“But there is made, I’m sure, splints to safely show us
Of them, traveler, of the head I adore.”
An Anniversary Away – Reverie Sound Revue
The craft of crafting landscapes is held in mastery by Mother Earth. Hands down. The ethereal and often surreal swaths of nature that I have found on the initial part of the travels is often only comprehensible after sitting within these places and listening to the silence. You can hear the murmurs and whispers of the ground beneath your feet, the leaves up around you and the air that the lungs inhale.
The age of this planet really shows through once you drive across it. Especially here in the States. Seeing a city in the distance sitting in the shadow of a mountain, you can almost gain a perspective of the mountain sitting there, millennia old, time moving along and seeing humanity zipping along accelerated, here for a fraction of it’s life. Almost as we see ants on the ground, rushing around doing their tasks of work work work, run run run. Their deep bellows of laughing can be heard in the earthquakes as they stretch and shift their bones, knowing they’ve been here and will be far longer than us.
It’s these little things that humble and, at least for me, realize that the rush and stress of working to get a project out the door is trivial compared to taking the time to listen. Not only to the planet, but also to people. We’re all star stuff.
When you take that time to listen, you take the time to connect. And whether it’s through a social network or on a hike to the pinnacle of a mountain, that open ear brings an insight that shows you more than you can imagine. Take a moment.
“It feels like time to let it go
It feels like time to break or show
It feels like time to cut your breaks
Shut your mouth, do something, anything.”
Last Parade – Matthew Good
To me, Twitter has become an overcrowded bar with a jukebox blasting old school tunes that you really don’t want to hear, but know all the lyrics to at a level that your ears really hate you for. You’re trying to have a conversation with friends, but they’re all chattering away at the same time and when you try to get their attention (#hashtag!) you may get a second of their time. There might be some other people at the venue you might be interested in, but once you hear what their saying, you’re really not or they’re just blabbering spam out of all orifices. Everyone is broadcasting, but is anyone really listening?
Brands have this issue of trying to attract the tween and teen generation and to hold onto them for life. That generation is too smart for the most part. In fact, almost everyone is too smart for advertising. What the social network does is bring about value of recommendation. The issue with Twitter is cutting through everything being pushed out to find the nuggets that you want. It’s a deluge of microblasts that has what seems like a million ways through third-party programs and applications to filter that content. Problem is it takes time. As does anything. It’s easier to ask your friends for a good restaurant choice, what they’re listening to or how that new film was.
Much of what I am finding is that social networking is an accent to the people that you already know. But it’s also an outlet of self. The division of personality from online to offline. And yeah, it’s great if people are listening whether it be one person or one million, but in the end the stress and pressure to build followers, friends, likes, etc. can take over the essence of what makes people like something in the real world. The true self. What makes you you. What makes the brand the brand. The connection between people is there because of related personality and they can see something of themselves in what they like. The social networks have opened that self up to a broader audience.
In the end though, it’s more of being a fan of yourself and doing it because you want to, rather than forcing yourself into the space or changing the core of yourself, be it a person or brand. It’s obvious when you’re trying to hard.
Of all the interviews I’ve done so far for the I’m Here You’re There series, this was the one I was most looking forward to. Why? It’s the generation that social networking and social media affects the most. The people that brands want to capture and retain for their lifetime. The ones that have grown up with technology all around them and use it as integral to their daily lives. They are the future of this medium and will shape how it’s used, what’s being developed and the methods of which communication will evolve. The next Mark Zuckerberg or Biz Stone sits within this set.
There was a lot to this interview that we discussed and there were a lot of relevant threads of discussion that I could have went with. I ended up looking into what holds the most value for teens right now in this evolving world with some great points from Alissa, John and Lindsey. There is excellent crossover to what my generation and the generation above says about social networking, but a specific uniqueness to them and their vision of it and the future.
Thanks Alissa, John and Lindsey for an excellent interview!
I had a chance to stop into Milwaukee and tour around for a few hours. One of the highlights was getting to see the Quadrraci Pavilion close and open at high noon. It is a fascinating and gorgeous piece of architecture inside and out. A true gemstone on Lake Michigan. If you ever get a chance to pop into Milwaukee I highly recommend checking it out. Especially if you’re there at noon.
Here is a video I put together of the event sped up. The whole event lasts under 10 minutes and the wings close in a few minutes time before reopening.
The first chapter of I’m Here You’re There is officially closing and it was an epic leg of the tour. It was also the most ambitious. I’m currently sitting in Vancouver, BC, Canada admiring the Pacific NorthWest. I am completely opposite where I was sitting just over a month ago in Bar Harbor, Maine, USA. I have touched both coasts in the month and covered an amazing amount of territory. The next push is back to the East Coast with more time spent visiting friends and family. A more relaxing jaunt back if you may.
So what have I covered so far? 23 cities. Here is the list from mid-August until the Autumnal Equinox. One amazing fact? I’ve had two days of rain the entire trip so far. One day in Buffalo and one day in Seattle. Plus a foggy morning at Mount Rushmore so no presidents for me.
Block Island, RI
Kennebunk, Bar Harbor & Portland, ME
Montreal & Toronto, Canada
Niagara Falls & Buffalo, NY
Columbus & Toledo, OH
Chicago, IL
Milwaukee & Madison, WI
Minneapolis, MN
Mitchell, Rapid City & Deadwood, SD (inlcuding the Badlands, Black Hills, Mount Rushmore)
Cody & Jackson, WY (with Yellowstone)
Boise, ID
Seattle, WA
Vancouver, Canada
The next leg will cover about 8 cities or so. Phew. I can’t believe what I churned and burned through. It’s been excellent.
On top of seeing friends and family, the pictures I’ve been taking, the interviews I’ve been doing and people I’ve been meeting, it’s been a combination of what I expected and known, but also the surprises and wonderment of exploration.
The interviews and speaking with everyone on and off camera about the world we know in the age of social networking has been vastly fascinating. The way that communication and connection has evolved and is evolving. The way the human emotion and factor of relating to people is transitioning. And to sit in the middle of Yellowstone at Old Faithful and be able to Tweet and send pictures of the event while people can watch on a webcam is amazing and scary.
I’ve been finding little things that are commonalities between everyone under the human condition through this technology, but have also seen and been reverted back to the innocence of being off the grid. In the end, it becomes a choice of broadcasting. It has changed the way news is reported, history is written and how thoughts, ideas and opinions spread.
What I’ve found is that it will be almost impossible to replace that bond between people, friends and family when you have a great discussion and conversation. There is an energy there that can’t be replaced by the buzz of wifi and the glossy container of a mobile device.
Thanks to everyone along the way that I’ve had the pleasure of talking with and seeing. You’ve made the trip all the worthwhile thus far and have set the bar for things to come.
I’m Here. You’re There. – The Interviews
