EDITORIALS
The Denver Egotist is Perestroika
When Mikhail Gorbachev set the policies in motion that eventually ended the oppressive reign of communism, the citizens of Russia didn't know what to do with their newfound freedom. As a result, the new government that emerged has been able to maintain a large degree of state control over the personal liberties of the average citizen.
The internet is a lot like Perestroika; it's a huge opportunity for us to establish freedom. From reading the comments on this site, it seems a lot of people want to be free to create great work in Denver and be surrounded by other people and agencies who do the same. But I don't see enough people taking advantage of the freedom that The Denver Egotist offers.
In Communist Russia, the state controlled everything. If you wanted to do something, you had to do it the way the state wanted it done. Advertising before the internet was very similar. If you wanted to be a creative, you had to do creative the way the agencies wanted it done.
The internet makes it possible to start your own enterprise with almost no money. The internet makes it possible to find a niche audience so that you can support yourself or even just supplement your income and practice radical creativity on the side. The Egotist makes it possible to connect with people in the city you love who can help you make great things happen.
I want to completely eliminate all the negative comments on The Egotist. If you're going to take the time to leave a comment, I want that investment of time and energy to benefit you as much as possible. As creatives, we need to actively create what we want to see in the world, and not worry about tearing down the things we don't want to see. If we create great things, people will flock to them – and not so great things will fall down out of neglect.
Mikhail Prokorov took advantage of the largely un-regulated privatization of former state-controlled industries after the fall of Communism to buy Norilsk Nickel. That was the first in a series of business deals that made him a billionaire. He now hires professional film crews to make movies of his jet-ski acrobatics and owns the New Jersey Nets.
On the other hand, there were also thousands of people in the new Russia who criticized the new government, made bitter remarks about its policies to vent their anger and maybe profit momentarily from the laughter of their friends. They remain anonymous.
I've been inspired by so many people who launched their own online enterprise. If you're a writer, check out www.copyblogger.com. Love marketing, ittybiz.com. Are you a designer with a sense of humor that doesn't fit with the clients you're currently working on, theoatmeal.comDenver's Phil Lockwood runs Distill from his laptop. Christopher Cox built www.changethethought.com into a full studio.
If you're not feeling creatively/professionally fulfilled, start now. Leave a comment on this post. Let people know what projects you're working on. State what you'd like to do in an ideal world. State what you think you might want to do. Invite other people to help you with a project that's too big to launch on your own. If you need to make the comment anonymous, make it anonymous, but make it. It is incredible how ideas take on a life of their own once you get them out of your head and out in the world. It's even more incredible how the internet is helping people connect and accomplish amazing things.
There is so much creativity and opportunity in Denver. Let's start a new chapter in the city's creative scene right now. How many projects can we launch via The Egotist? Ready....go.
Faithfully,
Fernando
Fernando is a passionate defender of advertising who loves human beings. He blogs at bigfuckinglogo.com.
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Comments
I love the post, but as a writer, there are many better sources for creative inspiration out there:
moderncopywriter.com
heywhipple.com (Luke Sullivan's blog)
mcsweeneys.org
...just to name a few.
Thank you Jordan!
I love the Middle America is not Twitter America post on your blog. That's something I think about all the time, how removed I am at times from the people I design for and what I can do about it.
Okay, *love* the article and the positive attitude. Huzzah!
All I want to do is be creative. It's what I know and love.
But, how do I survive as an independent without drowning in debt? I was gaining some great momentum and success in my business but, privately paid health insurance (and the absolute need for it) just shattered my ability to stay in business. Granted, I have some additional disadvantages that the average freelancer may not have. But, I just want to design, pay my bills and maybe even take a vacation some day.
Therefore, I have recently decided to change plans (which I am very open and flexible to... change can be good) and search for full employment with health benefits. It's the sacrifice I have to make but it does make me a bit sad. I love working with developers, clients, marketing teams and creating great designs but I probably won't get this kind of interaction and control over projects as an employee... which frustrates me.
So, how do you answer to those who are still controlled by the all mighty dollar? The reality of life is seriously getting me down, man!
-Kelpie
First, I'm so excited that you took the time to put all of this out into the world. I believe doing that starts a process that rallies unseen forces to your aid.
I can relate to the towering mountain of debt. I've been using two resources to teach me how to create online income streams: Pat Flynn's http://www.smartpassiveincome.com/ and Leo Babauta's A-List Blogger Club. Pat's blog will describe ways you can monetize websites, iPhone apps, all things digital. Leo focuses on monetizing blogs and the club gives you access to his Bootcamps as well as the online forum where you can connect with other people, like indieArsenal online.
My other suggestion would be to see everything as a Creative Brief. That really helps me. You mentioned additional disadvantages. Can you turn these into opportunities? Can you create an online resource for people who share these disadvantages and sell advertising on the site or earn money as an affiliate?
The same goes for finding full-time employment. How can you turn it into a Creative Brief so that you gain employment at a place you love? When I applied at Barnhart I studied their website. There was a phrase that jumped out at me: "A little about us, but more about you." I liked that phrase, so I made a questionnaire to learn more about how the creative department worked and what type of person they were seeking. Then I hand delivered it.
I hope this is helpful. Any more questions please fire away.
Fernando
Great post. I'm to the site, so I hope I'm doing the right thing by jumping in.
I'm relocating to Denver after 2 years living abroad and have 3 projects in mind:
1)A Curtis Park blog. So many cool people. So may great houses. So close to everything. We plan on highlighting the people, first and foremost.
2)Local Denver Buying Guide. We want to stop shopping at Home Depot, Target, etc. and find the great speacialty stores and locally-owned shops.
3) Applying design priniciples to lifestyle. Whitespace? Negative space? Color? Content? Social design principles?
Cheers,
Paul
Thank you Paul!
I remember being in school at the Creative Circus and realizing that being a designer meant I should design everything, my clothes, my home, my life. I broke out the sewing machine and tailored shirts, painted my car in the garage, built furniture, it was awesome.
I can't wait to see your Curtis Park and Local Denver blogs. Please post them when they're up and running.
And I love the personality post you've got on your site. Sharing your personality with your resume/portfolio helps you get work that aligns with your values, work that you love and generally builds goodwill and positivity in our industry.
I remember being in school at the Creative Circus and realizing that being a designer meant I should design everything, my clothes, my home, my life. I broke out the sewing machine and tailored shirts, painted my car in the garage, built furniture, it was awesome.
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