Do (n't) Talk To Strangers

Guest Blogger - A.C. Workman

Let’s see. Mama always said…  

• Say your prayers.
• Look both ways before you cross the street.
• Don’t chew with your mouth open.
• Sit up straight.
• Don't play in traffic.
• And never, never-ever-ever, talk to strangers!!!

Now, I’m not gonna lie - some of this is pretty damned good advice (especially the part about not playing in traffic...I mean who wants to get hit by a car!), but as I’ve matured into the bastion of  wisdom  and insight that I am today, I’ve come to learn that Moms was wrong about a whole lotta things.  Especially that stuff about not talking to strangers.  

For the professional Creative (and by that I mean anyone who taps into their imagination as a key part of the work that they do) there’s no one quite so propitious to know as a perfect stranger. Why? Because they expose us to the new, the unexpected, to  possibility and discovery.  And, keeping our eyes and ears open for the fresh and the new is critical to the Creative’s success.   

The thing is, we human beings are creatures of habit. Even when we make a concerted effort to stray from the beaten path, and live the life “less ordinary” (to keep the creative juices flowing) that comfort zone is just so damned -well, comfortable. You know, there’s that one particular coffee shop that makes our hazelnut latte just so? There’s the gas station that’s situated on the perfect corner, so when you exit you don’t have to pop a U-turn to get back on the highway?  Should I go on? The point is - before we know it, we are all nice and super comfortable in our little grooves, patterns and routines, finding ourselves running into the same faces over and over again. Problem with that is -we don't get to truly understand that age old saying - "variety is the spice of life."

What to do, inspiration seekers?  Should we give up our favorite coffee shop with the bomb-ass hazelnut lattes?  Hell to the no!  I prefer to switch up my idea-routine with a little less jolting to my delicious hot beverage consumption habits.  Solution? Talk to Strangers!! While we’re in that same-ol’ same ol’ coffeeshop, how’s about striking up a convo with the soccer mom ordering her non-fat white mocha, or the Chuck Taylor-rockin’ emo kid waiting on his café Americano? With every stranger there is the delicious opportunity to shatter our daily patterns, to break our tired routines. Someone who will say or tell you about something you weren't aware of before. Get your synapses firing about things you never even considered.  No, it doesn’t happen every time, or even every day. You’ve gotta kiss a whole lot of stranger “frogs”, before you get to your Prince.  But, keep on kissing.  There’s  nothing to lose.  

And,  every once in a while, sitting next to senor old school on the subway, or waiting in line at the bakery for your marble rye, you stumble across some rare gem of a human being! I’m talking about the extraordinary-ordinary, someone who inadvertently does or says something that opens up a new window in your mind and lets a nice, fresh breeze in. Next thing you know, you’ve got the answer to that nagging design question you’ve been fighting with. Or, you know just what it is that your big presentation was missing.  You’ve got your business-creative “eureka” moment! Or, if you’re a professionals scribbler (like yours truly) you’ve got your next great topic for a magazine article (p.s. I’m currently working on a story about “Female Tatttoo Artists” after striking up an interesting  little parley with a body-art covered stranger I ran into at my gym!)  Strangers are creative gold mines, y’all.  Put on your hard hats and get to panning that precious human metal!!  

The next time you’re stuck on a 5-hour flight, on the way to some boring conference, don’t just get out the palm pilot or iPhone or whatever and start tapping away.  Strike up a wee tete-a-tete.  Forget what your mama told ya  and TALK TO A STRANGER.  You may just find inspiration, entertainment,  your Muse – maybe even a potential new client or business partner.  But, please, please, please……remember to still listen to momma and don't play in traffic!!

Have the imagination so see beyond

Cnvrgnc deteriorates the walls between business, technology and culture and merges them in new combinations to birth new types of creativity and innovation.  The possibilites are endless. 

We only have to push the boundaries of what we know. . .



Ladies and Gents, It's Game Time!

Right now creativity is imperative. A lack of understanding of the universe 2.0 could very much prove to be any individual's or company's archilles heel.  As the market changes, the landscape evolves and the world shifts around us, it's imperative that you understand how business and culture are conspiring with one another. 

Today Youtube, Ning, and Facebook (to name a few) have allowed culture to speak and act in ways never before possible (with infinite amounts of pros and cons in the process).  This is exciting because culture is passionate, emotional, visceral, and rebellious: and this is where movements are born. Now from my perspective, if you aren't seeing your business as a cultural movement, today, right now, then you're missing out.  Missing out on new ideas, missing out on new markets, missing out on deep and meaningful engagements with audiences and communities.  

Enter Game Rebellion: A new musical movement.

I first learned about this group from a friend of mine, but kept abreast of their developments through a Ning site called Afro-Punk and then through Imeem and i-Tunes. Not through MTV, or VH-1 or the radio, but through new 21st century channels.

I've been following Game Rebellion for about a year and a half now, and watching them grow, I couldn't help but to reflect on Trent Reznors' ideas on how to build your band's brand in today's marketplace, by sidestepping major labels and forging your own path.  Additionally, the ingredients for a recipe that will separate you from the pack and distinguish you as unique, were evident with the recent press release from the group:

For Immediate Release

Game Rebellion Busts Out of BK; Sounds Like a Riot! 

New Single "Blind" on iTunes December 1!

Sounds Like a Riot EP Coming January 18, 2010

Brooklyn, NY -- Once in a long while, a band comes along that is so brilliantly rebellious that it defies description. Brooklyn rockers Game Rebellion know that the mainstream may frown upon their decision to create outside the box, but in the end, the fans motivate the band to fight the power.

 

With their new single "Blind" hitting iTunes on December 1, 2009, and their original EP Sounds Like a Riot debuting on January 18, 2010, Game Rebellion is ready to blow minds and expand universes.

 

Band member Yohimbe, (guitar, vocals), Ahmed (bass), Emi (keys, vocals),Aaron (percussion) and Netic (lead vocals) are masters of mashing up influences of rock, punk, hip hop, metal and other genres. Their ability to flow between powerful poetry, fiery rap, crazy instrumental solos and frenetic singing over the music engages the crowd, guaranteeing synergy with the audience at every live show.  

 

"Every few decades there comes a group or sound that redefines genres or shifts the musical paradigm," Ahmed explains. "I humbly offer Game Rebellion as the next artist that will re-invigorate what seems to be a stasis in musical innovation in the industry. Honestly, if it wasn't for all of our supporters being so consistent, I couldn't make such a statement. Personally, it is the fans and their overwhelming response that have kept me motivated throughout the years."

 

The band's growing number of fans, known affectionately as "rebels," have become notorious for their dedication to Game Rebellion. 
 
"It's almost as if their energy is the play/stop button," Yohimbe says. "When the crowd is going nuts, we play even harder. The audience has their own relationship with our songs. Their moshing, stage diving and surfing is as much part of the show as my guitar solo. The wildest thing is that after the show, the rebels congratulate each other as if they performed!

In 2007, Game Rebellion released their first official mixtape, Searching for Rick Rubin with Brooklyn's DJ J.Period. The project was received with open arms by otherwise cynical music critics, who lavished praise on the Game Rebellion movement. The December 1, 2009 release of their politically-driven single "Blind" shows the band's further growth in connecting with fans.

 

“Game Rebellion came together out of a need to create an environment where we can all be the best at our selected positions,” says Emi. “We all have similar values and musical tastes. The reason why this band works is because we all believe in each other. We hold each other down, and we are all accountable for making this movement work. In Game Rebellion, it is a band of brothers against all odds. We will do it together, or not at all.”

Hitting the Nail on the head

In April of 2008 I wrote a blog post that discussed the intersection of music, geekdom and the internet (in which I mentioned NIN) as a very, very interesting corner of the 'business new world order' to pay close attention to if you wanted any idea of where the 21st century marketplace is going. 

Then in February of this year I came across a post entitled "The Nine Inch Nails Theory of Entrepreneurship", which I loved (for a whole host of reasons). 

So today I was going through and cleaning up my bookmarks and I came across a blog post from Trent Reznor, from this past July, giving advice to artists who, if they wanted to embrace the new internet world and leverage it successfully (vs. getting screwed left and right by the traditional major labels), may want to take into consideration a few of his ideas.

Now if you're not a budding rock star, or soon-to-be musical rebel with a cause, don't fear, alot of his ideas are transferable to any type of business...

Words of Wisdom from Trent:

If you are an unknown / lesser-known artist trying to get noticed / established:

* Establish your goals. What are you trying to do / accomplish? If you are looking for mainstream super-success (think Lady GaGa, Coldplay, U2, Justin Timberlake) - your best bet in my opinion is to look at major labels and prepare to share all revenue streams / creative control / music ownership. To reach that kind of critical mass these days you need old-school marketing muscle and that only comes from major labels. Good luck with that one.

If you're forging your own path, read on.

* Forget thinking you are going to make any real money from record sales. Make your record cheaply (but great) and GIVE IT AWAY. As an artist you want as many people as possible to hear your work. Word of mouth is the only true marketing that matters.
To clarify:
Partner with a TopSpin or a similar build your own website, but what you NEED to do is this - give your music away as high-quality DRM-free MP3s. Collect people's email info in exchange (which means having the infrastructure to do so) and start building your database of potential customers. Then, offer a variety of premium packages for sale and make them limited editions / scarce goods. Base the price and amount available on what you think you can sell. Make the packages special - make them by hand, sign them, make them unique, make them something YOU would want to have as a fan. Make a premium download available that includes high-resolution versions (for sale at a reasonable price) and include the download as something immediately available with any physical purchase. Sell T-shirts. Sell buttons, posters... whatever.

Don't have a TopSpin as a partner? Use Amazon for your transactions and fulfillment. [www.amazon.com]

Use TuneCore to get your music everywhere. [www.tunecore.com]

Have a realistic idea of what you can expect to make from these and budget your recording appropriately.
The point is this: music IS free whether you want to believe that or not. Every piece of music you can think of is available free right now a click away. This is a fact - it sucks as the musician BUT THAT'S THE WAY IT IS (for now). So... have the public get what they want FROM YOU instead of a torrent site and garner good will in the process (plus build your database).

The database you are amassing should not be abused, but used to inform people that are interested in what you do when you have something going on - like a few shows, or a tour, or a new record, or a webcast, etc.
Have your MySpace page, but get a site outside MySpace - it's dying and reads as cheap / generic. Remove all Flash from your website. Remove all stupid intros and load-times. MAKE IT SIMPLE TO NAVIGATE AND EASY TO FIND AND HEAR MUSIC (but don't autoplay). Constantly update your site with content - pictures, blogs, whatever. Give people a reason to return to your site all the time. Put up a bulletin board and start a community. Engage your fans (with caution!) Make cheap videos. Film yourself talking. Play shows. Make interesting things. Get a Twitter account. Be interesting. Be real. Submit your music to blogs that may be interested. NEVER CHASE TRENDS. Utilize the multitude of tools available to you for very little cost of any - Flickr / YouTube / Vimeo / SoundCloud / Twitter etc.

If you don't know anything about new media or how people communicate these days, none of this will work. The role of an independent musician these days requires a mastery of first hand use of these tools. If you don't get it - find someone who does to do this for you. If you are waiting around for the phone to ring or that A & R guy to show up at your gig - good luck, you're going to be waiting a while.

Hope this helps,

TR

Vintage Futuristic

I came across these photos on a site called design crisis. These images of the Macy's Day Parade, of days long past, were pretty cool. Now I am not nostalgic (by any stretch of the imagination). I will allude to the past, embrace it, and give it the honor it deserves, yet I won't yearn for its return.  Why? Those days aren't ever coming back.

Yesterday will never look like or even be tomorrow.

Maybe similar but never identical.

For that I am thankful. When things change, it's an opportunity to learn. It's an opportunity to grow.  It's an opportunity to be humble, because you do not know what it is you are facing.  Whether it's a new relationship,  a new city you've moved to, or a new business opportunity, it's a moment for education, a time for a new experience and an opening for you to do something different.

Take it. Don't miss it. Don't let it pass you by. Because like these photos once that time has passed, it's never coming back.