking realms – I seek to organize and empassion our core consumer. There are many marketing seminars, books, webinars, and blogs dedicated to just this purpose. While I read them and seek them out, I’m lucky because my job has come down to one specific philosophy: Have Fun
. Here’s a personal case study. The other day on Twitter, Allison Worthington of Mrs. Fussypants and Blissfullydomestic sent out a tweet saying “It is official. Twitter has killed my ability to blog on my site, Ican’tquityou,Twitter!”
Being the pop culture connoseuir that I am, I immediately recalled the famous scene from Brokeback Mountain – “I just can’t quit you” (Is that how the real quote goes?) I quickly responded with a tweet requesting that SOMEONE make a photoshopped poster as soon as possible spoofing that Tweet.
Within minutes, Monica aka @Mommybrain responds and volunteers for the task. About an hour later, Monica’s masterpiece was unveiled: Tweetdeck Mountain!
So, what does this have to do with my work at Crocs? Well – nothing really and everything. I would have tweeted the same thing if I wasn’t working at Crocs. I would follow both Alli and Monica even if my job had nothing to do with “mommy bloggers” or bloggers in general. I did it because it was funny, it felt good, and it’s how my personality works. Yet, when Alli told the story on her blog – the picture of my tweet included the Crocs logo. It was branding. More importantly, it was a relationship – a real relationship based on having fun and communicating that doesn’t have anything to do with pushing personal agendas. The beauty of the social web is that relationships breed success. And the fact that I can spend my Thursday morning, in between my other job tasks, just having a laugh and being able to call that work – is priceless.
Creative Writing #1
Disclaimer: The entry below is a bit of creative writing that I did tonight – 6/13/2009. It does contain some reworked writings from my past. It’s also a work of fiction and, while life is always the inspiration for my artistic endeavors, enough of the story has been altered and changed that it no longer represents even a remotely accurate account of any events in my life. Please take this as something in rough form. Thank You ~GeorgeGSmithJr
Homesick Blues
The recent malaise in Boulder – it’s been a few days without sun and lots of rain – has made me a bit homesick. It’s not the kind of homesick that makes me want to return or even look into scheduling a visit. Rather, it’s the kind of homesick that causes you to see the silhouettes of your past in the window. It’s a longing for something that doesn’t exist – like trying to catch a glimpse of thunder or hear that bolt of lighting.
I’ve been looking back through my Flickr Photostream to see things. It’s weird to look at some of these pictures. The dreary scenery of Syracuse reminds me of the reasons I decided to escape – yet there is an affinity there that I can’t quite place. I guess that just makes it home – even if I no longer have many friends and no family there.
Saved by the Bell Reunion?
Is it sad that I get excited over the prospect of a Saved by the Bell Reunion?
In Response to Millennio.Us
Alana and Eric of the Millennio.us podcast had a nice discussion about the sleeping habits of Millennial generation and their electronic devices. Where do you keep your cell phone? How about your computer? Well – for me, I usually end up sleeping with two laptops. Two laptops you say? Well – there’s an explanation for that and I decided to video tape it.
That’s that. I may be a nerd but I’m kind of proud of it.
The Long Tail of Cool
When I was younger, I read Comic Books. Mostly X-Men and the related series (New Mutants, X-Force, Etc.) – but dabbled here or there into other series. It was fun – I’d tell the stories to some of my neighborhood friends and they’d get into it for a bit. For the most part, however, I was by myself in this little hobby of mine. I digested as much as I could – spent hundreds of dollars buying magazines, books, etc so I could learn the history behind this comic that started long before I was born. It was a great hobby and much of that information is still in my head. In fact, the other day as I drove home from Denver with my friend Ef, we discussed our mutual love for the comic of our youth.
The other week, my friend James introduced me to the world of Firefly. By the end of the weekend, I had watched the entire series, the movie, and read as much as I can about the Joss Whedon masterpiece. I am dumbfounded how the show could have been canceled and, using the internet, saw that I wasn’t alone. In fact, the Firefly community was strong enough to have the movie green lighted – which at least provided some amount of closure to the story.
Why do I bring these two things up? Simple. The difference between the two obsessions comes down to one thing – the internet. My love affair with the X-Men was never truly fostered because, for the most part, I was alone. It wasn’t “cool” to like the X-Men, or to read comic books in general, and finding like-minded people was troublesome for a young boy in the middle of suburbia. With Firefly and the internet, not only could I easily connect with hundreds of thousands of fans that share my same interests, but I can also do it with minimal effort, minimal cost, and feel that, despite this niche interest, I wasn’t alone in my love.
It made me start thinking about how the web has transformed cool. When I was in college, Indie Rock music was for a certain type of person. You know the stereotype – hangs out in record stores, owns vinyl, brags about seeing a band before they were big. They hung out together, learned what was cool from each other, and created a niche genre that catered to their aesthetic. As the internet started to really blossom – file sharing, web communities, etc etc – Indie music started to become more popular. It started to appear in shows like The O.C. It started to infiltrate popular culture. The niche became cool.
The internet provides access to information and, in reality, that’s all “coolness” is.
Why did this happen? Well – the concept of the Long Tail is something I love. The internet provides access to information and, in reality, that’s all “coolness” is. It’s information on what is acceptable, normal, and common. Before the internet, you were subject to local thoughts on coolness – or mass media’s determination of what should be cool. In today’s world, those influences are disappearing. If you’re a huge fan of something, odds are you can find a community out there that shares your interest. You can belong and feel accepted. You can be cool because you have found the niche where you belong. Indie Rock – a genre filled with extremely talented musicians – became popular because people went to what they identified with, not the sugar pop that the record companies and advertising agencies pushed upon them. The music industry isn’t floundering because of file sharing, it’s floundering because the machine is built on the ability to define cool. The internet removed that ability and the industry has yet to adapt (more on the music industry some other day)
If you think about it, most people AREN’T cool. Most people weren’t the home coming queen or king. Most people didn’t hang out with the cool kids in high school. Most people were just people – with their own thoughts, ideas, and personalities. Even those who WERE popular have thoughts, ideas, and personalities that exist at different points in the long tail. And since most people don’t fit into the front part of the graph where “Cool” was conventionally defined, the “long tail” concept applies and gains strength.
It’s not just the future generations that will shape the world. These tools on the web are shaping our lives. The way we discuss things. The way we elect Presidents and deal with government. All of this is the recognition that the masses – the ones that exist in the Long Tail – have the power. Power to the people. Interesting concept. A blossoming reality…
Startup Weekend Boulder
On Friday, as I sat in the Threadless offices with Heather and Rachel, I decided I was going to stop by the opening session of Startup Weekend Boulder 3. Created by Andrew Hyde, this event is something that I have always wanted to attend but reluctance at finding my place within the weekend always kept me from doing so. I headed to Leed’s at CU and was amazed at the turnout. The room was full of eager people looking to have a fun weekend project or perhaps mark the beginning of larger business endeavors. As Andrew went around the room listening for ideas to be pitched, it was quite the scene to hear the different business ideas that were coming from the group. It was a great site to see.
I ultimately did not participate in the rest of the weekend, even though I just ran into a large collection of attendees at The Cup. I didn’t find a project that I wanted to work on – not because of the lack of quality projects. It was simply because I realized I couldn’t devote the time and passion to the project over the weekend without sacrificing energy that I need for the job that pays the bills. After stopping by TechStars today to catch up with a few of the projects, I think I made the right decision. Everyone was hard at work, devoted to their weekend fun and perhaps contemplating how to take these great ideas and turn them into great products.
If a startup weekend occurs in your area, I would definitely advise to check it out.
