Wise Word Wednesday: Seth Godin

     "Icarus.  The original myth had two parts.  Daedalus said to his son, 'I fashioned these wings for you.  Two rules.  Don't fly too high, or the sun will melt the wax.  But, more important, son, don't fly too low.  Because if you fly too low, the water and the waves will surely weigh down the wings, and you will die.'  We've left out the second part of the myth.  We don't say to people anymore, "Don't fly too low."  All we do from the time they are 4 years old is warn them against hubris.  We have created this industrially led structure that says:  How dare you."
~Seth Godin, quoted in the current issue of Entrepreneur magazine.

    A little bit about Seth:  "An original and helpful voice on this landscape of digital connection for which there are no maps.  Seth Godin is a singular thought leader and innovator in what he describes as our post-industrial, post-geography "connection economy."  Rather than merely tolerate change, he says, we are all called now to rise to it.  We are invited and stretched in whatever we do to be artists - to create in ways that matter to other people."
~Quote sourced from onbeing.org.

      I was first introduced to Seth Godin while listening to a Dan Miller podcast.  He was promoted as being an innovative thinker with exceptional observations.  His book "Tribes" was one that encouraged people to recognize who their "group" was, and rather than creating a generic product for everyone, to recognize that people were better served by doing something really well, for a group of people who appreciate that specificity.  What you make doesn't have to be for everyone, but there are those out there who will love what you do, so do what you do with excellence.
     The Icarus quote resonated with me as I sometimes struggle with a mindset of "no one really is interested in what you're doing with your art, no need to grow as an artist, or promote yourself."  Whoa Nelly!  Why on earth would that be the case?!  So if your wings are weighed down from the waves, maybe think about flying above them...