#fast forward a year to covid and that was genuinely a very real possibility. I could LITERALLY catch the plague

[musical-chick-13]

One of the WORST parts of having OCD is that some of the Fears™ are actually humanly possible, so it's not like my response can just be, "Oh that'll never happen" or even "I've never seen that happen, so it's probably unlikely."

[asleepinawell]

How has poi changed your life? Genuinely curious, I love this show

I got this ask in May '20 and am only now answering it. :')

part of the problem with answering it is that half of the answer would be to the question of 'how has fandom changed your life' where poi is the fandom I've been the most active in and where fandom made the most difference. and that's a long story

my first draft of this was over 2k words long, and went back much further in time explaining how i had and hadn’t fit into queer spaces and fandom throughout my life. I edited it way back but it’s still long-ish, so you can read it below the break

many years ago, when I got my first full time job in my chosen industry my senior year of college I was so busy that I couldn't function. massive unhealthy amounts of overtime and a toxic work environment. (don't work at tech start-ups, kids!!!) my social life vanished. strikethrough on livejournal happened right then too and fandom, which i’d only been a silent participant in at that point, kind of went quiet for a while and by the time it started regrouping I was so busy that I didn't know about it. several awful years later I quit my job, spent several months in my room in my parents' house trying to recover from massive burn out (see my comment about tech start-ups), and then got a job on the opposite coast and left behind my whole circle of friends some of whom made up my entire connection to the queer community at that time.

making friends after college is very hard when you're an introvert and just generally don't like socializing that much. making queer friends can be even harder since there's fewer places to meet them and there's often an underlying question of dating/sex that hovers around awkwardly when sometimes what you want is just an absolutely no romo/no sex friendship. so while I did make a few queer friends eventually, I didn't have that same sort of community I did before I'd moved and I missed it

(I would be remiss in not saying that the queer friends i made in this time are all amazing and wonderful and some are still my close friends and very important to me. The thing I’m highlighting here was the lack of feeling like I was part of a larger queer community).

fast forward a bit. I get sick. like really really sick. I'm in and out of the ER, I'm missing tons of work, I'm mostly bed-ridden. I think after the last few years people can more easily appreciate how intensely lonely and surreal being stuck at home by yourself non stop can be when you're not used to it. sometime right before that I'd joined tumblr for the sole purpose of looking at cat pictures on my phone during boring meetings. I wasn't really aware that this was where fandom had migrated to (it was in fact possible to use tumblr without intersecting with fandom). but stuck home alone with time to kill I started looking for art and gifs of the tv and games I was consuming and stumbled into fandom tumblr and specifically queer femslash fandom.

I kind of poked around the territory and eventually fell into the carmilla fandom which became the first fandom I actually created content for. a few of my fics had a decent audience and while I was never part of the central core of the fandom I made some good friends there. some of y'all probably followed me back then. I eventually drifted away from carmilla for a lot of reasons I won't get into and stumbled right into poi. this would have been between seasons 4 and 5, late 2015-early 2016.

my health problems get more exciting and I end up in the hospital. I have vague memories of watching poi on my laptop in my hospital bed (vague because I was on a lot of morphine). I actually posted some fic while I was in the hospital (would have been the end of my carmilla run still).

and I get out of the hospital (early 2016) and am somewhat better but it's pretty clear that I'm going to have chronic health issues probably for the rest of my life. my social life, such as it was, was mostly dead, a lot of stuff I used to do for fun was much harder to manage. I'm still spending a ton of time at home (not even counting covid) and I have bad days where I feel terrible and can't do much. but I'll come back to that

I think most of us remember 2016. the year tv show runners fully embraced the bury your gays trope (and sometimes the fridging trope at the same time as a bonus!) and, by autostraddle's tally, 30 queer female characters in tv shows died. and then on top of that we had the actual real world tragedy of the pulse nightclub shootings. it was a massively depressing time all around for queer people

s5 of poi aired that year. I know people have different opinions on s5 of poi, and that's valid. I hated it. and I really intensely hated how it treated root and shaw. there aren't enough words to express how fucking angry I was after s5. or rather, there are 319,678 words.

I wrote a fic many of you may have read called sliding towards chaos that rewrote the entirety of poi from mid-s3 onwards. it got pretty popular lol. I put so much into writing it, too. it was basically a second full time job for me and a great way to take my mind off the fact I was still having health problems and all the crazy shit going on in the world (we had a presidential election in the US in 2016 :)))) it did not go well!)

i'm very proud of writing stc, and even if I think it isn't my strongest writing (which is good! improving over time is good!), it was what really connected me to a lot of other people in the fandom. I felt part of the fandom community in a way I hadn't with carmilla and it was an intensely queer community built around shared interests

one of the problems with finding queer friend groups out in the 'real world' is you're often gathering to meet based on the uniting factor of being queer, and your interests may vary greatly. fandom is amazing because it lets you find queer people who you share all these interests with and who you can bond with over them and collaborate with and that's just so so important. does fandom have a ton of issues and toxicity and bigotry? yes, absolutely. but it also has so much good to offer

through stc and later fics I became close friends with some really really cool people in the fandom (including my favorite writer and my favorite artist). these are people I'm still very close friends with. some of them I've hung out with offline and the ones I haven't are mostly because they live too far away. after years of not having my own queer circle of friends I have found one again and one I can usually participate in even with my health problems and that is such an important thing to me

on a creative front, the fic writing and the gif making I've done have both taught me an enormous amount and been a very positive part of my life. working collaboratively on comics has been one of the coolest things I've done. there is just so much good that came out of me seeing one shoot gif on tumblr dot com years ago and being like hmm looks gay I'm in

and in terms of the actual content of the show, I think a lot of the reason I was drawn to it (other than my lingering crush on fred from angel) was that root and shaw felt so uniquely and wonderfully queer in a way few f/f ships I'd seen had before. shaw being bi and reading as aro to me (I've talked about that here) and root being a chaotic computer nerd just felt so relatable to me and their relationship with each other made sense to me in a way that few others had. and the specific draw that they had for some fans probably has a lot to do with why I found friends in this fandom who I really clicked with

so yeah. I don't know how to sum this up. fandom can be a great way to find your people and engage your creativity and I think that's very sexy

[michaelsheenpt]

Michael Sheen: The pandemic has shown what is possible on homelessness

The actor now uses his Hollywood cash to fund his passion for activism. Sheen reveals why he revels in spending money on the things that matter and why he has hope for the post-Covid future.

Michael Sheen, activist and actor. It is in that order these days. And he’s doing rather well in both spheres. He has spent the last few years trying to find a way to balance his twin passions. And, he says, he is slowly getting there.  

“A big part of it was shifting things in my head and knowing what the priorities were,” says the 51-year-old.

“I made the shift psychologically to go, right, the acting work and everything that comes with that is going to support the other stuff I’m doing.  

“So even though to the outside world, maybe it wouldn’t seem like it – because I’ve been doing lots of acting work and things that have kept the profile up and all that –  from my point of view, the priority has been different. Now the acting work fits in around the other stuff.”

That ‘other stuff’ involves supporting the Homeless World Cup and the fight to expand access to affordable credit, campaigning to get the right to a good home enshrined in law in Wales and combating loneliness with the Great Winter Get Together (an idea inspired by the late MP Jo Cox). Then there’s working with Social Enterprise UK, for whom he is a patron alongside The Big Issue’s Lord Bird, helping local journalism and communities get access to trustworthy information, publicising and supporting both foodbanks and theatres and fighting period poverty.  

It’s a heady and righteous cocktail of vital causes. And it takes up a lot of Sheen’s time. With the Covid pandemic of 2020, and Brexit around the corner, he feels his activism is going to be more important than ever in 2021.

“Everything that was happening before Covid came along which has been exacerbated,” says Sheen. “So it’s not like issues I was focused on beforehand – around homelessness and high-cost credit – are going away.

“We’re bracing ourselves for it getting a lot harder and more people being involved. The work that was going on pre–pandemic is going to get even more pressured. Because when you look into anything around poverty and inequality before the pandemic, the fallout from the way Universal Credit was being rolled out was having a massive effect. Well, there’s going to be a lot more people on Universal Credit now.”  

But Sheen also sees this as a moment to seize, a chance to rebuild society anew, a period that is packed with potential.  

“We saw what was possible around homelessness during the pandemic, where people were able to get off the streets and were put into accommodation and given support that wasn’t there before,” he says.  

“That has made a lot of people think. If that’s possible during a pandemic when people are really motivated, then why can’t it happen afterwards as well? Why does it take a pandemic to do it? We have seen that the fact there are still people living on the street is a political choice.

“So while we are bracing ourselves for really challenging times, that’s balanced out by a sense that there’s the chance to build up from the ground again. How do we reimagine who we are and how we live and how we work together? The status quo wasn’t working. So we have to innovate, we have to reimagine, we have to reinvent – there is a moment of possibility to build back better.”

He is on a roll. He sounds like a politician. A good politician. With that rich, sonorous voice rising as he advocates a new way of living, a new vision for society. He compares the imminent, we hope, post-Covid moment to the situation facing the post-war Attlee government. 

“When you go through a big, nation–changing event, which this has been, there’s the opportunity to reimagine a different relationship between the state and society and between us as a community,” he continues. “To see how communities have pulled together gives you a new awareness of who we are and what we can be. We can rebuild our nation in the light of that.  

“There won’t always be that window of opportunity. We’ll go in a new direction and a new status quo will emerge. Let’s hope it can be a fairer one.”

But Sheen is not just about ideas for a brighter future for Wales, the UK, and beyond. He’s also at the top of the acting profession. And we’ve seen a lot of him in 2020.  

There was his brilliant, uncanny, portrayal of Chris Tarrant in Quiz back in March – the memorable pop-cultural drama-doc which drew a massive lockdown audience to its exploration of the infamous, scandalous, did-they-didn’t-they ‘cheat’ storm on ITV’s Who Wants To Be A Millionaire – shedding light on the inventive, pre-internet ways WWTBAM fans across the country hooked up to game their way onto the show.

Sheen was – not for the first time in a career that has seen him portray with such skill a diverse crowd of famous names, including Brian Clough (The Damned United), Kenneth Williams (Fantabulosa), Tony Blair (The Deal, The Queen and The Special Relationship), and David Frost (in Frost/Nixon) – utterly, bewilderingly believable as Tarrant and the three-part series, aired over consecutive nights, was genuine event television. 

Then, when it became clear this pandemic and these lockdowns weren’t going anywhere fast, Sheen joined forces with his Good Omens co-star David Tennant to make Staged – the first, and perhaps only show to capture the tedium, the disconnectedness, the discombobulation of lockdown life.  

With the big–name actors playing heightened versions of themselves – Sheen pompous, cultured, guzzling wine, Tennant eager to please, upbeat, hapless – it was a roaring success on iPlayer.

“David is very different to what you see in the series in real life,” says Sheen. “But although I’d like to say I’m different to the version of me in Staged, that’s pretty much what I’m like.”

The surprise second series of Staged catches up with Sheen and Tennant (or should that be Tennant and Sheen?) a few months down the line.  

“We knew the series was very easy to do, filming it at home on a laptop – or that even if we went back to a more normal life again and were working elsewhere, we could film it anywhere,” says Sheen.  

“And by the time we came to the second series, it was different. Even though we were still spending a lot of time at home, the second series was during a period where everybody, including David and I, were trying to go back to do things. Then the rules kept changing.  

“So you never quite knew whether what was going to happen from day to day. The second series reflects that. But obviously, going back to work and trying to go back to normal is very different from me and David than they are for a lot of people – so we were aware that had to be dealt with as well, because never wanted it to be about two poncey actors and their lives. We wanted to find a way to do it so that people could still identify with it.”

This year, Sheen, like most of us, has spent more time at home. He has, he says, enjoyed catching fewer planes, appreciated his friends and extended family more than ever, raced through five series of Line of Duty and been wowed by Normal People, starting his way down Schitt’s Creek but still found little time to read novels (“I’ve asked for a few from Father Christmas”).  

Because if he does find time to read, it is usually research on housing, on fighting poverty, on rebuilding the broken or the out-of-control housing market, alongside the occasional script.

But if 2020 has been about anything for Sheen, is has been about spending time with his baby daughter Lyra.

“When we went into that first lockdown in March, she was only five months old,” he says.  

“So our focus has been her this whole time. Really our experiences wouldn’t have been massively different. The main overwhelming part of our experience of the last year has been having a baby, as opposed to Covid. And I know I’m very fortunate to be able to say that. But anyone who’s had a baby knows that that just takes up all your bandwidth.

“They give you structure, don’t they? A reason to get up in the morning. A lot of people have said it is difficult getting motivated to do stuff – but that’s not an issue when you’ve got a little one, is it? So I have got very used to being in the house. I even got to do two seasons of a TV show from my kitchen, which is pretty nice…”

Staged returns to BBC One and iPlayer on January 4

Michael Sheen on the legacy of the Homeless World Cup in Wales

In the summer of 2019, Cardiff hosted the Homeless World Cup. As the football tournament, featuring players from around the world, all of whom were experiencing homelessness, kicked off, we knew Michael Sheen had played a huge role in bringing the event to Wales.

What didn’t emerge until later was that, when some promised funding failed to emerge, Sheen was faced with a choice between sinking more than £1m of his own money into making it happen or cancelling the event.

He paid. They played.

It was a triumph and will last long in the memory. So how does Sheen feel now about it?

“It is an extraordinary event that happens every year,” he says. “It was going to be in Finland this year, which I was really looking forward to – because Finland has been quite pioneering in the Housing First strategy and I was looking forward to being able to find out more about that. But I still feel the way I did before – and what motivated me to try and make it happen here in Wales is that it is life-changing for people and can be a transformative experience in all kinds of ways.

“For some people who take part in it, it has an immediate effect. And for others, it may be years later that the effects of it manifest in their life. But that was why I was so committed to being a part of making that happen.

“A lot of the motivation for us in Wales was about what it could act as a platform for afterwards. And that has been affected by the Covid crisis, because a lot of the legacy work we were doing was unable to move forward in the way we’d hoped because of all the restrictions. But what I learned and discovered during that period has made a massive difference to me and the work I’m doing around homelessness.

“The relationships we developed through that time with support service organisations, the people I met and the insights I got into what people are struggling with and what would help were invaluable. It’s been a huge thing for me. I’m still paying for it. So that still affects my life as well, obviously, and things that I’m doing.

“But my acting work is there to support the other stuff. I’m putting money into things constantly, even though I still owe money to do with the Homeless World Cup. So until the time comes when I’m not able to earn money in the same way, then I’ll keep on spending it on the things that matter to me.”

SOURCE

[invisibleicewands]

Michael Sheen: ‘There is a moment of possibility to build back better’

The actor now uses his Hollywood cash to fund his passion for activism. Sheen reveals why he revels in spending money on the things that matter and why he has hope for the post-Covid future

Michael Sheen, activist and actor. It is in that order these days. And he’s doing rather well in both spheres. He has spent the last few years trying to find a way to balance his twin passions. And, he says, he is slowly getting there.  

“A big part of it was shifting things in my head and knowing what the priorities were,” says the 51-year-old.

“I made the shift psychologically to go, right, the acting work and everything that comes with that is going to support the other stuff I’m doing.  

“So even though to the outside world, maybe it wouldn’t seem like it – because I’ve been doing lots of acting work and things that have kept the profile up and all that –  from my point of view, the priority has been different. Now the acting work fits in around the other stuff.”

That ‘other stuff’ involves supporting the Homeless World Cup and the fight to expand access to affordable credit, campaigning to get the right to a good home enshrined in law in Wales and combating loneliness with the Great Winter Get Together (an idea inspired by the late MP Jo Cox). Then there’s working with Social Enterprise UK, for whom he is a patron alongside The Big Issue’s Lord Bird, helping local journalism and communities get access to trustworthy information, publicising and supporting both foodbanks and theatres and fighting period poverty.  

It’s a heady and righteous cocktail of vital causes. And it takes up a lot of Sheen’s time. With the Covid pandemic of 2020, and Brexit around the corner, he feels his activism is going to be more important than ever in 2021.

“Everything that was happening before Covid came along which has been exacerbated,” says Sheen. “So it’s not like issues I was focused on beforehand – around homelessness and high-cost credit – are going away.

“We’re bracing ourselves for it getting a lot harder and more people being involved. The work that was going on pre–pandemic is going to get even more pressured. Because when you look into anything around poverty and inequality before the pandemic, the fallout from the way Universal Credit was being rolled out was having a massive effect. Well, there’s going to be a lot more people on Universal Credit now.”  

But Sheen also sees this as a moment to seize, a chance to rebuild society anew, a period that is packed with potential.  

“We saw what was possible around homelessness during the pandemic, where people were able to get off the streets and were put into accommodation and given support that wasn’t there before,” he says.  

“That has made a lot of people think. If that’s possible during a pandemic when people are really motivated, then why can’t it happen afterwards as well? Why does it take a pandemic to do it? We have seen that the fact there are still people living on the street is a political choice.

“So while we are bracing ourselves for really challenging times, that’s balanced out by a sense that there’s the chance to build up from the ground again. How do we reimagine who we are and how we live and how we work together? The status quo wasn’t working. So we have to innovate, we have to reimagine, we have to reinvent – there is a moment of possibility to build back better.”

He is on a roll. He sounds like a politician. A good politician. With that rich, sonorous voice rising as he advocates a new way of living, a new vision for society. He compares the imminent, we hope, post-Covid moment to the situation facing the post-war Attlee government. 

“When you go through a big, nation–changing event, which this has been, there’s the opportunity to reimagine a different relationship between the state and society and between us as a community,” he continues. “To see how communities have pulled together gives you a new awareness of who we are and what we can be. We can rebuild our nation in the light of that.  

“There won’t always be that window of opportunity. We’ll go in a new direction and a new status quo will emerge. Let’s hope it can be a fairer one.”

But Sheen is not just about ideas for a brighter future for Wales, the UK, and beyond. He’s also at the top of the acting profession. And we’ve seen a lot of him in 2020.  

There was his brilliant, uncanny, portrayal of Chris Tarrant in Quiz back in March – the memorable pop-cultural drama-doc which drew a massive lockdown audience to its exploration of the infamous, scandalous, did-they-didn’t-they ‘cheat’ storm on ITV’s Who Wants To Be A Millionaire – shedding light on the inventive, pre-internet ways WWTBAM fans across the country hooked up to game their way onto the show.

Sheen was – not for the first time in a career that has seen him portray with such skill a diverse crowd of famous names, including Brian Clough (The Damned United), Kenneth Williams (Fantabulosa), Tony Blair (The Deal, The Queen and The Special Relationship), and David Frost (in Frost/Nixon) – utterly, bewilderingly believable as Tarrant and the three-part series, aired over consecutive nights, was genuine event television.

Then, when it became clear this pandemic and these lockdowns weren’t going anywhere fast, Sheen joined forces with his Good Omens co-star David Tennant to make Staged – the first, and perhaps only show to capture the tedium, the disconnectedness, the discombobulation of lockdown life.  

With the big–name actors playing heightened versions of themselves – Sheen pompous, cultured, guzzling wine, Tennant eager to please, upbeat, hapless – it was a roaring success on iPlayer.

“David is very different to what you see in the series in real life,” says Sheen. “But although I’d like to say I’m different to the version of me in Staged, that’s pretty much what I’m like.”

The surprise second series of Staged catches up with Sheen and Tennant (or should that be Tennant and Sheen?) a few months down the line.  

“We knew the series was very easy to do, filming it at home on a laptop – or that even if we went back to a more normal life again and were working elsewhere, we could film it anywhere,” says Sheen.  

“And by the time we came to the second series, it was different. Even though we were still spending a lot of time at home, the second series was during a period where everybody, including David and I, were trying to go back to do things. Then the rules kept changing.  

“So you never quite knew whether what was going to happen from day to day. The second series reflects that. But obviously, going back to work and trying to go back to normal is very different from me and David than they are for a lot of people – so we were aware that had to be dealt with as well, because never wanted it to be about two poncey actors and their lives. We wanted to find a way to do it so that people could still identify with it.”

This year, Sheen, like most of us, has spent more time at home. He has, he says, enjoyed catching fewer planes, appreciated his friends and extended family more than ever, raced through five series of Line of Duty and been wowed by Normal People, starting his way down Schitt’s Creek but still found little time to read novels (“I’ve asked for a few from Father Christmas”).  

Because if he does find time to read, it is usually research on housing, on fighting poverty, on rebuilding the broken or the out-of-control housing market, alongside the occasional script.

But if 2020 has been about anything for Sheen, is has been about spending time with his baby daughter Lyra.

“When we went into that first lockdown in March, she was only five months old,” he says.  

“So our focus has been her this whole time. Really our experiences wouldn’t have been massively different. The main overwhelming part of our experience of the last year has been having a baby, as opposed to Covid. And I know I’m very fortunate to be able to say that. But anyone who’s had a baby knows that that just takes up all your bandwidth.

“They give you structure, don’t they? A reason to get up in the morning. A lot of people have said it is difficult getting motivated to do stuff – but that’s not an issue when you’ve got a little one, is it? So I have got very used to being in the house. I even got to do two seasons of a TV show from my kitchen, which is pretty nice…”

Michael Sheen on the legacy of the Homeless World Cup in Wales

In the summer of 2019, Cardiff hosted the Homeless World Cup. As the football tournament, featuring players from around the world, all of whom were experiencing homelessness, kicked off, we knew Michael Sheen had played a huge role in bringing the event to Wales.

What didn’t emerge until later was that, when some promised funding failed to emerge, Sheen was faced with a choice between sinking more than £1m of his own money into making it happen or cancelling the event.

He paid. They played.

It was a triumph and will last long in the memory. So how does Sheen feel now about it?

“It is an extraordinary event that happens every year,” he says. “It was going to be in Finland this year, which I was really looking forward to – because Finland has been quite pioneering in the Housing First strategy and I was looking forward to being able to find out more about that. But I still feel the way I did before – and what motivated me to try and make it happen here in Wales is that it is life-changing for people and can be a transformative experience in all kinds of ways.

“For some people who take part in it, it has an immediate effect. And for others, it may be years later that the effects of it manifest in their life. But that was why I was so committed to being a part of making that happen.

“A lot of the motivation for us in Wales was about what it could act as a platform for afterwards. And that has been affected by the Covid crisis, because a lot of the legacy work we were doing was unable to move forward in the way we’d hoped because of all the restrictions. But what I learned and discovered during that period has made a massive difference to me and the work I’m doing around homelessness.

“The relationships we developed through that time with support service organisations, the people I met and the insights I got into what people are struggling with and what would help were invaluable. It’s been a huge thing for me. I’m still paying for it. So that still affects my life as well, obviously, and things that I’m doing.

“But my acting work is there to support the other stuff. I’m putting money into things constantly, even though I still owe money to do with the Homeless World Cup. So until the time comes when I’m not able to earn money in the same way, then I’ll keep on spending it on the things that matter to me.”

[tallmanbusiness]

Innovation rarely happens in secret. The forces of disruption are as clear as day if you know where to look.

Read time: approx. 4 mins and 24 seconds, ish.

For several years now, corporates have become increasingly obsessed with “disruption”.

Rather than viewing this as an era of unprecedented opportunity for entrepreneurialism and innovation, from a corporate perspective, there is a real risk that this time will be indelibly remembered as era of uncertainty, anxiety, and vulnerability. Perhaps those corporate fears are legitimate. It is increasingly evident that:

Long established business models are being rewritten.

New technologies are creating new ways of doing things.

Buyer behaviour has transformed to such an extent it will never revert.

The pace of change is quickening.

Each new technology distances us further from ‘the good-old-days’. There is no going back. Once we embrace the benefits that new technology delivers, it is impossible to un-technology ourselves.

If you work for an incumbent corporate, it is likely that the environment and culture in which you work is probably more preoccupied with fear than it is energised with excitement about the new opportunities present.

I think that the word ‘disruption’ has become over-used and often inaccurately. I’ve asked corporate employees what they actually mean by it and interestingly what they really mean is:

Uncertainty

Unpredictability

Destabilisation

. . . which when combined are genuinely disruptive. However, when tackled individually, these challenges are perhaps more easily managed, mitigated, and avoided than commonly perceived.

For those with an entrepreneurial mindset, disruption represents positive opportunity.

My point is, innovation rarely happens in secret.

Innovation is eminently predictable.

And therefore, anything that is forecast-able, ought not to be too destabilising or disruptive. That it should be possible to prepare; to counter; to pre-empt.

Some forms of disruption are shockingly unpredictable – Covid-19 being perhaps the best example – few of us saw it coming.

Pandemics are genuinely disruptive. Innovation needn’t be.

Most competitor disruption is signposted way in advance of it hitting the market. I am immersed in the innovation eco-system. From my perspective, there are really only three sources of innovation:

Scientists who are compelled to publish;

Corporates that are compelled to patent;

Start-ups who need to raise funds.

Pretty much every innovation I see can be categorised into one of these three categories of origin. Each of these sources effectively broadcast the direction of travel and highlight the innovation that is coming down the track. For example, most investors I know have a good feel for what innovation is happening simply by virtue of the unsolicited investment proposals that they receive from start-ups.

I strongly believe innovation is rarely unpredictable and therefore it should rarely be destabilizing.

Most manufacturing corporates can see exactly what their nearest competitor is thinking simply by reading their patent applications.

Corporates often fear being disrupted by young start-ups that don’t play by the old rules. Yes start-ups can be disruptive, but the majority don’t survive and even those that do, usually take many years before they generate multi-million pound revenues. And in recent years we’ve witnessed an explosion in the number of Knowledge Intensive ventures, which typically take years to complete their research and development – life-sciences especially so. The start-up eco-system is completely open (and in my experience, very friendly) – anyone can choose to play in it if they wish. What start-ups need most, is fast-track route to market, a need which corporates are uniquely placed to serve if they are willing to collaborate.

What this demonstrates is, innovation need not be disruptive if you look. The challenge is whether or not you are looking in the right places. Most corporates really only look at their peers. The problem with that is that if you look at the hard data, industry incumbents are the least likely to cause disruption. The most disruptive forces no longer come from the usual suspects. The game-changers in the automotive industry are not the incumbent manufacturers – the game changers are Tesla; environmentalism; and now Covid.

Another example is incumbent UK national supermarkets which are being disrupted most by agile discounters like Aldi and Lidl who have radically reduced the volume of lines stocked and in doing so have also re-engineered the economics too.

But perhaps the biggest potential disruptor to supermarkets is going to be Amazon, a company that has singularly out-innovated and out-performed almost everyone. While Amazon’s pursuit of innovation and its progress have been relentless, I am not sure that I would rank any of its innovations as being either that especially surprising or astonishingly rapid.

According to Wikipedia, Amazon opened its first grocery store in December 2016. Fast forward three and a half years to today, and Amazon now has 26 stores globally. Compared to Tesco’s 2,647 UK stores and Sainsbury’s who have over 2,300 stores, Amazon’s footprint is tiny and only growing at a modest rate of approximately one store every couple of months.

Amazon has made very public its innovation; its technology; its strategy - and it has given incumbent supermarkets three and a half years notice to prepare and respond.

In preparing for change, just how many years notice do incumbent corporates need?

And yet, due to the recent peak in demand caused by Covid, we had to change our on-line grocery provider because for more than one month they had no delivery slots available. What this painfully demonstrates is that they have not yet got their heads around the business of today, let alone how best to respond to the disruption of tomorrow.

Using this as a real-world example, it is clear to see that innovation in grocery retail is not very secret at all. To my mind, the strategic direction of travel is as clear as day - secrecy and confidentiality are not the problem. The disruption being faced by incumbent retailers is not the consequence of uncertainty, unpredictability, or destabilization.

The problem is resistance to change and attachment to legacy business models.

This situation is not unique to grocery retail, it is true to just about every industry sector that is dominated by large incumbent corporates.

Shhh. Innovation rarely happens in secret.

Corporate blindness to innovation is a legitimate issue but lack of visibility is not the real problem. My assertion is that the reason why incumbent corporates are so vulnerable to disruption is primarily driven by their resistance to change, rather than uncertainty.

[madstars-festival]

JOE DY: “GREAT IDEAS CONTINUE TO INSPIRE ME”

We are honored to welcome Joe Dy – one of the most awarded creative leaders in the Philippines – to our Final Jury at AD STARS 2020.

After joining McCann Worldgroup Philippines in 2015, Joe Dy helped steer the agency to become one of the most awarded in Asia. He’s currently channelling his talents into several yet-to-be-revealed creative ventures after stepping away from his role at McCann earlier this year to embark on a gap year. 

An inductee to the Philippine Creative Guild Hall of Fame, Dy has a shelf crammed full of awards from Cannes, Clio, AD STARS, LIA, ADFEST – to name a few - as well as being a certified barista, a comic book geek, and a former sportswriter. We are delighted that he will be joining our Final Jury this year.

In life before McCann, Dy worked everywhere from BBDO Guerrero to JWT Shanghai, JWT Manila and Leo Burnett Manilla, where he first cut his teeth as a copywriter.

In times of crisis, creativity can help to bring people together. Are there any inspiring projects taking place in the Philippines to help with COVID-19?

Innovation is always welcome but given the complicated mix of challenges with which the Philippine population struggles, I’m finding more inspiration and more value in ingenuity over innovation during these difficult times.

Whether it’s mobile wet markets being brought to the slums, or repurposing those big water dispenser jugs and turning them into face protectors, or food services repurposing their inventory into selling DIY fast food and deconstructed meals, there are countless examples of ingenuity being displayed not just by creatives but by people whose only objective is to survive. We’re all working on the same brief, the same problem, and all around us are reminders that there are many ways to attack it.  

And each one is really reminding us that creativity will always be essential to problem solving.

Meanwhile, with a lot of brands having preached social good over the past decade, now is the time for them to put their money where their press releases are. I think when this is all over, we will remember which brands walked the walk, and which ones are all talk. This is a time for brands to prove which among them we can genuinely trust.

Do you think this pandemic will change consumer spending habits long-term?

Specific to the Philippines, the penetration of e-commerce and cashless transactions had been slower than the rest of the world. An affinity towards cash and a distrust towards digital security have long stood as key barriers. But with more people forced to adjust to the so-called new normal, we are finally learning to trust these digital ecosystems.

Perhaps more importantly, with more households embracing these new ways of dealing business emerging, we’re also rediscovering the value of earning a consumer’s trust. Brand loyalty may be an archaic notion but these days every transaction, every touchpoint, every brand experience is the consumer entrusting you to take care of them. To keep them safe and secure. Brands will do well to recognize the importance, and fragility, of that trust.

You joined McCann in 2015 and since then it has become one of the most awarded agencies in Asia Pacific. What were the creative/leadership strategies that led to this success?

I’ve always believed that key to creative success is having a strong genuinely creative culture. An environment where passion is nurtured and bravery is encouraged.

We all know that several elements go into making great work happen; strategy, ideation, crafting, selling, production. So many moving parts, so many minds and many voices, all held together by trust. With a team of great people whom you trust, you just need to get out of the way.

A culture of trust lets everyone on your team feel they can share any idea, be honest with feedback and that their POV will be taken seriously. Trust makes it clear to everyone that you are all interested in shared success as opposed to personal agendas.  

This also allows me to be tough on the work. I’m able to push them further and guide the work towards the desired standards, because they know that I have their best interests at heart. That they can trust me to take care of the idea.

Great work takes great trust.

You’ve received countless accolades, but your ‘Lives’ campaign for Fully Booked is especially renowned. Do you enjoy writing for radio? Can you remember how this concept came about?

I actually cut my teeth doing radio ads for a retail store back when I was a junior writer in Leo Burnett and it remains close to my heart. One of my earliest mentors taught me that radio may be a tough medium, but it’s what separates the hacks from the real writers. It really tests one’s ability to paint images, create experiences and persuade minds with just words.

Fully Booked is one of the biggest book chains in the Philippines and has a large inventory of literary classics in all its branches. When “Lives" first came about, we were trying to come up with a way to communicate how reading a book is like living another person’s life.

We observed that one life is measured with age, and the other with page numbers. Once we arrived at the idea of twisting every page number into a character’s age, we knew we had something special.

It was one of those ideas that just excited me when it was first on the table. We knew it wasn’t going to be easy but my gut was telling me to trust the idea. Key to its success is our belief in the idea. Because it would sustain us as we wrote dozens and dozens of scripts, while testing the structure against several novels.

Working on the campaign were some of the creatives whom I trusted the most. I knew they would put the most care, effort and had the most patience to see this through to the finish line. Throughout the course of the three year campaign, we explored different genres. To arrive at the final material, we wrote for about 30 novels, multiplied by several drafts, each script meticulously crafted down to every single word choice. Among a few I remember that didn’t make the cut The Old Man And The Sea, Metamorphosis, Ready Player One and Norwegian Wood.

I remember insisting that each line needs to hit three things: It must call back to a key milestone in the novel, that each combination of numbers and situations must twist the image in your head (especially the start), and it must evoke an uneasy emotion. Then, all the lines put together must cohesively tell both the story of the novel, and a provocative story on its own.

And we were very particular with the sound design and music too. Each script was scored with much care and restraint, with just the right touch of sound effects at key moments to create that visual mystery we were trying to capture.

Over the course of the campaign we produced 9 scripts, 7 of which picked up metal. So thankfully, all that hard work ended up being well-rewarded.  

You’re currently taking a gap year… what are you working on?

Stepping away from the industry for a while will force me to test and re-channel my creative energy on other ventures, including helping out in the family business. I’m already exploring a few possible enterprises that I’ve been meaning to get into, and this has me toying with new business models and designing new product experiences.

I’m also looking to invest some time in further reinventing myself. Maybe take some courses and learn another discipline or craft. The last couple of times I took a break, I took a course in principles of entrepreneurship, learned a bit of code, and became a certified barista!

Is it true that you come from a family of entrepreneurs? What did you learn from them?

I picked up a lot from my family, especially my father, is grit, bravery and business instincts. But one value that sticks out is the importance of trust in business. Despite coming from humble beginnings, he would always stress the importance of integrity over profit. He always reminds us that it’s easier to earn back money than it is to earn back trust.

You once shared some advice for young creatives: “Choose growth over validation. Choose to be in a position that forces you to be better.” Do you still live by this mantra?

Putting that into context, I guess the question to ask one’s self is whom do you trust with your development?

With your growth as a creative and as a person. Someone who will tell you what you want to hear and that you’re great, or someone you can trust to challenge you and cares enough to make your development and welfare a personal objective as well. Someone who sincerely has your best interests at heart. That doesn’t mean validation isn’t important. But it shouldn’t be empty either.

You’ll be judging the AD STARS Awards 2020. What are you most looking forward to?

I approach judging the same way I approach being exposed to the ideas. I’m always excited and I always review every piece of work with the thought that someone believed in this piece of work enough to enter it, so I want to see what they see as well. Great ideas continue to excite me.

I still have faith in the power of a well-executed idea. These days, we are constantly told to trust the data, trust the data. While I do believe in data, I also believe that data can show you the numbers, but it’s creativity that will allow you to influence it.

Joe Dy is judging the Diverse Insights, Outdoor, PSA, Place Brand, Radio & Audio categories at AD STARS 2020, which are free to enter. Submit your work before 15th May via www.adstars.org

[woodworkingpastor]

Can I get a witness?--Romans 12:9-21--Sunday, September 6, 2020

One of the great benefits of my time at Eastern Mennonite Seminary was having the privilege to meet and study under our dean, George R. Brunk, III.  George is a spiritual giant in the Mennonite Church.  An introverted, scholarly follower of Jesus, Dean Brunk took great delight in training up the next generation of preachers and pastors, especially in the two classes he taught—Interpreting the Biblical Text and Greek Exegesis, a class where students were introduced to the wonderful nuances of the Greek text of Paul’s letter to the Galatians, work from which George’s commentary on Galatians was eventually published.

We all knew, however, that there was one particular thing that really frustrated George:  he couldn’t stand it when seminary students would apologize for sermons.  Preaching in seminary chapel can be an intimidating thing; every student knows that the faculty understand the text better than they do, and even though the faculty come as worshippers and not evaluators, the tension is real. So inevitably a student would begin their sermon with an apology.  “I was up late studying for an exam, or writing a paper, or getting a reading assignment done, and I didn’t have as much time as I wished to prepare for the sermon.  I hope you’ll extend grace to me.”

It only took a time or two of this before the inevitable would happen.  Grace from the Dean came with a lecture that I’ve come to call the George R. Brunk Rule of Preaching: “Never apologize for your sermon.  Stand there and proclaim the word as if you have something profound from God to say—because you do!”

After graduating from seminary, I moved to Patrick County to begin as pastor of New Hope Church of the Brethren. Soon after that I was elected to the Church of the Brethren General Board, where I met my friend and colleague Frank Ramirez, currently the pastor of Union Center Church of the Brethren in northern Indiana.  Frank is a fantastic writer and preacher and from him I’ve learned to modify my preaching rule to with the Frank Ramirez corollary to the George R. Brunk Rule of Preaching:  “Never apologize for your sermon…but you might want to leave the engine running in your car.”

There were no cars in 1858 when Brethren elder Samuel Garber was invited to travel from his home in Illinois to preach in a Presbyterian Church in eastern Tennessee, but for all the trouble his sermon got him into, I wonder if he might have left the engine running in his car.  The circumstances of the invitation to preach are largely lost to history; what we do know is that Brother Garber was invited to preach on Isaiah 58:6:

Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of injustice, to undo the thongs of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke?

Brother Garber gives this report on his experience:

I attended at the time appointed and found a large concourse assembled. I took the…text and delivered a discourse. I spoke of the yoke and the bondage of sin in general terms, and of temperance, justice, and judgment to come, and particularly against oppression in every shape and form. I held forth the law of love, mercy, and truth; showed that there was a time coming when every yoke of sin would be broken, intemperance banished from our sphere, oppression cease, contention, strife and wars would be at an end; love, peace, good-will, union, and fellowship would universally prevail throughout the whole earth, etc.

    About the close of my discourse, I said that among the yokes and oppressions might be named that of slavery…

As I mentioned, this was Tennessee in 1858, and it was here that Brother Garber’s troubles for preaching the Gospel began.  Another minister immediately announced that he would preach a sermon to show that Isaiah 58:6 had nothing to do with African slavery. Garber was condemned for preaching an abolitionist sermon in the presence of a master and slave, threatened with lynch law, of being tarred and feathered, and being ridden out of town on a rail.  Ultimately, he was fined $234 for an illegal sermon.

I share this rather lengthy illustration this morning neither as an apology for my sermon nor an indication that I’ve left the engine running in the car.  But it is to invite you into a conversation around how willing Brethren today are to proclaim a specific Gospel.  How willing are preachers like myself to stand on the Gospel when it leads us to culturally unpopular places?  How willing are church members to follow the Gospel to these same places, and share in the sufferings and controversies that will come when we pray “your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven”?  Brother Garber’s sermon was acceptable until he made application to the cultural hot-topic of the day—whether or not White people could own Black people.

The times in which we live

There is no question that these are challenging, uncertain times.  Many people are struggling, and there are as many kinds of struggles as there are people who are struggling.

Covid-19 brings anxiety about catching the virus and frustration with job insecurity, loneliness, and social isolation.  Both of your pastoral families have had to quarantine recently.  Your concern for us has been expressed with a more serious tone of voice than in other times we’ve been sick.

Social unrest is constantly with us in a variety of forms: Black Lives Matter; police shootings-protests-violence; child sex-trafficking; abortion; immigration; 2020 Presidential election happening in a political context that pits people against one another.  One of the funniest and saddest things I heard about the recent political conventions is that there is one thing both parties agree on: if the other guy wins, the world will probably end.

To all of that I will add the way social media—especially (but not only) Facebook—continually stirs the pot in the form of “gotcha” types of posts that assume that anyone who thinks differently is a bad American, bad Christian, or both; quotes attributed to public figures offered with minimal or no awareness of the fuller context of those quotes; outright conspiracy theories that would require the collaboration of law enforcement, both political parties and all news media in order to be true. For my purposes, there are offenders of all political persuasions in this.

To risk putting it simply, we are living in the midst of an unsustainable level of anxiety and outrage.  Like Covid-19, we don’t need to have the virus to be impacted by the virus.

Let risk a personal story. About 10 years ago I had a panic attack while telling a Cougar River story on Christmas Eve.  It was the strangest thing: I could feel it coming on, and even as I was telling the story to the congregation, I was telling myself, “Calm down.  You’re fine. You know this story backwards and forwards. There’s no reason to be anxious.” But I couldn’t do a thing in the world to stop it. Several in the congregation knew something was up when they saw how white my face became. Finally I asked the organist and music minister to lead a hymn, and I left the room.  Even though I eventually got myself under control, the whole thing was terribly embarrassing.

About six months later I spoke about this with a friend who is a psychiatrist and asked him what I could do if it happened again. He told me that everyone has an anxiety threshold that, when crossed, will push us into a panic attack. On that particular Christmas Eve, I was already a bit anxious (for whatever reason), and something happened that caused my anxiety to “spike” past that threshold.  

Because we can’t control the events that cause our anxiety to spike, what we have to do is lower our overall anxiety so that when the spikes come, you can recover from them.

I want to be very clear about my point this morning: How do we understand our calling to be the church in a culture that feels as if it is constantly on the verge of a panic attack? How do we lower the threshold so that when the inevitable spikes come, we are prepared to handle them in a theologically, relationally, and emotionally healthy way?

You know that I enjoy beginning the sermon before we read the Scripture—although I doubt I’ve ever waited this long.  But after all that has been said, let’s call our attention to today’s text and read Romans 12:9-21 in unison.

Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor. Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer.  Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly; do not claim to be wiser than you are. Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave room for the wrath of God; for it is written, "Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord." No, "if your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them something to drink; for by doing this you will heap burning coals on their heads." Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good

Two weeks ago I needed to be at home under quarantine, and Brother Greg graciously came and preached an excellent sermon on how Jesus calms the storms in our lives.  Of the many helpful things he said in that sermon, one particularly stood out to me:  “The presence of Jesus does not mean the absence of difficulty.”  There was literally no safer place for the disciples to be than in the very presence of Jesus, and yet the storm came anyway.

I want to riff on that statement this morning this way:  the presence of the church does not mean the absence of conflict. Where better to work these things out than in the presence of the church?  Romans 12:9 tells us specifically:

“Hate what is evil, hold fast to the good.”

Brother Garber’s 1858 sermon did just that.  What is more, it was the sermon on abolition that caused the anxiety in East Tennessee to spike almost beyond the point of no return.  Make no mistake, Brother Garber publicly took sides in the most contentious social and theological controversy of his day.  He was not neutral. He did not see it as his job to preach a generic Gospel that soothed all and offended none.  The threats of lynching had to be taken seriously.  

So how did the Brethren respond?  We might say they lived out Paul’s words in Romans 12:10:

love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor.

The Brethren of east Tennessee sent Brother Garber home and said, “We’ll pay your fine.  You’ve done your job, now let us do ours.”  Copies of The Gospel Messenger from 1859 are still available to read online.  You can read the appeals made by Brethren asking the entire denomination for financial help.

I wonder sometimes if such unity exists in the wider church today.  I watch the way that Brethren have largely divided themselves up in ways that feel like they too closely resemble the divisions of our political parties and I wonder how we would respond to a sermon and fund raising appeal like that of Brother Garber’s day.  Sometimes I see members of our congregation having conversations on important matters like these on Facebook.  Generally we behave ourselves pretty well.  But there are moments when I want to say, “Why are we not having these conversations in Sunday School, where we can open our Bibles, be honest about our opinions and how we’ve formed those opinions and have a rigorous theological discussion on what it means to follow Jesus in the presence of contentious issues?”  We are people whose theology is shaped by 2,000 years of Christian tradition and 312 years of Brethren tradition. We are not the first ones to face challenging circumstances.  As we seek knowledge and understanding, do we value our own heritage?

There’s no sense in pretending we’re neither bothered by nor discussing these matters.  Is our commitment to one another something that is stronger than our politics, or is there some part of ourselves that we’re holding back behind a filter of sorts? This is the kind of struggle that Paul knew; he planted congregations filled with people who questioned other’s theological correctness.  Still he labored to show them that the Gospel was more powerful, and had the ability to transform even the most entrenched theological position, bringing all things together in Christ.

Paul could be this way in part because he was a great believer in a stranger-centered faith that proclaimed the Gospel in the midst of evil times.  He knew that the missionary focus of the church had certain things to teach us about the Gospel. So he challenges us to

Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly; do not claim to be wiser than you are. (Romans 12:13-16).

I am convinced that part of the problem with our collective outrage is that we think we know more about other people’s situations than we really do.  It is easier to criticize someone for weeping than it is to enter into their circumstances and weep with them.  What might we learn by expanding our own set of relationships to include the sufferings and struggles of real people so that instead of having a weapon available to win a Facebook argument, we have a fuller understanding of the challenges people face, so that we might more effectively bear witness for Christ in the midst of our anxiety and outrage driven culture?

There is much more that can be said on this subject, but at some point we simply need to stop.  Two more very brief points.

First, about those rules of preaching I mentioned at the beginning.  I hope Dean Brunk would be satisfied with what I’ve said here today and not heard any hint of an apology.  As to that part about keeping the engine running in your car, well, my car keys are right here.  I’m not going anywhere, and I certainly invite further conversation.

Second, on those days when my own anxiety gets a bit higher than is helpful and I’m feeling particularly homeless in the midst of our culture, I find my soul nourished by several Christian singers.  Michael Card is one of these.  He is a masterful poet with an incredibly insightful way of proclaiming the Gospel in the midst of these times.  His song God’s Own Fool reminds us that if we are serious about following Jesus, then we had better be prepared to be misunderstood. That was Jesus’ experience, and it will be ours.

[ralphlayton]

Boosting and Deepening Engagement through Empathy in B2B Marketing

Empathy is more than a buzzword. It’s not a box to be checked, or an added finishing touch for content. If B2B marketers want to successfully engage human audiences and break free from the deluge of irrelevant messages swirling around today’s customers, empathy needs to be at the center of all strategic initiatives from start to finish.

What Does Empathy Mean in B2B Marketing?

Empathy is defined simply as the ability to understand and share the feelings of another. But I’m not sure that characterization fully does it justice in the context of modern marketing. I rather like the way Zen Media CEO Shama Hyder described empathy in the better creative teamwork guide we helped our clients at monday.com put together: “Empathy is critical. It's much more than just having an understanding of what someone else's challenges might be. Part of it is that you have to give up being a control freak. As leaders, we should really look at the big picture and ask ourselves, is this necessary? Or is this just politicking, or someone trying to make it seem like it has to be done this way because it's the way they prefer?” Shama was speaking from the perspective of a business leader trying to get on the same page as their team, but it applies just as well to marketing endeavors. The critical first step in developing empathy is disconnecting from our own ingrained perceptions and assumptions. Only then can we truly understand and support the audiences we want to reach. Too often, empathy in marketing tends to be a bit narrow and self-centered (which is contradictory to the very concept itself). We often seek to understand only the challenges and pain points that drive interest in what we’re selling. Looking beyond this scope is necessary to build strong relationships founded on trust, especially now. “What you are creating, marketing and ultimately selling is but one piece of your customer’s life as a human on Earth. One very small piece,” said Mary Beech, principal at MRB Brand Consulting and former CMO of Kate Spade, in an AMA article on empathy in marketing. “And if we aren’t keeping in mind their full journey, including their emotional, mental, social and physical needs — as well as the challenges and joys they are facing — we cannot do our jobs well.” As Brian Solis wrote at Forbes recently, the need for empathetic customer experiences is greater than ever in the age of COVID-19 disruption. People have so much going on in their lives, and are facing so many unprecedented difficulties, that a myopic brand-centric focus is all the more untenable. “Traditional marketing will no longer have the same effect moving forward,” he argues. “If anything, it will negatively affect customer relationships rather than enhance them.” Agreed. So, let’s find a better way.

Engaging with True Empathy in the New Era of Marketing

Imagine if it was possible to sit down and have an in-depth conversation with each one of your customers and potential customers. You’d gain first-hand insight into their worldviews, their challenges, their hopes and dreams. Sadly, it’s not possible. You don’t have the time, nor do your customers. (Although I do recommend making a habit of engaging in direct, candid conversations with them when possible.) To make empathy scalable, marketers need to take advantage of all the tools at their disposal. This largely requires using data to connect the dots. “It’s critical for marketers to have a real-time 360 view and understanding of a customer’s full journey, at every stage, from discovery to engagement to retention and loyalty to advocacy,” Solis wrote at Forbes. Here are some suggestions for obtaining such a view: Use empathy-mapping. This practice, explained in a helpful primer from Nielsen Norman Group, involves creating a visualization of attitudes and behaviors to guide decision-making. Empathy-mapping originated in the world of UX design, but given how much user experience and customer experience now overlap, it’s becoming a powerful tool for marketers.

(Source: Nielsen Norman Group)

Coordinate and integrate your organizational efforts. Every customer-facing function in a company — marketing, sales, customer service — sees the customer from a different perspective. Seek ways to bring all these perspectives together into one centralized, holistic view. Per Solis: “Cross-functional collaboration is a mandate. As such, integration will become the new standard and will quickly become table stakes as every company rushes in this direction.” Tap into meaningful influencer relationships. Influencers can play a key role in empathetic marketing because they have relationships and perspectives extending beyond our brand ecosystems. If they align with your audience, influencers can bring unique insight and connect at deeper levels. Turning influencer engagements from mechanical to meaningful is essential to accomplishing this. Incidentally, Mr. Solis recently partnered with TopRank Marketing on the first-ever State of B2B Influencer Marketing report, in which our friend Ann Handley summarizes the impact quite well: “You could call yourself a good parent or a world-class marketer or an empathetic friend ... but any of those things would carry more weight coming from your child, customer, or BFF. So it is with integrating influencer content: It's a direct line to building trust and customer confidence.” Research and engage with topics that matter to your customers outside of their jobs. Given the connotations of B2B, it’s all too easy to isolate our customer research around what they do professionally. But these are human beings with lives outside of work. To drive powerful engagement, marketers should search for the cross-sections between their brand’s purpose and values, and what matters to their customers. A good example of this is found in the IBM THINK Blog, which is “dedicated to chronicling the fast-moving world of cognitive computing” and covers many important societal topics. (Recent focuses include a post on gender pronouns and a corporate environmental report.)

Examples of Empathetic B2B Marketing

Who’s getting it right and paving the way for a more empathy-driven approach to engaging B2B audiences? Here are a few examples:

My post on seven B2B brands that talk to consumers, not companies highlights several instances of an authentic and relatable human tone shining through.

It goes without saying that the video-conferencing service Zoom stumbled into a massive business opportunity with the dramatic pivot to remote work this year. The company could simply try to cash in and maximize that opportunity, but instead, they’re doubling down on building trust. Zoom’s CEO Eric S. Yuan recently wrote about his roots in China in articulating his organization’s support for this embattled region of the world, noting that Zoom is providing expanded features for free accounts and offering accessible resources and education. He also made the company’s tools free to K-12 schools (a potentially lucrative customer base) in March.

Seeing human faces brings an instantly relatable element to any B2B campaign. That’s why Microsoft’s Story Labs microsite, which frames some of the company’s initiatives and guiding principles around real people and their stories, is so effective.

Let Empathy Guide Your B2B Marketing Strategy

In order to walk in someone else’s shoes, you first need to untie and remove your own. Making empathy a core strategic pillar requires marketers to take a step back, disconnect from their ingrained perceptions and assumptions, and get fully in tune with the people they serve. Only then can we create the type of relevant and personalized experiences that drive deep and long-lasting brand engagement. For more tips that will help your business-oriented content strike notes of genuine empathy, read Josh Nite’s blog post on 5 Ways to Humanize B2B Marketing.  

The post Boosting and Deepening Engagement through Empathy in B2B Marketing appeared first on Online Marketing Blog - TopRank®.

Boosting and Deepening Engagement through Empathy in B2B Marketing published first on yhttps://improfitninja.blogspot.com/

[samuelpboswell]

Boosting and Deepening Engagement through Empathy in B2B Marketing

Empathy is more than a buzzword. It’s not a box to be checked, or an added finishing touch for content. If B2B marketers want to successfully engage human audiences and break free from the deluge of irrelevant messages swirling around today’s customers, empathy needs to be at the center of all strategic initiatives from start to finish.

What Does Empathy Mean in B2B Marketing?

Empathy is defined simply as the ability to understand and share the feelings of another. But I’m not sure that characterization fully does it justice in the context of modern marketing. I rather like the way Zen Media CEO Shama Hyder described empathy in the better creative teamwork guide we helped our clients at monday.com put together: “Empathy is critical. It's much more than just having an understanding of what someone else's challenges might be. Part of it is that you have to give up being a control freak. As leaders, we should really look at the big picture and ask ourselves, is this necessary? Or is this just politicking, or someone trying to make it seem like it has to be done this way because it's the way they prefer?” Shama was speaking from the perspective of a business leader trying to get on the same page as their team, but it applies just as well to marketing endeavors. The critical first step in developing empathy is disconnecting from our own ingrained perceptions and assumptions. Only then can we truly understand and support the audiences we want to reach. Too often, empathy in marketing tends to be a bit narrow and self-centered (which is contradictory to the very concept itself). We often seek to understand only the challenges and pain points that drive interest in what we’re selling. Looking beyond this scope is necessary to build strong relationships founded on trust, especially now. “What you are creating, marketing and ultimately selling is but one piece of your customer’s life as a human on Earth. One very small piece,” said Mary Beech, principal at MRB Brand Consulting and former CMO of Kate Spade, in an AMA article on empathy in marketing. “And if we aren’t keeping in mind their full journey, including their emotional, mental, social and physical needs — as well as the challenges and joys they are facing — we cannot do our jobs well.” As Brian Solis wrote at Forbes recently, the need for empathetic customer experiences is greater than ever in the age of COVID-19 disruption. People have so much going on in their lives, and are facing so many unprecedented difficulties, that a myopic brand-centric focus is all the more untenable. “Traditional marketing will no longer have the same effect moving forward,” he argues. “If anything, it will negatively affect customer relationships rather than enhance them.” Agreed. So, let’s find a better way.

Engaging with True Empathy in the New Era of Marketing

Imagine if it was possible to sit down and have an in-depth conversation with each one of your customers and potential customers. You’d gain first-hand insight into their worldviews, their challenges, their hopes and dreams. Sadly, it’s not possible. You don’t have the time, nor do your customers. (Although I do recommend making a habit of engaging in direct, candid conversations with them when possible.) To make empathy scalable, marketers need to take advantage of all the tools at their disposal. This largely requires using data to connect the dots. “It’s critical for marketers to have a real-time 360 view and understanding of a customer’s full journey, at every stage, from discovery to engagement to retention and loyalty to advocacy,” Solis wrote at Forbes. Here are some suggestions for obtaining such a view: Use empathy-mapping. This practice, explained in a helpful primer from Nielsen Norman Group, involves creating a visualization of attitudes and behaviors to guide decision-making. Empathy-mapping originated in the world of UX design, but given how much user experience and customer experience now overlap, it’s becoming a powerful tool for marketers.

(Source: Nielsen Norman Group)

Coordinate and integrate your organizational efforts. Every customer-facing function in a company — marketing, sales, customer service — sees the customer from a different perspective. Seek ways to bring all these perspectives together into one centralized, holistic view. Per Solis: “Cross-functional collaboration is a mandate. As such, integration will become the new standard and will quickly become table stakes as every company rushes in this direction.” Tap into meaningful influencer relationships. Influencers can play a key role in empathetic marketing because they have relationships and perspectives extending beyond our brand ecosystems. If they align with your audience, influencers can bring unique insight and connect at deeper levels. Turning influencer engagements from mechanical to meaningful is essential to accomplishing this. Incidentally, Mr. Solis recently partnered with TopRank Marketing on the first-ever State of B2B Influencer Marketing report, in which our friend Ann Handley summarizes the impact quite well: “You could call yourself a good parent or a world-class marketer or an empathetic friend ... but any of those things would carry more weight coming from your child, customer, or BFF. So it is with integrating influencer content: It's a direct line to building trust and customer confidence.” Research and engage with topics that matter to your customers outside of their jobs. Given the connotations of B2B, it’s all too easy to isolate our customer research around what they do professionally. But these are human beings with lives outside of work. To drive powerful engagement, marketers should search for the cross-sections between their brand’s purpose and values, and what matters to their customers. A good example of this is found in the IBM THINK Blog, which is “dedicated to chronicling the fast-moving world of cognitive computing” and covers many important societal topics. (Recent focuses include a post on gender pronouns and a corporate environmental report.)

Examples of Empathetic B2B Marketing

Who’s getting it right and paving the way for a more empathy-driven approach to engaging B2B audiences? Here are a few examples:

My post on seven B2B brands that talk to consumers, not companies highlights several instances of an authentic and relatable human tone shining through.

It goes without saying that the video-conferencing service Zoom stumbled into a massive business opportunity with the dramatic pivot to remote work this year. The company could simply try to cash in and maximize that opportunity, but instead, they’re doubling down on building trust. Zoom’s CEO Eric S. Yuan recently wrote about his roots in China in articulating his organization’s support for this embattled region of the world, noting that Zoom is providing expanded features for free accounts and offering accessible resources and education. He also made the company’s tools free to K-12 schools (a potentially lucrative customer base) in March.

Seeing human faces brings an instantly relatable element to any B2B campaign. That’s why Microsoft’s Story Labs microsite, which frames some of the company’s initiatives and guiding principles around real people and their stories, is so effective.

Let Empathy Guide Your B2B Marketing Strategy

In order to walk in someone else’s shoes, you first need to untie and remove your own. Making empathy a core strategic pillar requires marketers to take a step back, disconnect from their ingrained perceptions and assumptions, and get fully in tune with the people they serve. Only then can we create the type of relevant and personalized experiences that drive deep and long-lasting brand engagement. For more tips that will help your business-oriented content strike notes of genuine empathy, read Josh Nite’s blog post on 5 Ways to Humanize B2B Marketing.  

The post Boosting and Deepening Engagement through Empathy in B2B Marketing appeared first on Online Marketing Blog - TopRank®.

from The SEO Advantages https://www.toprankblog.com/2020/07/boosting-and-deepening-engagement-through-empathy-in-b2b-marketing/

[phgq]

Duterte’s 5th SONA draws mixed reactions from Senate members

#PHnews: Duterte’s 5th SONA draws mixed reactions from Senate members

MANILA – Several senators on Tuesday welcomed and expressed various views on President Rodrigo Duterte’s fifth State of the Nation Address (SONA) which he delivered Monday at the Batasang Pambansa Complex in Quezon City.

Senator Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go said Duterte delivered an “inspiring” SONA that articulated the government’s plans, goals and vision for a better future for Filipinos despite the challenges the country is facing brought about by the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic.

“The President was able to clearly lay down measures in his speech that will strengthen the fight against the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, address the immediate needs of the people to overcome the hardships, and sustain the gains of the administration in fulfilling its promise of a comfortable life for all,” said Go, the chair of the Senate Committee on Health.

Duterte, he said, emphasized how important it is for Filipinos to stay united in the spirit of “bayanihan” (cooperation) and “malasakit sa kapwa tao” (concern for fellowmen) “in order for us to achieve our goals and lead our country towards a ‘better normal’ and better quality of life despite the challenges that we are currently facing”.

Meanwhile, Senator Sherwin Gatchalian welcomed Duterte’s directives on various measures to push forward the economic recovery, saying the economic agenda set by Duterte is “quite comprehensive”.

“It is embodied in the Bayanihan to Recover as One Act (Bayanihan 2) which is supported and certified as urgent by the President. The Bayanihan 2 will supplement funds for recovery and response against the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic,” he said.

The vice-chairman of the Senate Committee on Economic Affairs agreed with Duterte’s key economic legislative measures: the Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises or CREATE Act, which cuts the corporate income tax to 25 percent from the current 30 percent; and the Financial Institutions Strategic Transfer or FIST Act that will assist banks and other financial institutions in managing their non-performing assets (NPAs).

He also commended the President's support for the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) by providing capitalization for their business operations, and for providing loans and assisting displaced Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) in entrepreneurship projects.

"The real challenge, however, is operationalizing these plans. Putting all of these into action at the least possible time is the most essential objective that we need to accomplish now. The people need to see these implemented as fast as the government can," Gatchalian said.

Gatchalian urged his fellow lawmakers to set aside politics for the immediate passage of the measures endorsed by the President.

With Covid-19 infecting more than 80,000 Filipinos now, Gatchalian emphasized that this is the best opportune time for everyone to set aside political differences and work towards a common goal which is beneficial to all Filipinos.

On the other hand, Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto believed that Duterte’s penultimate SONA was not re-assuring, hopeful, and allegedly divisive.

He said that while he supports the Bayanihan 2 and agrees with investments in agriculture, the President failed to give much detail on how to win the war against the pandemic.

“I think the President economized in spelling out his anti-pandemic program, which is what Filipinos were expecting to hear more from him. He could have made it detailed and nuanced, in a language that is comforting, assuring and emphatic,” he said.

Recto said Duterte should have also given marching orders to his men, especially those who are lagging behind in delivering programs to the people.

“Oftentimes, excellent visions are canceled by poor execution. In this regard, Cabinet or sub-Cabinet changes should be explored, so that promises made can be fulfilled. In the battle for national survival, we need the best men up the front,” he said.

But for Senator Imee Marcos, hammering up an elaborate and all- encompassing economic plan is up to lawmakers and the country’s economic managers, not the President.

“To me however, it is our job, both the economic managers and the legislature, to hammer together the details of effective social protection, genuine healthcare modernization and quick and universal economic recovery,” she said.

Marcos said Duterte declared in his SONA the government’s readiness to lead the way out of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“In every crisis there is indeed an opportunity - and the opportunity for launching at last a truly transformational agenda is here. To be rid of corruption in government, of crime, and most of all the stranglehold of an ancient oligarchy. We have heard his clarion call, let’s get to work and save our country,” Marcos said.

Death Penalty

Marcos also expressed support to Duterte’s call for the reimposition of the death penalty for drug-related heinous crimes and capital offenses.

“I'm for the death penalty because the nature of the time has changed... Today, what we see in the international landscape are vast syndicates of multi-national corporations involved in drugs, terrorism, gun-running, human trafficking, and it's very obvious that their tentacles extend from the police, the justice system, and even narco-politicians, so kailangan ang (we need) death penalty as a deterrent,” she said.

She appealed to her colleagues, especially to those who oppose the death penalty, to at least start the debates and hear all sides of the arguments.

“That's the only time that we can judge. To hear everyone and everything. That's the only time we can make a fair judgment. If we continue to keep it in the back burner and refuse to hear it, I think we will not be doing our jobs,” Marcos said.

Senator Panfilo Lacson said he also supports the reimposition of the death penalty as a deterrent to crime.

“Having served as a law enforcer in my previous life I have good enough basis to believe that the reimposition of the death penalty is a deterrent to crime and an encouragement for victims to come forward and seek justice. Just like the Anti- Terrorism Act of 2020, timing is of no moment when we are dealing with heinous crimes and crimes against humanity,” the former chief of the Philippine National Police said.

Another former PNP chief-turned lawmaker also voiced his support for the death penalty.

“I am happy that he (Duterte) appealed to Congress for the passage of the death penalty law for drug trafficking because my death penalty bill has been languishing at the referred committee for one year already without actions taken,” Senator Ronald Dela Rosa said. (PNA)

***

References:

* Philippine News Agency. "Duterte’s 5th SONA draws mixed reactions from Senate members." Philippine News Agency. https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1110359 (accessed July 29, 2020 at 01:55AM UTC+14).

* Philippine News Agency. "Duterte’s 5th SONA draws mixed reactions from Senate members." Archive Today. https://archive.ph/?run=1&url=https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1110359 (archived).

[lilaniem]

A Letter to 2020:

Dear 2020,

It’s easy to say that describing you as eventful would be an understatement. We’re only halfway through your year and you have been one hell of a ride. I never would have imagined that this was how the start of the new decade would occur. I’m sure everyone in the whole world has experienced an overwhelming amount of emotion in regard to all the chaos that you’ve stirred within these six months. 2020, it genuinely feels like we’re caught in some crazy action movie. If your intention for the year was to “make your mark,” I’ll give you kudos because I’m one hundred percent sure you will go down in the history books. There is even a high possibility that someone in the future will make a movie about you. It would be so cool to say “woah I lived through that!” Honestly, this whole experience has been so surreal. 

As a graduating student of the Class of 2020, I’ve got to say that I haven’t been very fond of what you planned for this year so far. You stripped away all my plans of spending my last few months of high school like a normal graduating student should’ve. You took away what would've been some of the most memorable events a teenager has dreamt about. For some, it could be dressing up and going to prom, or enjoying the little time they have left with their friends before splitting up and adventuring into the real world; but, I’m sure for many, the dream was to finally  walk across that stage and bid farewell to the cramped hallways, messy lockers, and school we’ve called home for the past 4 years. Seriously 2020, why did you have to turn the world upside down this year? I’ve waited 4 years of my high school career to finally have a spare class and I wasn’t even able to take advantage of getting to leave school early since you cut my second semester short! This was also supposed to be my easier semester! The idea that I’d be able to spend more time with my friends was what powered me through the countless nights I spent studying for the chemistry, biology, advanced functions AND philosophy tests I’d sometimes have on the same day during first semester. I’m sure you understand my frustration towards this bump in the road. It feels like all my expectations and high hopes have been thrown down the drain.

2020, I don’t even think you realized how important of a year you are to me. Ever since I entered Grade 12, I’ve become very anxious about the future. This year I’ll be going into university and I’m pretty scared about it. I’m a first-generation student from Canada so my journey to university is a little confusing since my parents are also new to this whole experience. I’m still unsure of the path I want to take which is nerve-wracking since it feels like everyone my age seems to actually have direction in their lives. It also sucks that the first semester of many universities will be held online. This makes it 100 times harder to make friends in my opinion which I’m nervous about. In some ways, I’m grateful for the fact that the world has “slowed down” this year because it gives me a bit more time to calm down and plan things out. 

You started the year with wildfires in Australia and the rumours of “World War III.” 2020, you filled many of the students and teachers of Ontario with the worry of strikes and broke our hearts with the death of Kobe Bryant. To the world, you brought Covid-19 and forced us to stop and slow down. These past few months spent social distancing have been boring but it also went by surprisingly quick. 

Fast forward to what is going on now, change is happening and it’s thanks to you. After the murder of George Floyd, millions of people across the globe have spoken out and fought against social injustice. I truly stand by the idea that 2020 is a year devoted to change. Since many of us are at home and have more time to spend on social media, it has forced us to see the world and all its negativity. It has allowed us to realize that things aren’t right and they need to change. At times, the information overload can be heartbreaking and weigh you down but it’s our reality and we have to face it. I can admit that sometimes I wish we could go back to the time when everything was “normal” but I now realize that we’re living through a key step forward in the battle to abolish hundreds of years of racism. The things we’ve learned this past month will be integrated into a “new normal.” In this age of technology, resources to strengthen our knowledge are within close reach which I’m grateful for. We can make change through a tap of our fingers. Change is literally in our hands.

Despite the fact that I’ve pretty much only complained about how much of a rollercoaster you've been, I can admit that you have opened my eyes to many new things. I’ve learned to appreciate the early mornings on the bus to school, the breakfast bagels from the cafeteria and the battle I have with myself everyday to stay awake in my last period. Ever since we’ve been told to follow social distancing requirements, being stuck at home has made me really miss being in school where I can talk to my friends and actually learn new things with teachers face to face. I also realized that learning calculus through a computer screen is definitely not my thing. Sadly, it seems like I will have to continue putting up with this new way of learning. I miss going outside in general. The weather has gotten nice so it makes it 10 times more agonizing since I should be outside enjoying the sun. In short, you’ve taught me to appreciate my life. 

I also want to thank you for giving me time to care for myself. These past few months have been an endless excuse for self care days. I started baking and painting which is something I never usually have time to do. I’ve watched a ton of cool movies and shows. I’ve also become more organized. The routine of checking emails frequently and handing in online assignments on time has helped me manage my time well. 

 It is clear to say that I still have very mixed emotions about you. There have been both pros and cons to your coming but this is the new life we are all living. It is what it is. Humans are resilient beings and I’m truly blessed to have survived through these past few months under your rein. 2020, I don’t know what other crazy plans you have in store for the rest of the year but to be quite frank, please take a chill pill, dude. I think it would benefit you and the rest of the world. Either way I hope I’ll be able to keep up with you as I continue on with the rest of your year. Please be good to me as I enter university and please be good to the rest of the world. Give your older sister, 2019, my best regards. I miss her dearly. Talk to you soon!

                                                                       Sincerely,

                                                                               Lilanie M.

[kuwaiti-kid]

Exclusive: Ian Guerin Talks R&B and Dream Dinner Guests

Singer-Songwriter Ian Guerin is making a name for himself in R&B. 

Mexican R&B/Pop rising superstar, Ian Guerin, is a force to be reckoned in the industry. Guerin has been writing and performing since he was nine-years-old and he burst into the music charts with his first pop album MADSEXY in 2012 before transitioning into R&B with his new album Irreplaceable which was released in 2019.

Since 2014, Guerin has won 9 BEAT 100 Awards in the United Kingdom and an Akademia Award for Best R&B Soul Song in the United States for his single “Cry”. He’s topped the BEAT 100 United Kingdom World Chart three times with his singles “Pop This Jam,” “Free Time,” and “Roll the Dice”. 

Ian Guerin recently discussed his musical career with Your Money Geek’s own Maggie Lovitt. 

Maggie Lovitt (ML):  You have been writing and performing since you were nine. What first inspired you?

Ian Guerin (IG): The need to vent. I’ve always been very sensitive so I hurt harder than average. I found a way to quiet those voices in my head through singing very early on and then came writing.

I remember penning my first song and feeling immediately lighter. Then, when I sang it, I felt a sense of healing—like everything was going to get better, even though nothing had really changed.

ML: Your debut album “MADSEXY” was a pop album, what inspired you to create an R&B album?

IG: R&B has always been the genre I’ve felt myself with. After I made “MADSEXY” I was satisfied with the overall result, but something felt off—I knew I needed to be and sound authentic to really thrive, so when I made “IRREPLACEABLE” I aimed to be 100% genuine. No trend-following, commercial considerations, or outside inputs about what was “best for me,” my career, or my sound. I wanted raw truths and timeless music.

I wanted to do an album I was proud of in every regard. I grew up listening to artists that had total control over their work, and who wasn’t afraid to defy the odds. We’ve all been through the downfalls of love I talk about on “IRREPLACEABLE,” but most importantly I’m proud of it all as a body of work. People feel the words and the music because they’re free of false pretenses. “IRREPLACEABLE” is exactly the album I wanted to make since high school. 

ML: What was the creative inspiration behind your music videos “Roll the Dice” and “Free Time”? Did you come up with the concepts?

My sister, who is a filmmaker, is the one who’s written and directed all my videos so far.

The idea behind “Free Time” was she wanted me to walk through iconic LA streets that featured notorious murals while reminiscing on the love I’d lost. She wanted it to feel as if I was wondering and walking with no apparent direction in search of answers—when she suddenly appears to put all I’m saying in the lyrics to the test.

IG: On “Roll the Dice” the idea was that I was friends with the model and I told her the story I tell in the lyrics about being in a failed relationship and being aware she had one too. Then, in the end, we come together to talk about our situations and fall in love because of that, which isn’t exactly how the song plays out, but people have to listen to it to hear the real story.

ML: Do you feel like R&B is your niche? Do you have plans to explore other genres with your next album?

IG: It’s definitely the genre I enjoy most and the niche I’ve been more embraced by fans. I’m totally me within’ R&B; however, I don’t feel my music has ever been constrained by genres. You hear multiple styles on “IRREPLACEABLE,” because I have multiple influences. Therefore, the new music I’m readying will feature a mixture of genres like 70’s Disco, Lounge & Soul. I truly have no fear of trying new things or of crossing over as many times as I need to, as long as that doesn’t compromise my essence. Because that’s what people have become attached to.

ML: A lot of your music was clearly written about people in your life. Do you feel like love and heartbreak are easy emotions to tap into? Is that where your inspiration comes from?

IG: They are most definitely where my inspiration comes from. However, I don’t know if they are easy emotions to tap into or if it’s just that I’ve grown accustomed to tapping into them to create and release them through song. Maybe it’s hard for people who aren’t used to diving into them, but I’m very introspective so it comes naturally for me.

ML: When you get an idea for a song, are you a pen and paper writer, or do you use an app on your phone?

IG: I’m definitely a phone person. I use my voice notes app to record melodies, harmonies, or lines yet my creative process is intricate.

My demos have to sound exactly like the final recording because my producer uses them as a reference for post-production and mix. I record everything twice in full. First during the demo stage and then during the final session.

What I do is I finish the demo and then play it back till I learn it by heart. I then go to the studio and lay it down with the flow and freedom only a song you know off pat has. 

I don’t read off the paper during the final session—reading distracts you from feeling. You have to have everything encrypted in your mind so you can feel it in your heart, that’s what sets the greats aside from the average. They don’t focus on doing it right, they focus(ed) on expressing it naturally.

ML: How did you react when you got your first #1? Who was the first person you called?

IG: I literally jumped and did a celebration dance. I didn’t call anybody, because it was 4 AM. I remember posting the chart on Facebook so my fans were the first to know; I told my mom and dad first thing the next morning.

ML: In recent years the music industry has really been evolving, especially when it comes to musicians owning their own music. How important is it for you to have control over what you create?

IG: It is pivotal. In fact, I have a lot of reservations about releasing music I don’t own 100%.

I know master ownership is a make or break; thus, I only take on projects I don’t control when I’m really invested in them. Plus total control over your work guarantees the preservation of your quality standards. I don’t imagine a world in which someone tells me the kind of artist, musician, or songwriter I have to be to succeed. I know who I am and where I’m going; hence, I like to have the final word on everything that’s released in my name to get there. Again, that’s how the greats did and continue doing it. I think it’s the only way to create a legacy.

ML: Do you have any advice for aspiring performers? Is there anything you wish you had known when you first broke into the industry?

IG: I wish I’d known how long and how hard it would be to make it to those first relevant steps of the staircase. Therefore, my advice to them is: don’t waste time on wishful thinking, get to work. Listen only to the advice of people you respect. Don’t listen to people who tell you you need a backup plan. Stick to your artistic essence. Don’t try to be anybody but yourself. Everybody else is taken. There can only be one you so know yourself and your music well and take a leap.

ML: With COVID-19 turning everyone to social media, do you have any plans to do a live concert on your Instagram or special jam sessions?

IG: I did a jam session for fans in Australia with incredible performers from down under and the U.K.—I’m doing a second date on May 9th. I’m also planning a show on Instagram and another on Facebook in association with other performers. Plus I got word about the possibility of performing in support of gay homeless kids of America so I’m absolutely looking forward to that. Whatever I can do to help I’m open to doing.

ML: How have you been handling quarantine? Have you been working on new music? 

IG: I’ve kept myself pretty busy. I’ve had a lot of interviews and meetings about different projects and collaborations. I’ve got over 6 collaborations pending or in the works and I’ve also been working on my new single which will be out the minute this is over.

I’ve been fortunate because a busy mind is a healthy mind and days have gone fast for me. There’s this one collaboration I was invited to do that’s got my mind blown and I think fans are really going to enjoy it—I don’t think they’ve heard me like this before.

ML: Are there any artists you would love to collaborate with?

IG: Yes, in the independent arena I’d love to work with Emma Gale. Her debut single is perfection. I’d love to sing a song of hers and this is a first for me. I usually sing my own material or offer to co-write, but when I heard her single I knew I had to keep my hands off of it and let her write it. 

Mainstream-wise it’s got to be Tony Bennett, Ariana Grande, Mariah, or Will. i. am. I’d love to sing a standard with Tony and I’ve written songs I’d love to have Ari, MC, and Will on—they’re four different projects.

ML: Do you have any big dreams you’re trying to manifest into reality?

IG: Yes, I always do. I totally believe we are energy, and that we can hold in our hands whatever we see in our minds. Nonetheless, I wouldn’t like to discuss them, because I don’t want energy to dilute, as my mother puts it. I can tell you this: my heart is open for business and I’m ready to take the world by storm. I need these dreams to materialize so I can have a voice that can really make a change.

ML: You’re having dinner, who are the five people you’re inviting. They can be dead, alive, or fictional.

IG: Ariana Grande, Jack Nicholson, Charlie Chaplin, Judy Garland, and Bojack Horseman. I can totally imagine myself walking into the room holding hands with Ariana and Bojack third-wheeling while he gets angry at Charlie, we all agree with Jack and are mesmerized by his charm and Judy and Charlie tell amazing stories about the glamourous olden days when legends were active. God that would be out of control.

ML: What’s next?

IG: First and foremost, surviving the pandemic and helping others survive it too. Then my new single, my new video and hopefully press and concert tours. I can’t wait to meet my fans in person.

Follow Ian Guerin’s Career:

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/IanGuerinVEVO Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamianguerin Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IamIanGuerin/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/iamIaNGuerin Website: http://ianguerinmusic.com/

  Check out Your Money Geek’s Interview with Paul Guerra.

The post Exclusive: Ian Guerin Talks R&B and Dream Dinner Guests appeared first on Your Money Geek.

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[johnhardinsawyer]

Encouraged to Endure

John Sawyer

Bedford Presbyterian Church

5 / 3 / 20 – Fourth Sunday of Easter

1 Peter 2:19-25

Acts 2:42-47

Psalm 23

“Encouraged to Endure”

(Easter Encouragement – Part 3)

One of my wife’s colleagues was training for the Boston Marathon this year.  Alas, the big race had to be cancelled,[1] but this determined woman plotted out 26.2 miles of local streets on her GPS, laced up her shoes, and went out and ran her own marathon, anyway.  And, all along the way, people went out – wearing masks and standing at least six feet apart – to clap and cheer and encourage her.  At one point, some of her co-workers actually stretched a piece of tape across the road for her to run through as they cheered her on.

We all need some encouragement along the way – whether we are running a real marathon or some other kind of marathon.  From the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, I’ve heard people say that this whole thing – with all of the physical distancing and other precautions that we need to take – is more of a marathon than a sprint.  And I think they’re right.  Most marathons, though, have a definite finish line.  But right now, our pandemic marathon doesn’t seem to have one.  And yet, if you were to think about the marathon of life, itself, whether our lives are long or not-so-long, you and I don’t have a definite finish line, either.

Now, I’d be willing to guess that just about all of us would prefer to go through the marathon of life with as many seasons of joy and fulfillment as we could possibly bear.  But I also know that there are seasons of life that are quite difficult – seasons that require far more endurance than we sometimes think we can muster.  In today’s two scripture readings, we catch a glimpse of the church in two different seasons – one of joy and fulfillment and one of great difficulty.  

In today’s reading from the Book of Acts, we find the disciples of Jesus having a bit of a triumph.  Simon Peter – a simple fisherman from Galilee – has just finished telling a huge crowd of people about Jesus and about three thousand of them come to be baptized.  And then, all of these wonderful things start happening:  everybody is learning, and spending time together, eating and praying together.  And they start pooling all of their belongings, selling things and giving things away to help the less fortunate.  And, as the story goes, there are also some “signs and wonders” taking place among them and people are filled with awe at what the apostles are doing.  (Acts 2:43)  This is, in a sense, a beautiful picture of what the church was at its birth and what it can be in its most pure form.  Personally, I find the image of a church that is able to gather together so poignant in this season of the church not being able to gather together.  But, whether we are together or not, the image of the church in Acts 2 is something to which we should still aspire – a perfect combination of genuine devotion, and great generosity, and signs of grace.

But, let’s fast-forward a few years in the early church’s life to a time when these same people who had been so glad and generous in Jerusalem had gone out into the known world – to tell everyone who would listen about Jesus.  Some of the people who heard this good news of the God who loved them and had conquered sin and death, came to believe.  But there were plenty who heard this news and did not believe.  Instead of believing, they turned on those who had started to follow Jesus, sometimes running their own family members out – turning them into exiles, wanderers, sojourners.  Followers of Jesus were often not welcome and often suffered persecution and violence.

This is the moment in which we find a person named Peter sitting down to write a letter to these exiles who are living through a very difficult season of life.  Just so you know, the author of the letter of 1 Peter calls himself “Peter,” but was, most likely, not Simon Peter, the disciple of Jesus.[2]  Regardless of who wrote it, though, for many of the exiles who read this letter – or heard it read – in small gatherings with other believers, Peter’s words provided some much-needed encouragement during some very dark and difficult days.

Now, before I say any more about today’s passage, which begins in 1 Peter, Chapter 2, verse 19, it is important for me to tell you what verse 18 – the verse right before today’s passage – says.  Because, this verse carries some uncomfortable and heavy historical baggage because it is all about how slaves should accept the authority of their masters.[3]  I want to acknowledge that this is one of the verses that was used by white plantation owners in the American South to justify the harsh treatment of slaves.  And, I feel I need to say that while the Bible says many things that will raise questions in our minds, to pull a verse or a passage out of context like that and to use it for spiritual abuse or use it to justify physical and emotional abuse is the height of sinfulness and shows the utmost disrespect for the Word of God.  The ultimate and overarching message of the Bible – as convoluted as that message can appear, at times – is the message of God’s great justice and love for all people.  Don’t let anyone ever tell you otherwise.

Historical accounts do tell us that slavery back in the time of 1 Peter looked a lot different from the slavery that we learn about in U.S. History class as well as the slavery that still exists in the present day,but it is clear that whatever form slavery can take, there is often great suffering.  Remember, Peter is not writing to people of great privilege, here – slave owners and the like.  He is writing to people who are on the margins of society who are all suffering because of their love for Jesus.  And, even though this passage was written in a time when slavery was an accepted practice, it can also be interpreted through the lens of any and all human suffering – whatever that might look like. . .  in the first century or in the twenty-first century.

In today’s passage, Peter knows that there are times when we suffer because of something we have done.  Even more painful than this, there are plenty of times when we will suffer even though we have tried to do all the right things.  Through it all, Peter does not tell us that suffering, itself, is good or should be celebrated, or welcomed, or deserved.  Instead, Peter acknowledges the hard truth that sometimes, suffering just happens – accidents happen, cancer happens, depression and anxiety happen, death and sorrow and pain happen. . .  pandemics happen.  And, when they do happen – when suffering happens – Peter points to Jesus as an example for what to do and how to be.

“If,” Peter writes, “you have a spiritual awareness[4] of God when you encounter suffering of any kind – especially if that suffering is the result of trying to be faithful to God – and, if you endure, or ‘bear up’ under[5] pain and persecution and difficult times – there is grace[6] for you.”[7]  Why is there grace?  Because of Jesus.

Let me try to explain. . .  There are many things that can happen when people suffer – many ways that they can respond – from lashing out in anger to protesting on city streets or state capitol buildings, from answering violence with violence to doing nothing but complaining.  Somehow, Jesus did not do any of these things. . .   and neither should we.  As Eugene Peterson translates:

This is the kind of life you’ve been invited into, the kind of life Christ lived.  He suffered everything that came his way so you would know that it could be done, and also know how to do it, step-by-step.  He never did one thing wrong, [n]ot once said anything amiss.  They called him every name in the book and he said nothing back.  He suffered in silence, content to let God set things right.  He used his servant body to carry our sins to the Cross so that we could be rid of sin, free to live the right way.  His wounds became your healing.[8]

In other words, no matter what suffering may come our way in life, the way that we truly endure is the Way of Jesus.  The only way we possibly can endure is because Jesus has shown us that it can be done in ways that are faithful and loving and sacrificial and life-giving – even in the face of death. . .  even beyond death. . .  even when the marathon of life and suffering is long and we have hit the wall and we feel all alone and don’t feel we can go another step.

This is when the voice of Jesus can be heard, saying, “Keep going!  Don’t give up!  You’ve got this!  You are not alone!  I’ve been there!  I am here, with you, now!  I am with you, always. . .  in times of gladness and generosity and miracles,and in those-valley-of-the-shadow-of-death times, when all seems lost.”

I feel I need to say here, though, that if you are in some kind of situation in which you are suffering, needlessly, that having the ability to suffer like Jesus does not mean that you should have to.  If someone is hitting you, or threatening you, or slowly killing your spirit with something that they say is love but you know – deep down – is not love, Jesus did not die so that you have to keep suffering.  Jesus came to bring abundant life – not no life at all.  So, if you are in one of those tough places – at home, or otherwise –  I want to encourage you to get out of there.  There are people who will help you.

Here, in this marathon season of global pandemic, when all we can think and pray is “How long, O Lord?”[9]  Jesus, with his very life and example, is offering us a word of encouragement to endure – and, in a spiritual way – to rise above.  I don’t know how long. . .  but one of the things that gives me an abiding and living hope is that in and through the suffering of Jesus, we are given grace upon grace – healing and wholeness of the human heart and spirit that help us to endure, whatever comes our way.  All is not lost.  We are not lost.  Jesus is our loving shepherd who, as Peter writes, is “the guardian of our souls.” (2:25)

I’ll close with this – Some friends of mine got married years ago and, like it can for many couples, their wedding planning became a real marathon of details, and heightened emotions, and families disagreeing about various things.  When it came to planning the service, one of the mothers of the happy – yet, very stressed out – couple joked that the last hymn should be “The Strife is O’er.”

Some of you might have thought it odd that today’s service began with that old hymn, “The Strife is O’er.”  I mean, this whole coronavirus thing is still going on, causing great strife in the world.  Why would we sing a song about how the strife is over when we’re still stuck in the middle of the strife?

If there is anything I want you to remember today – any way that I can encourage you, today, it is this:  no matter what marathon of strife or suffering comes our way, the love of God is stronger.  The ultimate strife is over.  God has conquered sin and death and will set all things right, in the end.  And, no matter how terrible things might be, there is always God – encouraging us.  We might not feel too encouraged at the time.  We might feel too upset or weak or in pain to go on.  But the One who endured the cross and the grave gives us hope that there will come a day when all suffering will come to an end.  Until that day – whether we see it in this life or the life that is to come – may the Spirit grant us the love and strength we need to endure.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

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[1] Because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

[2] Watson E. Mills, ed., The Mercer Dictionary of the Bible (Macon:  Mercer University Press, 1990) 677-678.  Richard A. Spencer, “Peter, Letters of.”

[3] See 1 Peter 2:18.

[4] Walter Bauer, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (Chicago:  University of Chicago Press, 1979) 786.

[5] Walter Bauer, 848.

[6] Walter Bauer, 877.

[7] 1 Peter 2:19 – Paraphrased, JHS.

[8] Eugene Peterson, The Message – Numbered Edition (Colorado Springs:  NAV Press, 2002) 1678.  1 Peter 2:21-24.

[9] See Psalm 13:1.