July Goals:
– Each week review monthly goals.
– publish book 2
– run 10km
– release ep3 ep 1
– app ideas
last week’s goals
– run 10km
– record all EP3 lines
– create EP theme song
– Begin audio book of book 1
Frictionless story telling
Story telling is powerful. It is what our civilisation, all human civilisation is built on from the earliest cave man to the most modern cyber community (whatever that means) The stories we tell ourselves define us and I spoken about how I changed the stories to change myself. Stories also define our brand. I mean brand in a holistic all-encompassing sense. The persona in your head, as you listen to me, that is me as far as you’re concerned and the persona you transmit about me to others. Gravity Undone as a brand exists not just on a web site nor just in my head but it spiders out from me into the world and exists in your head. It is a little different in your head to in mine and when you transmit it to others it has been filtered. The story of Gravity Undone is what carries the brand and defines it.
Story telling is the vector through which meaning goes viral. But every time the Gravity Undone brand leaves me and is absorbed by another it goes through their filters and when they retransmit it is slightly changed and so on. So it becomes vital that the source be as pure and consistent as possible. If I present a different message about Gravity Undone each time then I’ll end up with brand fragmentation which is where the Gravity Undone in person x’s head interferes with Gravity Undone in person y’s head and the message is weakend.
So to ensure my message is as clear, strong and far reaching as possible I need to have what is known as frictionless story telling. That is when someone asks me about gravity undone I can respond quickly, easily and naturally and consistently. When I’m presented with a situation I will be able to respond easily and convey my values effectivly. That’s frictionless story telling. My mission is to create a collaborative entertainment network that inspires creators and is supported by patrons not ads. So I need to get my story straight.
This is where brand manifesto and ethos come into play. It is what I have to work on, what any of us has to work out if we intend to successfully and sustainably create.
The way I’m doing this is:
1. List values: What is important to gravity undone. These things will also be important to me personally but filtered through the concept of gravity undone. I must personally share these values to ensure an authentic set of values. Gravity Undone will not embody all my values, just the ones that promote and provide focus on my mission and purpose.
2. Identify say 3 to 5 issues or topics and for each I need to know how gravity undone responds to them. What opinions gravity undone will hold on those topics. These will be around the values already identified.
3. Write a manifesto. This is a statement of the core emotional value and belief I want gravity undone to embody.For example Apple’s manifesto: <read apple manifesto> It is the primary story that I want people to tell when they think of gravity undone.
4. Now I can start engaging with a consistent story. I can begin marketing and getting my message out in a way that will be amplified by everyone who hears it and with whom it resonates rather than being deminished by noisy interference.
This is one of those things that in the past I’ve rolled my eyes at and just kind of skpped over on the assumption that “I already knew it” but all the experts tell you to do it. All the successfull businesses and the long-term successful creatives have done it. In many cases it is a matter of gaining some level of success and then defining story, the manifeto and ethos but every brand manager and every business coach will tell you to do it and tell you to write it down and keep it handy. And at hte start of this I committed to doing the things the experts say to do, doing the things the successful people have done.
Once I’ve got Exit Plan 3 recorded and out and once book 3 is written and published I’m going to go on a marketing bender and really get my name out there. But that means I need to know what my name means and what I want to tell people. To fail to plan is to plan to fail and I’ve already done that enough to learn that I don’t want to repeat those same lessons. it’s time to move to the next level. I’m a creative, a writer, and I want to create and I want to make money doing it so I can continue to create and inspire others to create. That is why I have to plan to succeed.
next week’s goals
– run 10km
– record the rest of ep3
– audio book of book 1
– invite people to send in goals
– next week is Claire Scherzinger of Arca 45672. She’s an artist and creative across multiple disciplines and she does it full time. As a result she has a great insite into the business of being an artist and it isn’t all sipping lattes and writing in a notebook. She has to get investors, submit for grants and plan. It was a great interview and I think we’ll all get something from it.
Until then, good luck and tell your story. see ya.