the ourselves we aren't / cults.
i've been thinking a lot about the "small business consultant" and "e-course" trend.
doesn't it feel like it's everywhere? it verges on cult-ish.
i'm all for e-courses that help develop real skill sets and dynamic thinking. i'm a life learner (and an educator) myself.
but sometimes the phrase "the blind leading the blind" comes to mind on these "grow your business" / "make art that sells!" / "get your work out there!" / etc. classes. if there were an easy answer and every idea were a great one, no one would be struggling ever and everyone would be living their dream effortlessly.
but the tough truth is there is no easy answer.
and even if your business is grown, your art sells, your work is out there, there's no guarantee it'll stay that way or even be rewarding.
yet, there is the guarantee that if you experience even the tiniest amount of success, there'll be someone in your wake who wants to learn exactly how you did what you did so they can replicate the "formula" for your perceived success.
from where i stand, the effect of these classes is:
- a cult forms around the educator that tons of people (literally) buy into for whatever reason.
- that's about it.
people are increasingly obsessed with the idea of leaders and followers.
when did we all get categorized as one or the other?
must we lead, must we follow?
people are so consumed with having a cult around them -- between blog personas, social media personas, author personas, and now this e-course thing. in general, i don't want to be on either side of the lead/follow game, and it all just makes me feel increasingly marginalized as an artist, a maker, a human.
if other people focused on their own ideas, their own work, and their own lives instead of obsessively learning from and trying to be like others, maybe these e-courses wouldn't need to happen to this extreme. maybe these blogs wouldn't have to become "taste makers" because everyone would just like what they like. maybe people wouldn't feel the need to self improve because they'd already be themselves.
when i teach, i emphasize following your own voice in my course; staying true to who you are and creating work that serves that inner voice. if more people focused on being themselves, we wouldn't need to take classes and read blogs and books and follow leaders who teach us to be the ourselves we aren't.
hopefully this makes sense.
doesn't it feel like it's everywhere? it verges on cult-ish.
i'm all for e-courses that help develop real skill sets and dynamic thinking. i'm a life learner (and an educator) myself.
but sometimes the phrase "the blind leading the blind" comes to mind on these "grow your business" / "make art that sells!" / "get your work out there!" / etc. classes. if there were an easy answer and every idea were a great one, no one would be struggling ever and everyone would be living their dream effortlessly.
but the tough truth is there is no easy answer.
and even if your business is grown, your art sells, your work is out there, there's no guarantee it'll stay that way or even be rewarding.
yet, there is the guarantee that if you experience even the tiniest amount of success, there'll be someone in your wake who wants to learn exactly how you did what you did so they can replicate the "formula" for your perceived success.
from where i stand, the effect of these classes is:
- a cult forms around the educator that tons of people (literally) buy into for whatever reason.
- that's about it.
people are increasingly obsessed with the idea of leaders and followers.
when did we all get categorized as one or the other?
must we lead, must we follow?
people are so consumed with having a cult around them -- between blog personas, social media personas, author personas, and now this e-course thing. in general, i don't want to be on either side of the lead/follow game, and it all just makes me feel increasingly marginalized as an artist, a maker, a human.
if other people focused on their own ideas, their own work, and their own lives instead of obsessively learning from and trying to be like others, maybe these e-courses wouldn't need to happen to this extreme. maybe these blogs wouldn't have to become "taste makers" because everyone would just like what they like. maybe people wouldn't feel the need to self improve because they'd already be themselves.
when i teach, i emphasize following your own voice in my course; staying true to who you are and creating work that serves that inner voice. if more people focused on being themselves, we wouldn't need to take classes and read blogs and books and follow leaders who teach us to be the ourselves we aren't.
hopefully this makes sense.