This weekend I attended podcamp at Ryerson University. In a session on social media for artists, I got a new perspective on social media – it really can be about creativity!
I consider myself a pretty creative person. Although I am far from an artist or sculptor, I love writing. Whether writing a university paper or a feature story there is a skill to shaping words and phrases to convey something to an audience. Kind of sounds like art, doesn’t it?
The session was led by sculptor Julianna Yau, wood carver Keith Burtis and podcast novelist Steve Saylor. Although creating very different forms of art, each artist stressed the importance of an online community that generates relationships. They are not interested in selling their art but sharing, consuming, learning and giving back to each other. This attitude is reflected in their use of twitter, facebook, etc. Instead of being separated in their own studio they are putting themselves out there.
Their main piece of advice for other creatives – be transparent! Your intentions must be pure in order for your true creative abilities to be visible.
This brings me back to writing. If I can share mine with an online community, whether it be my fellow student bloggers, friends or other chance followers, I am also able to share, consume, learn and give back. It becomes about the process of social media. You may not get any direct compensation, but in the end you will have a tailored product and strong relationships that will help set you apart from other social media users. That in itself is a reason to keep blogging!
[More to come on this topic with a "three peas in a pod" podcast featuring podcamp speaker and sculptor, Julianna Yau...stay tuned!)
