I’m starting a new project called Consider the Source. Here’s a brief video overview of the concept.
In short, we are losing ground. The modern media environment rewards the dumbest, loudest voices in the room. If we don’t get better at the way we consume, share, and produce media, we are going to lose battle after battle. The risk of this is great: The ideals we cherish will never be realized.
If we want to create positive change in the world, it will take strong ideas expressed with clarity and empathy. Today’s media environment perverts this process. Everything we produce, consume, and share makes up the Digital Representation of You. Are we missing the mark by using the wrong language, Web clichés, or even unwittingly – putting people off in the way we present ourselves? It’s all in the nuances and we can only solve this together.
For those of you following along on my podcast, you know I’ve been doing a lot of thinking lately about what we can do about it. I don’t have the answers, but that’s not what’s important. My role is to help catalyze the conversations that need to happen among smart, connected people like you. To be able to get better at taking strong, positive ideas and speaking them with clarity and empathy.
Guess what? That’s marketing. It won’t solve all of our issues, but it’s a key component in the solution. That’s my contention. And an area where I can (maybe) help, given my background.
OK, but what about Marketing Without the Marketing?
Marketing Without the Marketing will still continue to exist in podcast form, as it has since 2015. I will post relevant episodes here as needed, though I invite you to subscribe in your favorite podcast app.
I think of this new project as an extension of what I’ve been doing with the podcast, rather than a replacement. The podcast is really focused on small business owners, freelancers, and other creatives – those trying to build an audience around a specific business purpose.
I wanted for Consider the Source to have a broader base – to be able to deal with messaging in a more general sense. Not just in the business realm, but in standing up for progressive ideals, political movements, and other things that try to bring positive outcomes to everyone – not just those who are wealthy and connected.
It we can get our messaging right, we can do great things together. It requires digging into the nuances, sculpting our language and design, and auditing the creative process. It’s hard work, but it’s worth it.
So I expect this project to be a mix:
- Consider the Source is about speaking with clarity and empathy in media – in general.
- Marketing Without the Marketing will be a part of that, focused on respectful, ethical media strategies for small businesses in particular.
- And I will include links to live performances, selected workshops that unpack the creative process, and exclusive and early-access episodes.
My chosen platform will be Patreon for this project. My reason is simple: I want this to be a community of people who really want to take part. Otherwise it’s just spraying this all over social to no one who wants to hear from me. Or filling someone’s inbox with stuff they don’t want. That sucks. I’m tired of that dynamic and I’ll bet you are too. Be here because you want to be. And I’ll be here for you.
Social isn’t connecting us, it’s pushing us apart. It might be counterintuitive, but a tiny payment is a signal that you are committed to being a part of this. And I’ll underscore if it’s not obvious: I made it as cheap as I could ($1/mo on Patreon) so that it’s not a real impediment. People can offer more in support (thank you!), but I wanted this project to have a different flavor. I give away any of my paid courses away for free to anyone who asks – I’m not about building walls. Communities makes commitments to one another, social bonds start with mutual support.
Episode 1: Wear That Glow Like a Frown
Songwriting is a form of expression, and recordings have always been a sharable form of media. As a part of this new project, I’ll be including live performances of songs that are topically relevant. Sure, they’re not live in front of you. But they are performances recorded live in one take. No editing, just raw and human with all the little nuances and imperfections. We may not be able to be together in one room, but until then, this is as close as I can get.
You’ll see songs as they develop – and ones that get a more complete treatment with the band. This is one such song, called Wear That Glow. I’ve been working on this for a while, since I’m fascinated about how our devices are changing our personal relationships.
What you see here in the first video above is the “simple” initial version, which I submitted to the band for development a few months ago. We worked on it together via Slack and Zoom and trading files and mixes. That’s the way it works in today’s moment.
Here’s the result of our collaboration – the full band version of this song. Our treatment of it is very different, lush and soft and beautiful. Not to mention that we have each enhanced or gained new skills during quarantine.
- Dave has gotten really good at mixing and mastering (listen in headphones to see what I mean).
- Peter, our multi-instrumentalist, has now mastered Premiere in directing and creating videos.
- Aaron is an amazing singer, listen for the subtle vibrato at the end of those long-held notes.
I am lucky to be surrounded by such talent.
Personally, I love seeing the creative process of others – and I invite you to be a part of mine. I promise to try keep it from being self-serving… because well, that sucks.
- For more of my music, see: https://michaelboezi.com/music
- Here’s the band page for The Rockmores: https://therockmores.com
- Our ongoing project together is called The Social Distancing Sessions
