Basic

Being basic is not a bad thing. It's just a different perspective.

People are so caught up in trying to be cultured and cool that they forget that the world is dictated by the masses. If what you're doing does not inspire the mass population, then you'll be a starving artist for the rest of your life.

Appealing to the masses doesn't mean selling out. Appealing to the masses is very difficult. It means communicating a truth into a medium that is well-liked by the majority of the population. Not many people can do this, but every day I hope what we produce here at the studio can hit that.

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This thought stemmed from an interaction with one of Vivi's friends. She didn't know what Nomad was. Then we showed her a segment of CYBER that will be premiered on NOWNESS this weekend.

What broke my heart is that she simply didn't understand the cultural textures that make the segment great. I had to say "oh he's a popular figure here in the city... oh he's also a model... he's actually a nice guy." Clearly Cyber is a polarizing figure in the scene, but do the masses care? Probably not.

So what do we need to do? Well there still needs to be a balance.

Two Fold Conversation

The first is to never let anyone hijack your narrative and define your brand. By maintaining control of your messaging and positioning your business (or in this case, an event) in the way that you want it perceived by your target audience or clientele, you stand a much better chance of achieving overall marketing goals—which inevitably includes increased brand awareness and sales.

The second is to always consider promoting your people first, particularly if your organization provides services. We rely on relationships to help determine outcomes in business and, by showcasing the strength and depth of your team, you can reassure clients that they’re working with a reliable and talented group of individuals that can deliver goods or services as promised. Relying solely on the goodwill built into your brand is a recipe for long-term marketing failure.

No one takes a meeting to hear about something they already know and understand. It’s a fundamental concept driving every single presentation—it’s the hook that allows you as the presenter to grab and hold attention by subconsciously saying, “I have a solution to one of your problems. I know something that you don’t.” This is why people agree to take meetings and to hear a pitch.

 

Prizing 101

To solidify the prize frame, you make the buyer qualify himself to you. “Can you tell me more about yourself? I’m picky about who I work with.” At a primal, croc brain level, you have just issued a challenge: Why do I want to do business with you? 

Taking the Frame

To instigate a power frame collision, use a mildly shocking but not unfriendly act to cause it. Use defiance and light humor. This captures attention and elevates your status by creating something called “local star power.”

1. Perpetrate a small denial
2. Act out some type of defiance

Examples
You place a folder on the conference table that is labeled “Confidential—John Smith.” When the target reaches for the file, you grab it and say, “Uh- uh, not yet. You have to wait for this.”

If you deal in creative work and you brought visuals, let the target sneak a peek and then, when you see him curiously looking, turn it over, take it away, and deliver a soft reprimand that says, not until I say you’re ready.
This is a quick tease followed by a strong denial, and it is massively disruptive to the target’s croc brain. What you are doing is not offensive, and it’s not mean. It’s playful, and it tells the target subconsciously, “I’m the one in charge here, not you, my friend.”

The key to taking the frame is to perpetrate the denial and make it clear: Not yet. This is my meeting, we’re following my agenda, and everything that happens will be on my timeline.

Another way to control the frame is to respond to a comment with a small but forceful act of defiance. 

TARGET: “Thanks for coming over. I only have 15 minutes this afternoon.”
YOU: “That’s okay, I only have 12.” You smile. But you are serious, too. 

Yeezy Season

From a post on Niketalk... Probably the truest statement about what Kanye as of late. Still have to respect the god though.

"I find myself doing the alonzo gif at any Ye interview  dude is so interesting, like he'll make ZERO sense one second then make a really deep brilliant points  I respect his ambition and really dude has done mostly anything he's put his mind to. But he really leaves you confused as hell/lost, impressed, laughing, admiring his self confidence and shameless boldness alllll in a span of 30 mins"

2. Focus only on TODAY

We can get lost in thinking about the future or regretting the past. What’s terrible about this is that while you’re worrying and wishing you were in a different position in life, someone else is working.

Worry does no good. If you truly want to succeed you need to learn how to focus your mind only on the present. Do what you can do in the moment, work on the project at hand, accomplish yourdaily goals and tasks, and you’ll do the same with your bigger, lifelong goals and dreams.

30 for 30

By 30 I'm going to have made $30 million.

Or die trying.

Wise Words From Dame

How do art and business coexist?

A true artist wants to maintain a good lifestyle. But the problem is that it is hard for them to make money because they have to deal with people they usually don’t want to deal with. Business implies doing things that you necessarily don’t want to do and doing it at a certain level. For artists, in order to get their art monetized, they probably need a true business person behind them. That’s why I stopped doing it in the music business because I did not like the people that I had to deal with. At the end of the day, it is not worth it because I would rather just make it for the love of it as opposed to squeezing every possible dime out of it. As far as I am concerned, I’m really artistic. I am more artistic than I previously realized.

When you are creative, you simply have to figure out how to pay the bills. Sometimes there are things that can be monetized within your comfort zone and protect your artistry at the same time. So yea, there are things that I do that make money and there are things that I do that don’t make money — I simply do them because I’m inspired. It is great when you worry about something and you don’t have to bastardize it for the sake of the dollar. So for music, when you have a certain formula — and it has to be edited and adapted for a play on the radio and a certain type of audience — it’s not art anymore. There are no rules and regulations with art. You have to compromise to some extent in order to be seen. You have to be willing to do that step. For artists, the internet is great because it provides you with a platform to do that without having to compromise. However, at the end of the day, you still have to figure out how to break bread and pay the bills. A real man takes care of himself and his family. So there has to be a balance. Figuring out how to keep your family alright and not be selfish while also being creative and inspired. That is true artistry. Protect that. You can’t really monetize something that is in its purest form. And I like things to be pure. I don’t like to compromise when it comes to certain things, but the bills have to get paid. It’s a clear line. You have to know what pays the bills and you have to know what is completely creative and uncompromisable and it’s not supposed to make money. But the fact that it’s so cool, usually ends up you making some money.

Robo P

Lower Case G?

Zumba

Catch me if you can... Life is being lived.
Transitional thoughts about a short life.
For once, I think i get it.

paix.