Brainwashed

http://changethis.com/manifesto/66.01.Brainwashed/pdf/66.01.Brainwashed.pdf

      In Seth Godin's article “Brainwashed,” he gives readers seven tips to reinvent themselves. The first of the seven suggestions that stood out to me was number two: be generous. Godin emphasizes the importance of being generous in, “the new economy.” The composition of creative content, especially for independent musicians, rarely yields monetary revenue. Instead, Godin stresses the importance of separate individuals supporting each other. I can personally confirm the value of being generous when working with creative content through my own experiences. Last summer, I started recording rock bands in my hometown. I actually recorded an entire album with a band called The Abstract for free because I wanted to prove that I am talented enough to earn business from other bands. Now, The Abstract is gaining popularity around Akron and Cleveland and they usually mention me when they are interviewed. We have helped each other become more well known in our hometown, just like Derek Sivers of CDBaby.com.

     The second tip that stood out to me was acknowledge the lizard. The “lizard brain” refers to the part of our brain that causes the emotions anxiety and anger. This part of our brain makes us afraid of being laughed at, a feeling Steven Pressfield calls, “the resistance.” Godin encourages us to acknowledge the resistance and overcome it to present our art without fear.

     While I don't think generosity is related to creating this blog in any way, I can definitely see how these blog assignments can help me “acknowledge the lizard.” By posting my creative work for this class to my blog, I am allowing anyone in the world to see it. If posting a song or soundscape on a site that can be viewed by anyone with an internet connection isn't acknowledging the lizard and ignoring it, I don't know what is. These blog assignments give valuable lessons about the prevalence and importance of user-generated content and familiarizes students with new ways to share their media.