Icarus
It is no exaggeration to say that I have been reading Seth Godin all of my adult life. I read Permission Marketing the year I finished college, The Dip the year I left politics, and Tribes as I was planning the first OTA event. I’ve heard people call him repetitive, superficial, and self-centered, but I’ve found him to be continually provocative, passionate and probing.
With his latest book, The Icarus Deception, I feel like he’s finally and fully resonated with my soul. I come from a culture of “don’t fly too high” and live with the insecurity of wondering whether I’m “flying too low.” In Icarus, Godin challenges us to fly higher, make better art and be bold.
He wraps up his book with a chapter called Fourteen Real Artists. I was humbled to have the efforts of so many people on OTA (http://ota.is/) featured as one of the fourteen. It’s a real pleasure to share the unedited text of that section below.
Building A Movement Out of Town
Hugh Weber understands that not all big ideas, not all important art, and not all movements start in big cities. He’s the founder of OTA, a creative collective based in South Dakota that is nothing less than a catalyst for a regionwide explosion in creativity and possibility.
When he started, he thought that he’d have to single-handedly build this movement himself. What he discovered, though, was, “I’ve been forced to recognize that I’m not in this alone and that I can’t do it alone. The people who have stepped forward to support, engage and help lead this effort have humbled me and transformed my perspective on community.”
The hard work, it turns out, isn’t in booking gigs or being brilliant. The hard work is in persuading others to see the same vision, to use the same can-do attitude that grew up on the farm and apply it to building an eclectic, creative community. “I think the primary difference is simply a perspective of possibility. Our region is remarkably well suited for problem solving. When there’s a flood, blizzard or fire, everyone comes together, works together and survives together. But when we think about something bigger, innovative or possibility focused, we seem to believe that has to happen alone in our basement.”
The connection economy amplifies the makers of change. These are people in the community, even in the flyover towns that New Yorkers sneer at, who are just waiting to be asked, just waiting to exercise their ability to be weird. The job of the community organizer is simple: not to find the right answer but to find the right audience, the right segment of the community. Connect them, amplify the positive outliers, and repeat until change happens.
