5 Ways That Social Media May Replace NYC as the Center of Creative Development

September 8, 2010

Elizabeth Currid's book, The Warhol Economy, discusses the elements that produce NYC's one-of-a-kind creative industry. But what if these elements don't belong only to NYC anymore?

I let out a laugh when I saw last week’s Onion article, 8.4 Million New Yorkers Suddenly Realize New York City A Horrible Place to Live. It seemed especially silly to me, as I’d just finished Elizabeth Currid’s, The Warhol Economy- a book that identifies the unique characteristics that have made NYC an international mecca of creative production. Despite the fact that the book raves about the benefits of NYC’s unique environment for artists and the career development of creatives, the Onion article got me questioning the future of this city.

Some of the key social and economic qualities that have made New York City so successful as a place for creative and cultural career development have been (and, I would guess, will continue to be) replaced by online social networks. “Every generation has its own neighborhood,” Zac Posen said of NYC to Currid during an interview mentioned in the book. I predict that for Generation Y, and perhaps increasingly for the generations following us, that neighborhood will not be Chelsea or the West Village. It will be online.

Here’s how social media and online networks match up to the key elements that secured NYC’s reputation as an international center for creative development:

 

1. Low economic barriers to entry in the community

Utilizing social media is catching on quick, and is a relatively cheap endeavour. The rise of New York City as an international hub of creativity also arose from low barriers to entry. Namely, the recession of the 1970s created cheap rents that allowed artists to focus more time and energy on their artwork instead of taking up second jobs to make ends meet. Artists bought up low-rent spaces in many of the same neighborhoods, resulting in communities of creatives with a little more time on their hands and getting a little more bang for their buck. All you needed then was a little bit of money (to afford rent), something to say, and the ability to relocate to New York. In order to enter an online community today, the barriers for entry are even lower. You don’t need to move to New York. You just need a little bit of money (to afford a computer) and that same something to say.

 

2. Production with no real regard for economic growth

There are more than 900,000 blog posts put up on the Internet every 24 hours. Why do we blog? The answers may be shockingly similar to those of “why do we make art?” Some people blog for emotional release or to create a connectedness with the world. Some people blog to make money, but a lot more people (including myself), blog to create symbolic capital. In other words, to gain or maintain regard as a professional in the field you’re writing about. (I utilize my human capital to discuss social capital on this blog to build my symbolic capital! Yes, these are the things your brain comes up with when you are in grad school…) In fact, according to Pew Internet and American Life Project, to make money is the least common reason why people blog. The main reason? Creative expression. Social media and online expression share the same emotional (and similar economic) fuel that drives NYC’s creative community.

 

3. Utilizing and building weak ties

In her book on NYC’s creative economy, Currid cites the work of Dr. Mark Granovetter who has published significant studies on the importance of “weak ties.” He found that the ties that were farther away  from us (versus our close-knit friends) were most influential in creating success. People with the most weak ties are in the greatest position to “diffuse innovation.” While having social exchanges with random folks on the street in New York City does create weak ties, it’s much less hard to imagine how social media promotes these kinds of relationships. Also, social media makes it easier to track weak ties. One needs only to check their @replies on Twitter to get a good sense of the weak ties they’ve created. Social media is a large network of these weak ties. And more than that, they are more easily tracked and weak ties can more easily grow stronger through social networks than meeting someone on the street in NYC- a method that has worked for generations before.

 

4. The ease of peer review and access to gatekeepers

Listen to the story of any great artist in NYC and they will tell you the stain of people that they met that helped them get to the top. In NYC, there are places where ‘the cool kids’ hang out. There are places to see and be seen. It’s not a stretch to say that there are a hierarchy of sites upon which bloggers and social medialites aim to be mentioned or linked. My boyfriend’s startup sees a greater rise in visitors when it’s mentioned on Mashable than when it’s mentioned on a random blog. The higher the site is on the totem pole, the more likely your work is to be seen by gatekeepers- key people in your industry with the power to aid you in achieving success. This is the same way it works in posh nightclubs, bars, and museum events in NYC. The reason online interactions may have the upper-hand? They are remote.

 

5. More creative people leads to economic productivity

You don’t need to be in New York anymore to have access to the most influential gatekeepers, or to get attention for your cause or story. The game is changing. In New York City, the above factors created ideal conditions for the spread, sharing, and development of creatives. Similarly, on web, the above factors create ideal conditions for the spread and development of creatives– but also for non-creatives. In a sense, New York just got bigger. Now it’s the entire world. Or rather, anyone with a computer or access to the library.

Social media networks have other advantages that NYC (or any physical location) lacks. This may change our idea of location as ideas are spread freely with no regard to physical region. For instance, time plays a different role. You don’t have one chance to hand over your business card- as you might when running into an ideal client on the street that you may never see again. You can send a message (or respond to that message) at your leisure. This may lead to more strategic communications. Also, places with more people see more economic activity, and for that very fact, it is a good idea to know what’s happening online.

*These five points are based upon select points in Currid’s The Warhol Economy: How Fashion, Art and Music Drive New York City. Check out the book to learn more about how they relate to NYC’s economy and social structure.

Posted by colleendilen
Filed in Arts, Big ideas, Blogging, Book Reviews, Social Media, Technology, The Future, Uncategorized
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Celebrating One Year of Know Your Own Bone

July 6, 2010

The original header when I started KYOB in 2009

I began this blog one year ago and it’s come a long, long way in the last twelve months! Throughout the last year, this has been a place for me to share ideas, gather my thoughts, and even do a bit of research. In one short year, Know Your Own Bone won me an award, earned me phone conversations and guidance from Penelope Trunk, got articles re-printed in popular magazines, hooked me up with the Nonprofit Millennial Bloggers Alliance, gave me the opportunity to write an advance review for the Harvard Business Review, was picked up by wonderful thought leaders, and allowed me to connect with many talented professionals.

Upcoming: Speaking of connecting with talented professionals, please tune in to Rosetta Thurman‘s BlogTalkRadio show, All Nonprofits Considered, from 12 – 1pm EST next Monday, July 12th. I will be discussing the current culture of nonprofit leadership in museums and the arts with young arts professional, Ian David Moss. Please join the chat room and help contribute to the discussion next Monday!

I know many bloggers often feature “best of” posts that link back to previously written articles. Until this point, I’ve never done this in a post. In celebration of my one-year anniversary with Know Your Own Bone, I’ll highlight some of the various types of posts I’ve written. These are certainly not “best of” posts, just a little survey of the themes I’ve covered over the last twelve months. Create a page with all of Know Your Own Bone’s “best of”s, you suggest? That sounds like a great task for year #2.

Thanks to all of you who check-in on Know Your Own Bone again and again- especially those of you who subscribe or who have reached out and commented or shot an e-mail or two my way. I love hearing from you all and I am beyond grateful to have such a great group of intelligent and insightful readers!

Here’s to the start of another year of Know Your Own Bone, with even more thoughts on the evolution of museums and nonprofits, community engagement, and social change. Cheers!

Posted by colleendilen
Filed in Arts, Blogging, Lessons Learned, The Small Stuff
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Nonprofit Careerists are Brazen (or, Thanks for Naming Me Brazen Careerist’s Blogger of the Year 2009)

December 30, 2009

I was honored to be named Brazen Careerist’s Blogger of The Year last week after this post got me nominated with 49 incredible Gen Y bloggers, and after receiving several votes on twitter for this blog.

I am still beyond thrilled to be nominated with such (downright cool) thought-food providers. In fact, after seeing Brazen’s frequently-featured favorites on the nomination list (such as Rebecca Thorman and Grace Boyle), I smiled– felt proud that a nonprofit-focused careerist might have rolled with the best of them for a little while– and tweeted a request for votes with a feeling of satisfaction, but with rather low expectations. After all, this blog is only five months old and, unlike the other 49 bloggers on the list, I focus on nonprofit organizations and experiences within the civic sector.

Along these lines, the power of community and relationship building– two critical elements in nonprofit management– were reinforced through this experience for me.  There’s no doubt that there’s increasing emphasis on engagement, creating connections, and civic responsibility within the private sector, that Gen Y is itching to make a difference, and that often the best solutions to social problems arise when we are sector agnostic. These are topics that frequently arise in this blog, and I’m thrilled that these areas of focus (engagement, relationship-building, and civic responsibility) are trending quickly enough to make this blog brazen and relevant to all careerists. Moreover, I’m excited that my own optimistic take on professional capabilities during the recession is what got me nominated!

Community and relationships were important in this Brazen Careerist contest because, in order to obtain this honor, my communities of friends and followers had to vote. I asked for support and I was absolutely blown away by the response. Pacific Science Center cast a vote my way, and even The University of Chicago Magazine asked alumni for support in my endeavor. I was touched by friends, acquaintances, and strangers alike. Mostly, though, after learning a bit about the folks behind the tweets, I learned that there are many incredible and talented folks reading this blog.

So, I’d like to introduce you to some of my stellar readers who help to keep me open-minded and thinking. These are the folks who voted for me through twitter (including those on both locked and unlocked accounts, and those who voted after the deadline). I know some of these folks personally and I know some of them virtually. There are also a good amount whom I have never met, but since the contest, I’ve looked up their blogs and gotten to know a little bit more about them as well. I’m thrilled to have such a talented group of supporters on twitter!

Thanks again to everyone for voting for this blog in the contest. And for those who didn’t vote, thanks for reading! I’m looking forward to getting to know you all even better in 2010!

Posted by colleendilen
Filed in Blogging, Community Engagement, Generation Y, Nonprofits, Social Change, Social Media
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Nonprofiteers: Personal Branding Will Make You Better At Your Job

December 17, 2009

Photo from brandyourselfmarketing.com

There are many benefits to personal branding and utilizing social media–of sharing your insights and telling your story for whatever reason, whether it be to market yourself as an ideal  job candidate,  to share your experiences, or even to snag a great date.

But nonprofit employees also know the importance of sharing insights and telling stories in nonprofit organizations. Desired outcomes of programs are not primarily monetary– and sometimes entirely intangible for that matter. Nonprofits often rely on personal stories to communicate their need, their potential, and their impact.

So why are nonprofits (known for being slow to pick up new technologies) dominating the social media scene in comparison to private companies? It’s because social media is about personal connections and telling stories… and well, that’s just our thing. Nonprofits like people who can get the story across with authenticity and honesty while making a connection– and a good personal brander can do just that. I have noticed that the young nonprofit millennial bloggers who have been most successful within the industry are sincere and passionate. They know that it’s important to brand themselves, and they are onto something: personal branding will help you be a better nonprofiteer.

  • If you can create connections through your blog, then you can help people connect to those in need.

Just as personal branding enthusiasts aim to display how they can contribute to an organization or corporation, nonprofits are similarly trying to demonstrate their ability to contribute to social change. Beth Kanter outlines four ways in which social media is changing the nonprofit world, and they all strengthen organizations’ ability to create connections.  There’s a shared drive in personal branding and nonprofit organizations: the desire to communicate your potential power to ignite positive change. In personal branding, you are sharing your own story, values, and goals– so that you can get hired. In nonprofit organizations, you need to be able to share the story of your organization, and their values and goals– so that they can get funding. Moreover, you’ll often have to share others’ stories to get your point across (the story of the needy family who was helped by the organization, or the story of the child whose life was saved because of your organization’s research). Making personal connections through storytelling is an important aspect in fundraising and communicating an organization’s impact. Those who are engaging in personal branding have an element of practice in telling stories and making connections. After all, these tips on how to write a story are equally relevant to personal branders and nonprofit employees, though they are written by fundraising123.org.

  • If you are active in social media and joining networks, then you can expose many people to a cause.

Did you know that 60% of folks who set up twitter accounts fail to return the next month? It is incredible when you consider that the site creates siginifcant networking, info-sharing, and message-speading opportunites. If you’re one of those 60% who didn’t return to your account, then you should think about coming back– because just the sheer act of being involved in social media will make you a better nonprofiteer. According to The Herald News, 89% of charitable and nonprofit organizations are using some form of social media, and 57% reported activity in blogging. Network-increasing capabilities aside, it’s beneficial to know about twitter and other social media sites so that you can help guide your nonprofit organization– espeically if you’re a member of Generation Y. Companies and organizations are looking to these folks to be social media savvy. If you’re not, then you’re wasting an opportunity. The greatest reason to be involved on these sites is oviously that they increase the size of your network, and expose you to a lot of great thought leaders. The more people that you can reach, the more connections you can make to social causes. Also, people can help you spread your personal brand or social cause. If they are inspired by it, they just might pass it along.

  • If you are authentic in your branding and communications, then you can retain supporters and summon potential donors

There is no doubt that it’s best to be an authentic blogger and personal brander.  Copyblogger brings up a great point that authenticity is becoming (if it isn’t already) a buzzword in personal branding, and that it takes a good story and authenticity to have impact. The take away is simple here: be real.  And I’ve found that many personal branding nonprofiteers are real; they display their struggles and concerns working within the industry. Allison Jones explores her  rendezvous with nonprofit burn-out, and  Elisa Ortiz candidly traces her roots in the nonprofit sector. The kind of authenticity and transparency displayed on these blogs serve well in making connections and building trust with readers. Similarly, trust and authenticity are also important in nonprofit organizations for a number of reasons. Many of the qualities that make a person a captivative blogger also make them good at connecting with other people– and that’s what nonprofits are about: making connections to inspire support for social change.

Posted by colleendilen
Filed in Blogging, Generation Y, Lessons Learned, Marketing, Nonprofits, Social Media, Technology, Words of Wisdom
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When Learning is Cool: What it Means to Be Sparked

November 22, 2009

Sparks fly at the Boston Museum of Science. Photo from bostonvisitorsguide.com

From a little spark bursts a mighty flame” -Dante Allghieri

The spark is more than just a concept that museum professionals carry around on a day-to-day basis. Creating sparks is a real and actual everyday goal, and for some museum professionals, it is a decided lifetime mission… At least, this is the way that sparks functioned at Pacific Science Center.

Generally, the spark is understood to be the moment in which a visitor realizes that something– the educational object, experiment, or work of art in front of them– is deeply and sincerely cool. It’s a moment of connection. The spark is a synapse that bridges the junction between the way that we understand the world and how we understand a thing in front of us. Often the spark seems so cool because it gets you to think about something in a new way.

You’ve been sparked before. Try to remember a time when you saw something or took part in an activity (in a learning environment or elsewhere), and you uncovered something that you considered wholly and incredibly awesome. Some things that have sparked me are Paul Revere’s Ride, this speech from Shakespeare’s Henry V, this poem, and this scene from Dead Poet’s Society, for example.

That’s not to say that these same things should also spark and inspire you. Sparks are personal connections– and they happen in museums everyday. In fact, it wouldn’t be a big stretch to say that the creation of these connections is often the aim of integrative exhibitions and museum programs. Sparks don’t always necessarily inspire a person to change career paths, but they ignite or strengthen interest in something.  There has been research performed and theories drawn on how to inspire certain kinds of connections in certain kinds of museums, and curiosity (often a post-spark result) has been called a key to happiness by psychologists.

The following is an excerpt called On a Thing Called Art, written by Jeanette Winterson. This clip is about art, but she presents a case for the importance of connections. I find it to be the best case for sparks that I’ve yet to come across. Have a listen:

Sparks ignited in museums and other learning environments (informal or otherwise), lead to connections and curiosity. Schools, museums, community centers, and educational programs provide unique opportunities to open ourselves up to new sparks of interest that may have lasting impressions on the way that we view particular subjects and situations.

I write this post to provide an outline of what I mean when I use the word “spark” in blog posts. Because the spark (inspiring it, sharing it, and understanding it) serves as significant fuel for my professional interests, I felt the need to introduce the topic in my own terms. Please feel free to respond with your own takes on the concept, or with messages about things that have sparked you.

Posted by colleendilen
Filed in Arts, Blogging, Community Engagement, Education, Museums
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Meet the Nonprofit Millennial Bloggers Alliance

October 13, 2009

I’d like to introduce you to a team of hip, young rockstars… and by rockstars, I of course mean a team of nonprofit professionals with an aim to share ideas in order to strengthen the sector and cultivate discussion among emerging leaders.

I decided to start this very blog back in July after closely following the innovative thoughts and ideas featured on the blogs of several young nonprofit professionals. I cannot express my delight when one of these inspirational and forward-thinking bloggers, Allison Jones, contacted me a few weeks ago and invited me to take part in the Nonprofit Millennial Bloggers Alliance. We are a collaboration of young nonprofit bloggers aiming to collectively bring important issues facing the nonprofit sector to the forefront of thought through active engagement and the sharing of ideas.

Meet the Nonprofit Millennial Bloggers Alliance:

I encourage you to follow these folks on twitter, subscribe to these blogs, and join the conversation! The alliance collectively features a broad range of interests in the nonprofit sector, highlighting everything from civic engagement, social change, media relations, strategy, efficiency, philanthropy, and board development- all the way to gender, race, and just being a Millennial on the move.

I’m excited to be a part of this incredible group of bloggers, and I hope that you’ll keep an eye on these folks and lend your voice to the conversation. The alliance will surely be a success if it can provide a space for active discussion among all leaders. As the alliance continues to develop and ideas begin to form, please respond to these bloggers! Leave comments on posts and help us get the conversations started! We are all members of Generation Y with interests in the nonprofit sector, but I hope that the alliance will engage thinkers regardless of generation and sector. I’m thrilled to continue to develop partnerships with these great bloggers, and I’m simply giddy just thinking about the endless possibilities that may arise from this alliance!

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”- Margaret Mead

Posted by colleendilen
Filed in Blogging, Community Engagement, Generation Y, Leadership, Nonprofits, Social Media
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How Personal Branding is Hurting Nonprofit Organizations

September 3, 2009

Photo from trendbouwers.nl

Photo from trendbouwers.nl

At first thought, personal branding and the strength of nonprofit organizations appear to have little to do with one another, if anything. However, the Nonprofit Time’s recent article, “Americans Cut Volunteer Time, Focus on Priorities” may hint indirectly at the existence of an inverse relationship between self-focused activities (personal branding is what comes to my mind) and volunteering in nonprofit organizations– at least for the time being.

The article indicates that, compared to last year, 72 percent of Americans report having cut back the time they spend volunteering and have focused their efforts on activities that fulfill more “inward” personal needs; activities that support themselves and their own families more than the community at large.

How is it possible that the number of volunteers may have decreased? Throughout the Summer, weren’t we all inundated with blog entries aimed toward the recently unemployed, encouraging them to volunteer to continue utilizing their skill sets?  There were even articles at the start of the recession touting an increase in volunteers.  Moreover, the idea of volunteering during a recession to make contacts and stay on top of your field seems to just make sense.

Though they could both be seen as vehicles for self-marketing during a rough time in the economy,  volunteering is the “outward” method (promoting yourself through aid to the community) and personal branding is the “inward” method.

I cannot imagine that people are sitting at home thinking, “I’m going to create a personal brand instead of volunteering this year!” At least I hope that the connection is not that strong. But I do think it’s interesting that, at a time when self-branding is so important, the “outward” method of doing so has decreased. As a side, I’d be interested to learn how much personal branding has increased in the last year. How much of that may be due to the recession– and for the same reasons that might have ignited an increase in volunteerism?

Does our need to “focus on priorities” right now really necessitate a decrease in civic engagement as the Nonprofit Times article suggests? Perhaps this is all about self-marketing, and personal branding just beat out volunteering as a self-marketing tool during the recession. This does not, however, account for the potential decrease in volunteers since this time last year.

It’s clear, though, that social networks are not the bad guy here. The study found that Millennials who use online social networks are more likely than non-users to volunteer, give food and money, and attend public meetings. Though it’s stated that the survey did not conclude that social networks alone promote more civic engagement, there’s certainly a fondness for the computer-savvy generation indicated in the article when David Smith states that, “what [Millennials willing to aid the community and having the highest volunteer rates] shows is that the youngest amongst us are truly this next greatest civic generation. They are coming to age in a very difficult time economically and globally.”

As a strong supporter of the power of personal branding, and an admittedly stronger supporter of civic engagement, I cannot help but wonder: would volunteering continue to increase during the recession (in large part due to it’s self-marketing power) if personal branding did not take off?

Posted by colleendilen
Filed in Blogging, Community Engagement, Leadership, Nonprofits, Public Management
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Art Insight TV: A New Way to Share Knowledge About Art

August 17, 2009

Check out this video in which Art Insight TV creator, Aladine Vargas, uncovers the design and composition behind Norman Rockwell’s Triple Self Portrait. It’s a left-brain approach to art that you may not be used to seeing. Is Vargas’s website the art-lover’s blog of the future, and how can museums benefit and learn from this type of website?

I’ve got to chalk up another point for social media.

I initially came across Art Insight TV through Twitter and I was immediately intrigued. It’s fitting that I stumbled upon the website through a social network because, as website creator, Aladine Vargas, shared with me during our interview, the website aims to evolve based upon the needs and understandings of the art-interested community.

That’s me; I’m an engaged member of the art-interested community! …So what exactly is Art Insight TV and why should I pay attention to it? Last week, I was able to speak to Aladine on the phone in an attempt to answer this question.

The web site’s tag line says it all: Art Insight TV- a behind-the-scenes look at what makes artwork- work. The site is composed of several videos collected and/or created by Vargas, that aim to give visitors the ability to see the intelligence and strategy involved in making art so that they may appreciate the artwork from a different angle. One method in which Vargas does this is by calling our attention to popular works of art such as Rockwell’s Triple Self Portrait (check out the video above!) or Charles Bargue’s Turkish Sentinel and uncovering Saint Andrews Crosses and root-two rectangles within the paintings. If you don’t know what these things are, check out these links and enjoy this public space for curious folks who want to learn about the careful design that goes into making artwork. The site also includes interviews, short lectures, and Aladine’s own artist ‘square-off’s. While this is certainly not the first or last website dedicated to inspiring an understanding of artwork, Aladine may be onto something with his video blog-like method of sharing knowledge.

Art Insight TV is very closely tied to the interests of its creator. When I asked Vargas why he created the website, he said, with regard to art, that many years ago, “we threw out the baby with the bath water.” Through this website, Vargas seeks to spread knowledge that will cultivate an appreciation for design; an appreciation that has been lost. He explained that the goal of the website is not primarily to teach or for him to assume himself an expert, but rather to serve as a vehicle to share his knowledge with the community. Critical themes in regard to his method of sharing knowledge are design, tradition and heritage, and composition. They generally outline his interests, and are things that, according to Aladine, make the artwork work.

The importance of design in creating and understanding artwork was the very first theme that Vargas mentioned in our conversation, explaining that “design is drawing, and drawing is design.” To Vargas, design is the cornerstone of successful art. Vargas says that if you want to read the art, “follow the design and it will tell you the story.” It directs your eye, and lets the viewer know what is important in a picture. His belief in this concept traces back to his own development as a professional artist studying under Myron Barnstone of Barnstone Studios in Pennsylvania. Barnstone continues to be a great teacher for Vargas, and several of the videos on Aladine’s website are attributed to the studio.

Vargas has a passion for the lineage of artists and their work throughout time. In fact, one might say that Vargas follows the same drawing tradition as Barnstone, continuing his heritage of design and serving as a link to Barnstone’s teachings. On Art Insight TV, Aladine shares the inner workings of his own professional artistic lineage, and hopes to uncover links within well known families of artists.

Composition is another important area of focus for Vargas, and it should come as no surprise that successful design, according to Aladine, is often the basis of a successful composition. Vargas discusses design rather mathematically, in a way that was refreshing for someone like myself who studied art formally, but didn’t spend much time focusing on the lines and geometry of masterpieces. The videos certainly do make me recognize and appreciate the work behind the artwork.

Who is Art Insight TV made for? To this question, Vargas said it was simply for the folks visiting the site. For better or worse, he is not aiming his videos toward a certain demographic, but rather sharing his knowledge in a way that makes sense to him. He admits that the site would be best understood by adult audiences who are interested in learning more about the design behind artwork.

Does Aladine Vargas’s website offer a sneak-peak into the blogs of art-lovers of the future? In these days of heighted social networking and personal branding, I suspect that it does. A recent post by the Center for the Future of Musems (which I find myself quoting quite a bit recently) states,

We are entering an age in which people don’t just want to be lectured to by experts, they want to contribute and curate their own content. In this environment, curators may evolve from being lecturers and authors to being moderators of discussions and editors of content.”

Art Insight TV’s mission is much like that of the traditional museum: to share knowledge in the hopes of inspiring interest in a certain area. The difference? Aladine creates a community based upon his own interests and findings. That is, this website is personal, but it also it seeks to create personal connections to site visitors. This is a website that I believe the museum world may benefit from following. There may be opportunities for community engagement on the rise from this kind of fact-based personal and interactive site.

Perhaps the most delightful thing about my interview with Vargas was his sincere ardor for cultivating an understanding of art history and his great hope to make a splash in the history of art history. He is a passionate speaker, groping with larger questions about the divorce between the artist and the public, telling countless stories of his personal experiences, and utilizing left-brained thinking that seems sometimes forgotten when examining artwork. For example, when I asked Aladine about the many lines, crosses, and rectangles that he attributes to good design and how they might allow the artist to practice creativity, Vargas had an interesting answer: he said that boundaries make you truly creative by providing an area for creativity. I nodded my head. How could I forget Frank Lloyd Wright’s famous quote, “Man built most nobly when limitations were at their greatest?” But the truth is, I did forget this quote. Aladine and Art Insight TV made me remember and, in a way that I wasn’t used to doing, it made me appreciate the left-brain guidance in a generally considered right-brained practice.

Aladine’s whole site is like this. It’s a one-man show, sharing his knowledge of design and tradition with those who are willing to learn. Aladine has a deep love for Norman Rockwell, so don’t be surprised if more of those works pop up on the site in the future. Will we see any Pollock, Max Ernst, Kandinsky, or any members of the abstract expressionist lineage on this design-heavy site that values the rectangles and ratios?

I don’t know, but I’m excited to keep visiting Art Insight TV to find out.

Posted by colleendilen
Filed in Arts, Blogging, Community Engagement, Education, Museums, Social Media
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Welcome to the Blogging World: Candid Tips from a 3 Week Old Newbie

July 29, 2009

Image from radio.weblogs.com

Image from radio.weblogs.com

I dove into the blogging world a little over three weeks ago. Since then, I’ve joined communities of bloggers, made several connections to inspiring thinkers, and developed a habit of checking dozens of individual blogs daily. I’ve found the blogging world to be overflowing with great ideas and incredible leaders, but I’ve also come across plenty of downright…well, silliness. Here’s a cheat-sheet for even newer newbies than myself, and also for veteran bloggers curious to know how newbies are understanding the blogging world.
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In the beginning, the traffic on your blog will mirror your activity on social networks.

Since I started my blog, I’ve had four featured posts on Brazen Careerist, the top Generation Y blog. I love being a part of the Brazen community, but I receive a shockingly low amount of blog referrals from the website when my posts are featured on the homepage. In fact, I get 3 times more traffic to my blog on an average day when I tweet three times, then I get in referrals when my content is shared.  I do get direct traffic to my blog, however, when I actively post a comment within the community. I get more traffic by being an active member of Brazen Careerist than I get when one of my posts is promoted on the site alone. In short, I’ve found that the more active I am on social networks (Brazen, twitter, facebook, LinkedIn, etc), the more traffic my blog receives. That, my friends, is yet another good reason to jump in and join the conversation.

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Beware of the word “you” (without an “I”) in the blogs of young professionals.

I understand why veteran bloggers with significant life and professional experience use the word “you” when writing posts that offer advice. I even understand why it might be a good idea to use the word “you” in a blog if you are that veteran blogger with significant life and professional experience. However, I don’t follow young professional bloggers (under the age of  30) who generally use the word “you” without the word “I.” Here’s why:

  1. I don’t look to young professionals for that kind of advice. I like to feel connected to the bloggers I follow, and I want to learn from them as individuals.  My favorite young bloggers offer lessons through stories and their own experiences. I want to hear your story, and I want you to offer me the opportunity to relate to it. “You” alienates me.
  2. “You”-posts tend to assume a dumb reader, and make the blogger seem rather know-it-all-y. I’m your peer and I don’t want to feel like a dumb reader. Who does?
  3. It makes me challenge you to an imaginary mental dual. If you are going to use “you” without backing up your advice with a personal story or stating that your advice is from your own perspective, then I hold you at a much higher standard. Your advice must be creative and stunning in order to keep my attention. Most don’t.
  4. “You” works wonders when partnered with “I” “You” is a great word for giving advice, and I welcome the word in any blog in which the author also states that the post is from his/her own experience, or written from his/her own opinion. As a twenty-something reading mostly twenty-somethings’ blogs, I need to see an “I” somewhere (anywhere- even just once in the beginning), or I suspect that (perhaps incorrectly) you’re an ignorantly preachy blogger. Please don’t stop using “you” (and a lot of it), just please remember to throw in an “I” or two.

“Top N ways to X” posts are often great, speedy refreshers made for skimming.

Everyone seems to write “Top N ways to X” posts and I often enjoy reading them. Because they tend to be bullet-pointed, a reader can skim the first sentences and spend as much or as little time on the post as they want. For me, these posts serve as pseudo life-flashcards– and there are lots of them. They don’t often say points that I wouldn’t have thought of myself, but I appreciate their simple messages and general accessibility– and I don’t mind a lack of “you” in these posts because they are speaking to a more general audience. I will say that I’d be interested to see more “Top N ways to X” posts that contain research and creative solutions that I might not have considered myself. As they are, these posts can be breezy and easy reminders of the world around you.
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I love you, Google Reader

I don’t know why it took me so long to start using Google Reader, but I love it. It keeps me on top of all of my favorite blogs. There are several types of RSS readers available, and I highly recommend any one of them to folks who like to read blogs. I can wake up every morning, check my e-mail, and see the updates on my favorite blogs– How cool is that? I’m extremely late on this one– but as a new blogger who just discovered it, I’m enamored.

Well, there you have it: a few findings and lessons from the mind of a new blogger. There’s a lot to learn out there, and this is only the beginning of my discoveries. Please feel free to share your own thoughts, feedback, and findings!

Posted by colleendilen
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The Mind-Numbing Evolution of the Term “Entrepreneur”

July 23, 2009

I’ve found that nearly everyone nowadays calls themselves an entrepreneur, is interested in other entrepreneurs, and strives to be considered a successful entrepreneur.

Photo from nationallampoon.com

Photo from nationallampoon.com

I must admit that when I hear the word (which inundates conversation and — more interestingly– the personal summaries of seemingly everyone over the age of twenty on my two favorite social networks), a little voice in my head channels Inigo Montoya in The Princess Bride, and I say to myself in a nerdy accent to the entrepreneur in cyberspace, “You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.”

After tweeting about the loss of affect that the word has on me as a user of social media, I had eight new twitter followers within two minutes. I think it was because I’d just used the word entrepreneur (and consultant– another word that I admitted was losing its awe-factor to me). The interesting part about my twitter follower story? About four of those eight followers have become great resources for me. In fact, we share similar goals and have the same kind of ambition and willingness to take charge and create change. With the rapid onset of social media, does the word entrepreneur mean less because we are all entrepreneurs? Is generation Y an entire generation of entrepreneurs? We certainly seem to be.  The generalization is that a Gen Yer’s ideal job is a self-building job, which explains why we may have a strong desire to classify ourselves as entrepreneurs on social networks.

With every other professional describing themselves as an entrepreneur, the word has changed its meaning. I suggest is that we acknowledge the widespread use of the word, and adapt to it’s changing meaning.

I’d argue that sometimes young professionals call themselves entrepreneurs when they mean to call themselves entrepreneurial. Perhaps this is because the word has come to represent an ambitious mindset, instead of a person who has founded venture XYZ.

The power of personal branding has played a large role in our ability to classify ourselves as entrepreneurs. We value the branding of ourselves as a move for professional advancement. While I agree that personal branding is a worthwhile venture, I’ve seen blogs of several young professionals touting the label just because (from what I can tell) they set up directions on how to contact them for consulting purposes. This is not to say there aren’t great 23 year old consultants. This is simply to say that there sure are a lot of them, and regardless of whether they are good consultants or not, how do we know who is the real thing?

The title of entrepreneur– especially when said in description of oneself– is losing its meaning to me and I wonder how long it will be until the word has virtually no meaning at all.  Perhaps my scope is skewed, and this is an issue among all social network users, regardless of generation.  When I read entrepreneur in a person’s description, I think, “I need to learn more.” Do you find yourself thinking something similar? Please share your own associations with the word. I most certainly cannot speak for everyone when I say that the word is a lot like eating only peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for a month: at first bite, it’s lovely- but after a while, it’s just a thing to eat.

Posted by colleendilen
Filed in Blogging, Generation Y, Leadership, Lessons Learned
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