On Details and Creativity

Food for thought this Sunday afternoon:

“The details are not details, they make the product.” ~ Charles Eames

and

“You can’t put a price tag on creativity.” ~ Walt Disney

Citizen Journalism and Motivation

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about citizen journalism and the changing landscape of media. A majority of the thinking has been around one central thought: are citizen journalists really doing any reporting that doesn’t directly reflect their own personal agenda or interests? One of the greatest things about journalism is reporters are supposed to be objective, and even though they may hate going to city council meetings, they still report the news. So as the PI goes to an online only format and reduces it’s news staff from 165 to 20, I can’t help but wonder what the quality of news will be. I want to say great, but who’s going to ask, “what’s you’re agenda and personal gain if writing a free blog for us?” They need the content too bad, and have no money to pay a reporter to get it.

When Life Comes Crashing Down

Last night on the eve of one of the most aggressive deadlines I’ve ever had to meet, a close friend sent me three photographs from back home. The man in the photo is a close friend, mentor, and spiritual father. Last night my life came crashing down. Not because of death, but because I was 1,500 miles away and wasn’t able to help my friend with an extra arm as he walked across the empty church. Instead he had to use a cane.

Lord have mercy.

- Photo ©Wendy Russell 2009

What Would You Do?

Take a moment and think about this: The industry you work in is quickly losing it’s revenue stream. Individuals with no experience are sometimes making you look bad, and even though they don’t necessarily do as good as a job, they seem to be able to do it for free. Your colleagues are being laid off left and right. Businesses once thought to be invincible suddenly are closing. Your own job is in jeopardy.

You:

A) Write about it.

B) Write about it and bitch about it.

C) Dip your toe into the water and see how hot it is.

D) Do something so drastic and wild failure is an option.

Rodale Publisher: “I think it’s time we should take back control, and set the policies”

Comments from the 5th annual Magazine Publishers of America digital magazine conference.

Rodale executive vice president and group publisher MaryAnn Bekkedahl, on charging for online content: “People have been talking for a long time about how the consumer is in control—I think it’s time we should take back control, and set the policies.”

Bekkedahl adds: “The 23-year-old on an iMac in the café—people are beginning to realize that isn’t great content. He doesn’t have the experience.”

So much to say, but I’m only 26 so I guess I should just keep my mouth shut and go back to taking unpaid internships.

- Quotes thanks to Folio Magazine by Dylan Stableford

On Blaming Others

Write it down. Post it somewhere. Don’t forget it.

“When you blame others, you give up your power to change.” ~ Robert Anthony

Just Do It

I went running yesterday with an amazing woman. Not only did she bring her four-legged friend who might as well have run the doors off me, but she also pushed me in more ways than one. Our conversation was deep—life, goals, passions, why our calves hurt—but never became too heavy. As we ran next to Boulder Creek, twilight seeping into the canyon and pink clouds wafting overhead, she said some that shook me: “So why don’t you just do it?” It was the same thing I ask people every day. And then I did exactly what I say NOT to do and stumbled out excuses justifying my slothfulness. “I guess I don’t get it,” she said back. And then it hit me. She’s right. I should just do it.

The Bar Has Been Raised: 127-Foot Waterfall Dropped By A Kayaker

Just like everything else in life one crazy soul has raised the bar to unbelievable levels. This time it was Brazilian boater Pedro Oliva, who destroyed the previous record of 108-feet by hucking himself off a 127-foot waterfall deep within the rain forests of Brazil. Rumor is he reached speeds upwards of 70 mph. Makes the 30-foot fall I dropped a few years back seem like child’s play. Damn.

- Outside

Is Writing For The Rich?

Excerpts from a recent article by Francis Wilkinson on the state of writing today.

“After all, the number of people willing to write for free is vast. In 2007, I was in charge of recruiting writers for the expansion of The Huffington Post. I calculated that I would need 75 unpaid blog submissions per day, Monday through Friday, in order to make the site work. That target seemed absurd at first. Yet within two months, hundreds of willing bloggers had signed up, the majority of them credentialed authors published by major publishing houses.”

And

“It’s not obvious how young writers without accommodating, well-to-do parents or a trust from gramps make it these days. Surely they can’t spend a year or two blogging without pay until an audience evolves to nurture them. They’ll starve. Meantime, freelance rates for non-fluff magazine writing have barely risen in the past 15 years. And the chances of getting a job at a quality newspaper or a serious magazine are fast approaching zero.”

– Thanks A Photo Editor