Writing while wearing nothing isn’t my best creative uniform–but having the courage to ship my writing to a faceless, massive audience exposes me to a flinch–to an awesome and humbling level of vulnerability most writers didn’t have access to 10 years ago.
It’s exhilarating, breathtaking, thrilling, and chilling.
Cartoon artist, Hugh Macleod, embraced and distilled this brave new world in his new book–Freedom is Blogging in Your Underwear . I got the chance to meet Hugh at SXSW 2010–and he lives what he preaches. He’s put himself out there for the last 10 years—long before blogging was truly mainstream. And he is a passionate example and advocate of having shipping your art to truly be an artist.
Even if you haven’t read Hugh’s works—chances are good you’ve seen his art. He’s been the artist for Linchpin, The Dip, and several other books. Not including his other releases. Hugh is a consummate artist–at home anywhere from Marfa to Miami.
A Classic Hugh Macleod Cartoon
This new book is Hugh’s history and his challenge–use your art to embrace the world. Build and be beholden to your community. Ship so you can shift the balance. In a quick read, Hugh’s book covers four powerful themes resonating with this new world of art–this new world of work:
Karma is Everywhere
“The Internet is Karma.” Amen.
Hugh’s point about karma is crucial to this age of micro-celebrity and hyper local reporting. We can choose what we want to publish or withhold—at the same time, we have little influence on what our friends choose to publish about us. Moreover–where our friends are online often brings us to action there as well.
In this age–everyone has a Google Alert about themself. And they are tracking those alerts religiously. “Flaming” of old can become uncontrollable wildfires is this new age. Spreading hate and discontent has a way of coming back to haunt. Granted–some things are genuinely despicable and unforgivable (read my recent post about a predatory mortgage lender). Those things need to be brought to light so those people can be held accountable.
But the idea of “Beef” and causing a drama just for its own sake is dangerous. You’re playing with fire. And there’s a great Boondocks episode about it. Ok–a few.
The internet can exert karmic influence the way no other network has been able to in the entirety of human history. This is also a key premise in Startup of You. You can put out good or bad–and you can receive good or bad. Our individual influence can seem small in the backdrop of the internet–but those ripples can reverberate vast and wide.
The Occupy Movement is a stark example of that.
What we have to do is avoid the “Sinkhole of Bad Karma” as best as possible. And use your platform to do right by anyone who interacts with it. That’s our challenge and obligation.
Crofting is the New Craft
“That’s why you were born; that’s why you are here: to bring some new “light”, some new angle, to the human condition”
Crofting is what we have done up until the Industrial Revolution. We toiled and tilled small scale operations–which made us self-sufficient. Crofting made every family resilient and hardened us against unforeseen dangers. Crofting connected us to the land, to our communities, and balanced our true needs against constructed needs (also known as wants).
Our craft had a small audience–and that symbiotic relationship needed both sides in order to survive. Now–we have become so disconnected from our needs and resources, an expansive market of wants has stepped in to fill that void. We say “a hard day’s work”–but that’s W4WS. It’s a bad metaphor.
What we should really say is “Crofting is how we survive, donate, and reciprocate.” Anything else is wasteful and excessive.
The artist–the daemon–within us all wants us to croft. We each have a drive for creativity, expression, and uniqueness. And we satisfy that drive by creating. And the more we create, the more that flourishes. The more we till the soil, the more we can grow. The closer we are to our source, the more resilient we will be to change.
We all have this capacity within –we all have the ability to croft. To take our digital identity–mold it into a platform–and make that platform kinetic to change the world and ourselves. If we don’t–we disconnect. We are scattered to the winds.
You must croft your craft–or will have no craft to own.
Internet Necessitates Connection
“The best thing about the internet is the people you meet.”
The internet facilitates a network intelligence and capacity bigger than anything we have ever been able to achieve before. The known world is truly now the entire world–not just the limits of the hand drawn charts or the oral tradition that has passed its own stories.
We are able to connect to anyone else in 3 degrees or less. Those who are left behind are significantly behind. Even just getting to the internet and getting into the networks places you immensely ahead of those who avoid the avenue altogether.
And there are still many who avoid–or who think they should wait–or think they aren’t worthy/important enough to contact those “beacons” who can offer great ideas and advice.
Well–that’s all bullshit now. And it’s even sadder to hear people limit themselves through their own excuses.
Being online means you can’t not be alone. You can’t avoid reading what other people do–and the more you read, the more you’re apt to flip the switch from consumption to production. From passive to active. The internet survives by both weak and strong links–by who people connect to and how they connect.
Facebook succeeds solely by selling that connection–people connecting to others is its multibillion dollar secret sauce. If connection can be that important for a publicly traded company–it can be just as important for you. That connection accelerates network resilience–it grows you broader and bigger.
Being online is just starting the car. The car’s value is in driving. The internet’s value is in connecting with others. As far, as varied, and as deep as you can.
Freedom Obligates Action
“And now that you have seen it [freedom], you know what you have to do. You must act. Today.”
Or right now.
How will you celebrate your freedom? What actions can you take that you’ve held yourself back on? That you thought you could never achieve before? What freedoms have you seen your mentors and your beacons take? Why haven’t you taken the same measures? Why haven’t you taken action to bring yourself about and to finding how to express your freedom?
Those who don’t take action will be left on the sidelines. They will be left behind. And we know how that sounds–we’ve heard of people who do nothing but read books, but never do anything with the advice. They sit down with their DVRs and watch an entire season of Game of Thrones in a weekend.
Acting is the last step of learning. It’s the most important step–and it’s the easiest step to skip. But skippers are only losing out on their own potential becoming kinetic. They are handcuffed.
Act, or be acted upon.
You’re Next
So, if you haven’t read Hugh’s book–go out and read it now. Get it, absorb it, and find your way to express your freedom. More of us will do that online–but anywhere where you can court karma, croft your craft, cultivate connection, and carry forward the action.
Why is this important? Why is this freedom so easy–yet so difficult–to achieve?
photo credit: CC Chapman via photo pin cc