National Novel Writing Month

I have decided (somewhat last minute) that I will be doing National Novel Writing Month this year. I'm not sure what this will mean to my writing on my various blog/tweet/whatever and I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to put down the 50,000 words required, but as they say, you miss 100% of the shots you don't take.

Wish me luck.

Disconnecting

I am listening to episode 25 of the Tim Ferriss show podcast. Tim is talking to a man named Kevin Kelly about one of their favorite topics, dropping out of the "normal" workflow/social expectation and travelling the world. Kevin says that one of the life skills that he recommends and values is the ability to go out on your own and see how far you can get. He talks about the time that he traveled to Asia as a photographer despite not speaking any Asian languages. His point (at least in the first 15 minutes of the podcast) is that only by exploring, taking risks, and perhaps by failing and having to make the best of a rough time do you figure out what you really need in life.
I have found the idea of casting off into the world to be quite alluring. I am not that much of an outgoing person and I don't tend to make friends with the effortless ease of some people. However, if I had my early twenties back, I would do it. The thing is, I am in my early thirties now and I am in a different place in my life now. I know what I want. I need to create, I need to learn, and I want to be in a committed equal relationship (I love you pie). I have been slowly working towards building a life that can sustain those things. If I were to head off to the back country I would have fun for sure but I would shortly run out of intake capacity and would crave a return to my workspace where I could put what I have learned into motion in creative ways.
It is a good thing to know who you are. I am not captivated by climbing mountains, and discovering hidden valleys. I am interested in creation not exploration (not that I am opposed to exploration, but I have my priorities).
I can let go now of the consternation that I had been holding over not fitting into the kind of lifestyle espoused by Tim and Kevin. I am a maker not a seer, and I am happy to be so.

Tribes and Leadership

Leadership is a funny thing. It is sometimes confused with authority and sometimes confused with effectiveness. I am reading a book called "Tribes" by Seth Godin. He is an interesting character and quite a prolific author of what I have been calling "Success Literature." This little book talks about the tribes that develop around leaders and how leaders can shape culture and habits. I haven't even gotten halfway through it but I am already thinking about the implications.
I have been blogging for years for personal reasons. This blog is unlisted and marked do-not-index for search engines but I have branched out. I have tentatively started building a brand with @MakerMead, MakerMead.com, and I will likely eventually open and Etsy.com store with that same name. This is very basic preparation and not true leadership activity.
One of my favorite examples if this is kind of online leadership is ZeFrank. He is an internet personality with a strong following. He did a year-long project where he posted a vlog nearly every day. it was called "The Show with ZeFrank" and it was kind of amazing. He built a viewer community with forums and games and thoughtful comments. Ze was a leader with no authority, he played with the internet and the internet played back. When "The Show" ended, a good friend of mine suggested that it might be time for "The Show with Brian" and I shrugged off the idea with shyness or fear, or some combination of sour emotions. I was not ready to stick my face on the internet and talk.
I wonder if now is the time? What would I talk about? Art? Crafts? Politics? Ze would do political sections, thoughtful pieces, and silly songs. What would my show be about? Who would be my tribe? Is it time to find out?