Engage!
This guy knows how to engage.
One of the great things about an iPhone (besides all the awesome apps) is that when you have one, you can always look busy. Or at least give the appearance of being busy. Ok, it really doesn’t fool anyone, but when you’re the one standing alone in a corner because you’re incredibly shy it helps give peace of mind.
I used to think this shyness was only the result of preferring the written word to the verbal one, but then I realized I even do it online. I hesitate to comment on blog posts I read, I retweet people I admire, but don’t make an effort to speak to them directly, and I even keep my blog in it’s own quiet corner. I don’t promote it, I don’t talk about it, and I’ve just quietly written personal notes here and there without really letting anyone know.
That all is going to change. I’ve redesigned this site to be a little more organized and speak to an audience. I really don’t expect the audience to grow beyond its two regular readers on its own either. That will be the biggest difference. Too often it’s easy to become passive in life, thinking a break will happen on it’s own. I forget that things are only going to happen if I actively create my own big breaks.
One of the most important and inspiring things I took away from the (DIY)stribution and Marketing Symposium at the LA Film Festival a few weeks ago was the need to engage – engage an audience, engage other filmmakers, engage anyone who will listen. It started with Ted Hope’s talk and became a word used several times over the course of the weekend. It really resonated with me.
So this new launch of my website is the beginning of my attempts to engage. I’ve got cool categories on my main page, mostly focused on film and writing. I’ll still throw in the occasional post about the Phoenix Suns or what I’m doing over the weekend, but they won’t even necessarily pop up on the homepage. I saved some of my favorite posts from the last two years, although I apologize to anyone who’s commented, because I couldn’t save those when I moved to WordPress.
It’s not going to be the little blog in the corner anymore. I’m going to be more active in engaging in real life and that will give me more experiences that I won’t hesitate to share. I will make an effort to engage with like-minded people, not just through writing this blog, but through as many outlets as I can find the time for. No more hiding behind a phone, absentmindedly checking my email every minute. Nope, I’m going put the phone away…and then continue standing in the corner, but slightly closer to the crowd. One step at a time.