ive been around the block now and ive seen some things

one of the things that bothers me and worries me and gets me depressed is what can happen at

The Top

rarely up there do i see creative geniuses. right now i have the pleasure of working for someone who is an innovator and thats one reason i enjoy working for him.

but as i talk to others and as i remember some of my previous gigs there seems to be this trend to

put people at the top who are not innovators, who punish creativity, who resist change

even if others in their very same field are reaping the rewards of trying new things, especially in the digital storytelling world.

whats bizarre is these are the people making bucketloads of money, who have been given close to unlimited power and who influence the young all around them that

you should not aspire to be Prince

instead you should do your very best to be a safe derivative of something safe.

a Drake, a Bruno Mars, a Live, a Creed,

a Joe Buck.

the thing that worries me is not the immediate effect because talented people just peace out and move on to bigger and better and shine their light elsewhere

it is the long term detriment. one where middle management, newbies, and interns see

that playing it super safe = money power & bitches.

whats great about digital media today is there’s a scoreboard. you can see from your stats if you are bringing in and retaining an audience. you can see it in your unique visitors, in time spent, in your social media numbers

and in the broader view: are people copying your style and ways.

if all you are doing is following the leader and nobody in the world is following you, you are unworthy of your job because a robot could be doing what you’re doing. even babies can mimic, so who are you?

in sports you can play to win

or play not to lose.

when you play not to lose you either dont lose

or you lose.

you never win.

our mommas did not go through nine months of pregnancy, all those years of changing diapers, sitting with us to learn our alphabets and time tables

so we can roll in to work and

not win.

it is disrespectful to them, the people who pay us, and those who are influenced by us.

and it fucks with the nature of things itself.

we as a species are constantly evolving.

you arent because youre scared but guess what we’re all scared

be scared

but keep moving

and stop getting in the way of the people around you

who rock.