But Is It Art?

This morning my little girls asked me; Daddy, what is it that you do?

Hmmm. Well, I build businesses – start companies – ones that provide something good for people I care about. Usually, I’m the marketing guy or strategist or whatever it takes. 

I know, piss poor right?  But there is sooooo much to tell them. I didn’t want to blow their little minds…

What I should have started with is…

One day, a comprehensive book will tell the story about these times I’m living through.

That book will have chapters about the birth and release of the Internet to the public,

the evolution of computer technology from giant, sluggish machines,

into powerful personal computing that fits in your hand and on your wrist.

And the sprawling, intelligent children that those two inventions have spawned, will be like a massive family tree only the Amazon could harbor.

Hidden deep down, at the earliest forks of those giant branches, there is a ring with OUR story held within.

(Yes, every single member of the Baby Bathwater will be encased in that everlasting tomb.)

We may or may not be the Silicon Valley tech pioneers, but we are pioneers on this frontier none the less.

We are the ones who first applied these amazing inventions. We are the experimenters who grabbed the phone from Alexander Graham Bell (Elisha Gray some might argue.) and started making calls.

We are the ones who have created new and interesting ways to use this technology for the betterment (sometimes) of our craft of marketing, business building and customer experience making.

In doing so we have become inventors ourselves.

I’ve heard countless new and experimental ideas that leverage these technologies, channels and platforms being created at a rocket’s pace.

Some experiments will fail, some succeed and a few are BALLER!

Sometimes we hacked or copied direct response methods from our predecessors and improved the outcome. Other times starting with a fresh canvas and creating our own.

We share ideas, pull from experiences and play with color, shape and forms.

Much like the writers, painters, sculptors and philosophers did in Italy around the 12th and 13th century.

It’s the renaissance of our industry.

We may not all end up in the historical texts that one day will attempt to tell this story.

But, when you get the chance, just sit still for a moment and think. Remember those ideas you cobbled together throughout your career. Ones you’d never heard anyone else try. The experiments that, once implemented, increased conversion, drew in fresh customers or improved the stick-rate.

It may not be art, but you, my mother fuckin’ friend, are an artist – an inventor – a pioneer.

And YOU are playing an important role in this revolutionary story!

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