What Will They Remember You For?

You spend a lot of time creating your content. It takes days, hours, weeks, and in some cases years of thinking, creating, and editing to make something worth other people's time. It may take only a few hours to write a poem or a short story. It can take years to finish a novel, or polish a screenplay to become a 'go' project. Which of your projects will people remember? You may be surprised at what resonates with the audience. Shakespeare spent a great deal of time and money preparing his sonnets for publication. He didn't bother to do that with his plays. After his death, the actors in his company published the quartos and first folio. If Shakespeare didn't know for which writing he would be most remembered, don't assume you know. I own a 580 page book of Robert Frost's complete poems. How many can you name? "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening," and "The Road Not Taken" are still studied in grade school, but those are two out of hundreds of poems. Mathew Arnold was a famous critic during the 1800s who wrote many critical essays and poems. We remember him, if at all, for one poem, "Dover Beach." It's sobering to realize that even if our work is popular now, its popularity may not last. The point is that we don't know which of our works people will remember. If we're lucky, we'll have enough fans so that we can support ourselves through our work. There are no guarantees that our work will find an audience. I can guarantee that no one will remember the work you don't create. And since you don't know which of your pieces will outlast you, it's important to do your best on every one. Keep creating, and your legacy will take care of itself.

An $18 million part-time job

American Idol announced Mariah Carey will be a judge this season, replacing either Steven Tyler or Jennifer Lopez, both of whom decided not to return for the fall. Ms. Carey will reportedly receive $18 million for her first year on Idol; not a bad salary for a part-time gig. The arms race for pop icons on talent competition shows continues. Yet while they are willing to pay Mariah Carey the highest judge salary on television, they are also mandating layoffs on the production staff and looking for ways to cut costs. Rumors are that the third judge will be someone priced much lower than Mariah Carey -- perhaps runner up Adam Lambert. American Idol was still the highest rated non-sports series on television last year. Why is the show acting like it's in tremendous trouble? In a word -- money. The overall audience for the show dropped significantly last year, and as a result so did ad revenue. The program still brings in over $700 million in ad revenue to Fox, but it also costs a lot. Competition from other singing programs like "The Voice" are cutting into its audience. So if they want a big-name star to bring attention to the show, the money has to come from somewhere. If I was the show runner, I would first be looking for judges who can contribute to the show, regardless of how big a pop star they used to be. American Idol still hasn't replaced Simon Cowell, the judge we hated but respected, because he told singers when they weren't good enough. We didn't always agree with Simon, but everyone wanted to know what he had to say. That's the quality American Idol needs to find in their judges. If Mariah Carey can deliver the type of sound bites live that will help the contestants and entertain the viewers, she's worth every dollar Fox spends on her. If she can't, she'll soon follow Steven Tyler, Jennifer Lopez, Ellen DeGeneres, and the other judges that "decided" to leave the show. As a fan of the show, I hope that whoever the third judge is, can bring back some of Simon's acid judgements. After all, when American Idol started, most viewers didn't know who Randy Jackson, Simon Cowell, and Ryan Seacrest were -- and Paula Abdul hadn't had a hit in years. They helped make the show a success, but the show's success also made them. The lesson for us as content creators is that stars can draw attention to your show or movie. But if the content doesn't work, it doesn't matter who's in it -- the audience won't watch. Content remains king.

Creativity and Riding the Auto Train

I recently rode the Amtrack auto train from Virginia to Central Florida. It seemed like an economical way to bring a used car back to Orlando without putting a lot more miles on it. The trip from Lorton, Virginia (just south of Washington, DC) to Sanford, Florida (about a half-hour north of Orlando)took about sixteen hours. It included dinner, continental breakfast, and a movie. The coach seat provided more room than Business class seats on planes. I was able to plug my computer in at a convenient socket, and lean almost all the way back to sleep. Not only did I enjoy the trip, when I factored in the cost of gas, motel room, and meals, the trip was cheaper than driving. It wasn't that long ago that most people took trains for long trips. Now train travel is a specialty item, except for commuters into a major metropolitan area. It also gave me time to read, think, and work on some of my current projects away from the bustle of a busy office. How does this relate to creating content? Sometimes your best inspiration can be to do something different. Although I was traveling by myself I met people at meals that I would never have met otherwise -- a nurse that was moving to Tampa, for example, and a retired couple of motorcycle enthusiasts who were transporting their bikes on the train. We never know when we're creating something what is going to spur our creativity. But I do know that you can't create something new using the same routines. We need to get out into the world and do something different. That's a great technique to use if you're stuck on a piece, but it's also great if you're starting out. You don't have to take the Auto Train. That worked for me. Do what works for you. But do something. Take your dog down a different street for your walk. Ride your bicycle somewhere you've never been. Or just go for a drive in the country and stop at the first small town you find. Or go bungee jumping. Just make sure the cord is fastened tightly. Break your routine, break your old habits, and find new inspiration.