In my last blog I cover Marketability in relation to Finance, but after considering it I realized I was actually talking about marketability and its social impact, more specifically the ethics concerning the branding of public space. I kind of got on a tangent on the issue of control and how when anyone, specifically companies, try to control others by through any means it may harbor for the devolution of society, for it prevents the individual from being self-reliant. I kind of regret seeming so cynical, and I wanted my next blog to focus on the positives of a post-modern capitalist society and the idea that society is like a living organism and we are all working together to help each other out. Initially one might feel intimidated or fearful of entering a world that seems everyone is competing in the exact field you are, however call me naive (which is fair) but I have faith that once we are in the 'real world' we will be in the habitat of networks and support systems where people are helping each other out. You know, that story about the Chinese people in Heaven and Hell and the chopsticks and the food and stuff? Where both Heaven and Hell ended up being one large circle of people with long arms (or chopstick or something) shoulder to shoulder around a pile or delicious food? And the people in Hell were starving around this food because they were all trying to feed themselves, but the people in Heaven were happy and full because they were feeding eath other? Yeah, something like that. So what I'm saying is next class we will have a potluck and you can only feed other people. hm.
With that long introduction, I am choosing to blog on 'marketability' in relation to 'personal.' At first when pondering the idea of marketing oneself, my cynicism jumped in and I internally scoffed and thought, "just another downfall of our capitalist society dependent on the vulnerability of specialization, selling 'yourself'." But then I considered this a little more and had a more 'Danny Tanner' take on the whole thing. We've been told hundreds of times that the working world is a semi-permeable (becuase these connections don't really exist, you know, it is an idea, but maybe one of these connections are currently shaking hands, therefore: 'semi-permeable') web of networks. So what I'm saying is next class we will have a potluck, and play Red Rover.
Marketability, a measure of the ability of a security to be bought and sold, is relative to a company and its ability to sustain its existence; marketability is also relative to the individual and his or her ability to sustain their existence. I think where marketing in general has strayed from in the past few years is the sort of marketing that is boastful, dishonest, and misleading.
Examples of more honest/modest design and marketing:
+ Apple (or course)clutter-free aesthetic and 'honest' personality of Apple (except for their 'dishonest' representation of consistently prevalent dimensional and hyper-buffered floors for every damn icon and product they own)
+ Playstation- Honesty is funny, watch this ad if you haven't already, its pretty good.
+Aveda and their campaigns for social and environmental progress. Designs are simple, honest, an informative
Ok I've only given a few examples, but I do see this being a trend. But when companies are honest, they spend more time making really neat things instead of putting effort into pretending they are something they aren't. They probably were able to reach this point after being successful, for they weren't afraid to take the risk. Fear makes people do crazy things, while honesty makes people do interesting things. In the words of Stefan Sagmeister, "Everybody who's honest is interesting." and.. "Being not truthful works against me."
With 'marketability' and 'personal' I probably could have listed a bunch of resources for creating websites and networking, but I hope my message still seems relevant. What I am trying to conclude here with all this seemingly random information is this: when going into the scary real world we should fight any fear we have with confidence and honesty, not with the mindset that the world will take care of us but because of the freedom honesty gives us in creating work that can be innovative and interesting. Sure intimidation is a great motivator, but we can at least try to create a world free from superficiality.
I'm looking forward to this Red Rover potluck thing.
www.watchfullhouseepisodes.com
http://www.sagmeister.com/index.html
You have a lot going on here! I am a Danny Tanner fan, so I think the most important thing you talk about here, which I will call the "Tanner" quality is Honesty. Kouzes & Posner (1995) asked people what qualities they look for in a leader; Honesty is number one. Honesty is tied to many things: values, ethics, and integrity. In a way, I think we all strive to be leaders, and should all strive to be honest. Think about how you can be a leader... what qualities (like honesty) do you think a leader should have? Which of these qualities do you aspire to have? Perhaps those qualities, combined with honesty (and honestly being yourself) will make you more marketable.
I really think honesty, both on a personal and professional level is one of the most important qualities a person can have. No one wants to be around someone who will mislead or lie to you, and no one wants someone to just be passive not have an opinion. I would much rather have a discussion with someone who is honest and candid, rather than someone who simply agrees with everything. Even though a person who placates more and people find more agreeable may be well liked, the honest person commands respect and people will search out that person for opinions on important matters. I would rather be marketed as someone who has a respected opinion and is honest rather than someone who is easy to get along with