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Weekly Challenge: Carry Out One Inspiration

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Last week we discussed inspiring someone.  But inspiration can't do much unless you carry it out.

It's easy to get inspired, but too often it fades away in time.  We forget, we get busy, or worse we get lazy.

Following up on inspiration is a habit – and a skill – that has to be developed, maintained, and improved.  You have to make an effort, often a conscious one, to develop the ability to make ideas real.

So your goal this week is to take one piece of inspiration, either one you had recently or one you get this week – and make it real.

Write a column or a blog post.  Do that waiting piece of art.  Research that college you considered going to.  Something, anything, pick one thing this week that you're inspired to do and go and do it.

Come to think of it, maybe you could make a habit of this . . .

– Steven Savage

Sometimes, It’s The Questions

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When it comes to our careers it may seem we're always seeking answers.  We want to know where to work.  We want to know what job will fit us.  We want to answer the right questions in the interview.

Of course we want answers.  Answers tell us what we should do on the job.  Answers give us directions to take at school.  Answers comfort us in adversity – or at least let us know how bad the adversity is so we can face it.

Now of course I am all for answers, but I think it's important that we give Questions their due.

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The Two Sides Of The Geekonomy

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Those of us working in – or hoping to work in – the Geekonomy are always trying to understand it a bit better.  It's a bit of an obsession of mine, because I feel like there's "something" out there for us progeeks and profans to grasp, but I haven't fully grasped it yet.  I can get some idea of the form of the Geekonomy, but its still fuzzy.

I've said for awhile that the Geekonomy, that place where geekiness, fandom, and industry comes together, is information-driven.  Its computers and video games, anime and novels, and at least a bit self-referential as everything ties into each other.  The fangirl that writes fanfic also uses Facebook and debates publishing on Lulu.com.  The dedicated otaku uses Photoshop to do art, makes web pages, and buys manga at the bookstore.

Of course, this is leading up to a recent insight of mine.  Namely, that the Geekonomy has two sides that are intimately intertwined.

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