Category: Uncategorized

This week I’m celebrating the 11 year anniversary of my business, WeGrowMedia. Every day, I sit in this studio and work with writers and creators. It’s basically a dream come true.

Today I want to reflect what has (and hasn’t) changed for writers in a decade, my journey, what I wish I knew when I started, and what I’m thinking about for the future. Let’s dig in…

What Has Changed for Writers & Creators in a Decade

The work I do is inherently about helping people get clarity on how to effectively share what they create. It’s funny, some of that work hasn’t changed in a decade+, and some of it has.

Back in 2010, we didn’t have “the creator economy” as we have it today, social media had not yet been embraced by everyone as a normal means of communication and marketing; self-publishing was not quite as accepted as it is today; there were fewer resources to help writers and creators on their path to creating, publishing and sharing.

How do I measure progress for how things have changed? Like this: can someone who feels isolated in some way, find a viable path to writing, publishing, and sharing their novel, memoir, or work of nonfiction? This person could live in a family where creative work is eschewed, who doesn’t know anyone else who creates in their entire community, who feels crushed under the weight of responsibility in their everyday life, whose identity has always been defined by others, who never felt they had a sense of permission to create.

Can this person find a path to claim their idea. To pursue it. To connect with others who can share advice and support. Can they learn what they need to to realize that work, to find a strategy to publishing it how they see fit, and actually have it connect with a reader? To have a moment where they actually engage with someone who was moved by their work.

That is how I measure progress. Why do I say this? Not only because it is the heart of what drives my love for this work, but because I know that as a writer or creator, even amidst this progress, you face very real challenges in how you create and share.

Perhaps you feel the marketplace is oversaturated. Or you are drowning in all of the advice you receive in podcasts, blogs, articles, courses, videos, webinars, and conferences. Or you feel what you are creating is somehow “off trend.” Or you worry that since you are an introvert, you can’t share. The list goes on, and every one of these concerns is valid and serious.

But…

As I spend my days working with writers, I can’t help but feel there is more opportunity to create and share now than there has ever been before. Is the marketplace for this perfect? Nope. Are there serious challenges? Yep. Will that continue to change — to ebb and flow — for each one of us? Likely.

If you are a writer or creator wondering if you should keep going, I offer this advice from what I have experienced in the last 11 years:

Those who find success connect the deeper clarity for why they are creating, and with who they hope it connects with. Writing, publishing, and sharing your book is an amazing way to do that. It expands your voice, it connects you to like-minded creators, and helps you grow in new ways.

Each person’s creative journey is different. I grew up as the art kid, and learned this very early on. But to this day I interview writers and creators on my podcast (new season coming soon!), and am reminded of it constantly.

The question is: will you bother to go on the journey at all?

My Journey So Far

As I look back at 11 years of WeGrowMedia, I can’t help but be surprised by it all. I sit in a room all day by myself, and somehow, am able to support my family. I don’t see anyone in person. I don’t work as part of a larger organization. It’s largely just me, a phone, and an internet connection. And through that I connect with inspiring writers and creators every day, and we do the work of what it means to share what matters.

Isn’t that amazing? It is to me. I feel incredibly grateful for it.

 

11 years running a business full time has sometimes felt more like running 10,000 experiments in back-to-back succession. So many small decisions each day, like:

• “Should I do a webinar on this?”
• “Should I do an in-person event?”
• “Do I double down on one aspect of my business or another?”
• “Should I focus more on topic A or Topic B?”

Time and time again, I tried to use clarity as my guide, focusing on the writers and creators I serve, and what would help them make the most progress.

But in the last couple years, I did something very different, and I wish I had learned this lesson earlier. I focused on just one thing. I stopped offering courses, even those that I had recently developed. I ended the Mastermind group that I ran for years. Instead, I decided to focus on just one thing: The consulting work I do working directly with writers. I asked myself: how I can radically improve this process to serve my clients even better?

At the time I asked this, I had already been earning a living from this for many years, and had great feedback from clients. But I reached out to a lot of past clients to ask about their process of working with me. I heard so much feedback, and took every bit of it to heart. I challenged myself: could I help people even more? Where were the weak spots that I could strengthen? Is there a better way to provide resources and ensure they make progress quicker?

I tore the system down to it’s core and then built it back up again. It ended up being a radical shift in how my consulting process works.

I’ve gotten clearer about the work I do that I love the most and makes the biggest shift for those I collaborate with; I’ve develop a new system for how I work with people that focuses more on immediate action and results; I’ve invested in a new system in my studio to help my clients through video so they can watch me do the work we are discussing.

The results have been incredible.

I have a list of improvements to make still, and each week I add to that list. In my plans, some of them will be improvements that happen next month. But I’m also planning for ten years from now.

For the structure of my business, I’ve kept it simple and I think that has been a good move on many ways. I remember years ago I went to a barber in the town I used to live in. He was young, in his 30s, and told me that the building owner offered him the storefronts to the left or right of him to expand. His business had been doing well, and he added more hairdressers to his staff.

He declined the offer. I was incredulous: “Why?!” I asked. Something in me at the time felt that you always want to seek potential. Always grow. And here was a limited time offer, his one chance to expand. He explained that he was carving out a nice living with what he had now. But expansion meant more upfront cost in construction, more overhead in rent, utilities, the services he offered, plus the possibility of hiring new staff for the larger space. He concluded it opened him to too much risk.

I’ve seen this play out again and again with small businesses where I live. The plumbing supply store shoved into this little property, and then the lot next door goes for sale. Do they buy it? No. Because doing so disrupts the business model they spent decades working on. It offers too many unknown factors of what could go wrong.

Years ago, my brother was working as manager at big box retailer. We were having lunch one day, and he talked about a possible promotion that had opened up. “I’m not applying for it,” he said. It was a better title, more prestige, and more money. Again, I was incredulous. “Why not?!”

He explained, “It’s twice the amount of responsibility and work, for about 8% more money.” He described how his daily life would change dramatically with the more prestigious role, not only having to manage a large staff and one store as he did now, but now traveling between a region of stores, and being responsible for all of them in some way. It would take him away from his family and likely increase his stress levels exponentially.

It made total sense to me once he explained it that way.

Something I have been thinking about a lot this year is myself at age 58, ten years from now. That thought experiment has had me making a lot of changes to attend to my mental health, to change how I eat, to establish a more solid daily fitness routine, and it is also challenging me to consider what my business can look like in ten years. When my kids will be… oh gosh this is hard to write… ages 21 and 14. How can I best set myself up to support writers and creators then? How can my work become something both new, and also a consistent part of my lifelong journey?

All I can say is, I’m working on it. Thank you for being here with me these last 11 years. It just means the world to me.

-Dan

I recently asked writers what the most challenging aspect of social media is for them. I received a range of answers such as:

“I feel like I’m talking to myself.”
“I don’t feel it’s useful.”
“The more I share, the more it seems irrelevant.”
“I’m not seeing any growth.”

Today I want to focus on two main areas for how to infuse your use of social media with a sense of purpose and clarity:

1. Why many writers focus on the wrong goals for social media. (And what you should focus on!)
2. What to share on social media so that it feels authentic to who you are, and connects with others in a meaningful way.

Okay, let’s dig in…

The Purpose of Social Media.

The goal of social media is not to amass followers. I know, you may have heard that agents or publishers have said things such as “I like your book, but come back to us when you have 10,000 followers.”

But they mean is this: “Can you give me some kind of indication or proof that you can put this book into the hands of readers? Because that is difficult to do. We are going to try really hard to do so, but we have limited resources and publish a lot of books each year. Do you know what helps? If you — the person who loves this book more than anyone, who knows it inside and out, and who hopefully has a keen sense of where it fits in the lives of readers — has spent a few years developing the relationships needed to ensure this book will be released to a group of eager readers who will buy it.”

In my opinion, that is what they are really trying to say when they ask if you have 10,000 followers. It’s not about the number, it’s about the relationships it represents.

Will they really publish you if you show you have 10,000 followers? Maybe. Maybe not.

Instead, that metric is an indicator that you are a partner that can not only write a great book, but help it connect with the people who will appreciate it most.

Do you know what else they would care about just as much, or perhaps more than 10,000 Twitter followers? Some examples:

• If you speak at 30 events per year.
• If you run a business that has successfully served your market for years, so you have deep relationships to your target audience, and those influential in reaching them.
• If you are actively a part of groups and organizations that your potential readers love.
• If you show them any metric that indicates that you have considerable access to the book’s ideal readers – it could be blog, forum, a social network, in-person events, or so much else.
• If you create and share a marketing plan more thoughtful and strategic than “I’ll Tweet about my book. Then Tweet again.”

The goal of social media is not about followers. Instead, social media is about engaging with other people in a meaningful way. That works two ways: others engaging with you, and you engaging with them.

Sure, we have all noticed people online who have amassed a large following. 500,000 followers. A million. Ten million. Even more! And seeing that, it is easy to conclude: “Followers are the goal. When you have a lot of followers, you can just release something and they all buy it.”

But talked about less frequently are those who have a small but dedicated following, and find incredible success without any impressive “follower” metrics.

What is the goal of social media? Effectively learning to express what you create, why, and who you are. Engaging with others in an authentic manner around shared interests. Establishing a sense of trust in the process.

There are no rules here. It’s worth noting that whatever goals you choose for social media are those that are right for you. How can you develop those goals? Some tips:

• Consider exploring what you create and why, and how you can communicate that more frequently, and in a variety of ways. If you want help with this step, try my Clarity Cards process.
• Try new ways — each week — that you can engage with someone on social media. Don’t just focus on what you share or curate, focus on connection.
• Experiment with different ways of sharing, different channels online and off, or directly with different kinds of people (authors, readers, event organizers, etc.) More on this below.

What to Share on Social Media

I often hear from writers that they are unsure of what to share on social media. Here are some ideas to help you find a path that works for you…

Try new types of content to share. Long text, short text, selfies, videos, flat lay images, quotes, tutorials, etc. Some of these will likely make you uncomfortable because you have to step outside your comfort zone, but I think in that process is where you not only surprise yourself in what you can create, but what engages people.

Find someone who inspires you with what they share, and emulate the types of content they share. No, don’t steal anything or copy too much, but if they take selfies, you should try taking selfies. If they share 10 updates in a row about a book they are reading, you should try that. If they do a random post about something they are wearing or somewhere they went, you can try that. The goal here is to find a safe way to try new things and step outside your comfort zone.

So often people will admire how authentic and real someone else is on social media, but when it comes to their own feed, they just post quotes from famous people. While there is nothing wrong with that, it can sometimes mean that this writer isn’t showing up as who they are, and aren’t allowing their followers to truly see them — what they create and why.

One thing to note here, a photo of you will often be one of the most popular things you will share on social media. Why? Because people who are following you appreciate it when they see you. It is a chance for them to connect with you. I mean, imagine walking into a room at work or with friends with a bag over your head. You wouldn’t do that in person, yet so often we hide when we share online. Consider if there are ways you can become comfortable doing this.

Don’t just try one thing. It is easy to justify that you will just share one or two kinds of things on social media because they are safe and expected. But while this may be comfortable, it can often prevent you from connecting in a meaningful way with your ideal readers. It also prevents you from developing your voice online.

I mean, imagine going to a gym to get fit, but you only use a single machine there because it is the one you are comfortable with. Maybe it’s the one where you get to sit down and move your arms inward with weights, or lift your legs up with weights. You plant yourself on that machine. Surprise surprise… you don’t get healthy. You are building only 2 muscle groups, doing zero for cardio, and ignoring specific areas that you need help with like flexibility. I want to encourage you to expand your range in how you can communicate and connect with others.

Truly engage with others. Even if we just use the example of knowing who the other authors are whose books will be shelved next to yours: Why not follow them. Reply to their posts not just with a “like” but also a comment. Why not reshare their posts? Consider how you can celebrate their books in a way that would truly make their day. Why? Because their readers are ideally your readers. Because these are colleagues who may share a similar sense of appreciation for a certain kind of writing or story. Why not develop these relationships as part of what you share?

Have you found social media to be challenging? If so, click reply and tell me about it.

Thanks!

-Dan

Today I want to talk about how your author platform prepares you for success in sharing your creative work, and reaching big milestones in your career. I want to start with a specific example shared by author Teri Case in her recent newsletter:

“After a series of events that I can only call serendipitous, I have a literary agent to find a publishing house and home for my precious third novel, Finding Imogene. The agent immediately asked me for a bio, comparable titles, and an elevator pitch. Because I’ve been a self-published author, I was ready. In 2014, I took WeGrowMedia’s “Get Read” course, and later, three mastermind sessions, where the founder, Dan Blank, encouraged us always to have a current bio on our website. Done. And he suggested that we have our thirty-second pitch ready. He asked us something like, “If you’re in line to get a hotdog and someone asks you what your book is about, what will you say?” Done. In his book, Be the Gateway: A Practical Guide to Sharing Your Creative Work and Engaging Your Audience, Dan Blank discusses how finding comparable titles will help you find your audience—an exercise I did when I finished the first draft of Finding Imogene last July. Comp titles? Okay. Done. So, when I received the email from my agent (oooh, I like the sound of that), I already had the bio, pitch, and comp titles ready. Thanks, Dan Blank, for this gift of preparation.”

“The agent suggested changes to my website. Again, thanks to “Get Read” with Dan Blank’s WeGrowMedia in 2014, I designed and have managed my website from the beginning. With my author-publisher hat on, I had shared a cover and book description for Finding Imogene on my website and social media months ago. Since this will change now that I have a team, I was asked to remove the cover and description from my website. It took me less than one minute to take care of on my own. I then visited my social media accounts to remove the same. Within fifteen minutes, I emailed my agent to say I’d cleaned everything up.”

Teri is incredibly kind and generous, and she clearly put in so much work over the years to not only develop her platform, but a powerful network of colleagues in her writing career. [Note: I no longer offer any of the courses or mastermind groups that Teri mentioned above.]

Too often, I find that a writer approaches author platform from the standpoint of getting followers or subscribers. Author platform is whittled down to numbers:

“How many followers do I have?”

“How many subscribers do I have?”

But I don’t think it has anything to do with numbers. An author platform is instead about two other things: effective communication, and developing a sense of trust with your ideal audience. Perhaps a third component connecting these things is preparation for the moments we dream of.

You have likely heard of having an “elevator pitch” to describe your newest creative project, with the idea being that you have a short and interesting way to describe your work in the span of 30 seconds or less. The problem is: we never know when we will be on that elevator, and who it will be with. So much of success comes down to moments that are unexpected. For a writer, it could be a chance meeting with an editor, agent, bookseller, literary festival organizer, or so many others who could possibly share your work with the readers you feel will love your writing.

Be prepared for that moment.

That is what I find developing an author platform brings: a literacy of how to talk about your work in a way that is natural. To be able to describe who your ideal reader is and where to find them in a way that is specific and full of energy. In knowing the marketplace inside and out so that when you engage in someone, you can speak from a place of knowledge and experience, not vague guesswork.

What gets in the way of developing an author platform? Waiting.

• Waiting until you have the time. Spoiler alert: life is complex, you will likely always feel busy.
• Waiting until you finish writing your book, because you justify that it is silly to worry about platform before you even have a book. But that’s akin to only learning how to run after you sign up for a marathon. As I describe below, these things take time. Give yourself that gift of time.
• Waiting until you have a specific opportunity, such as interest from an agent. At that point you may find that they are asking questions that you are not ready to answer. Where you hoped they would figure this all out, you realize that this is instead a partnership where they look to you for guidance as much as you look to them.
• Waiting because you read a really convincing article about how the trends are changing, so it would be a waste of time to make an effort now. One thing I have found is that there are always convincing articles about trends that can cause you to spend a lifetime on the sidelines, never getting in the game. If you look up famous predications about the internet, you will find a trove of quotes from very smart and experienced people who were wrong about what the future would bring. Don’t pretend that you alone can perfectly time trends so that you have to do the minimum effort with maximum results.

Why do I encourage people to develop their author platform early and consistently? Because the longer you wait to get involved, the further your road to success will be.

I know that often it can feel like you your platform as an author can be looked at like a road trip. You are about to get started, and you get to the highway and you see cars whizzing by at 80 miles per hour. You look down at your car, a 1992 Volvo wagon whose top speed is 60, but with wild shakes and rattles as you approach that speed. You justify: “I won’t even make it outside of my county by nightfall. Look at all these other people, they have accomplished so much, they are going so fast.. I don’t want to be that car on the highway, the jalopy that is just in everyone’s way. It’s embarrassing. Why bother?”

But I want you to go on that road trip. To embrace the fact that you are starting fresh, and that your car may not perform the way other cars do, but it has a character that is uniquely you. And as you travel, you will get smiles and beeps from people who love old station wagons, and encourage you along the way.

How can you work on your author platform today, so that it prepares you for how your next book will get published and reach readers? Some tips:

Build Your Author Platform Now. Or, if you are already working on it, recommit yourself to it. Infuse it with a new sense of life in the same way someone (me!) will buy a new pair of running shoes and workout outfit to reinvigorate a flagging fitness routine. The earlier you begin building it, the better off you will be. I was speaking to a writer the other day and she asked whether it was best to do this kind of work sooner or later. I always say sooner because the more time you have to research and build trust with people in your industry, the more it becomes a process filled with discovery and joy. The more you wait, the more you are rushing around in a panic to figure things out when you feel they matter most.

Talk to Those Who Read Books Like Yours. Not to promote your book to them, but to understand what they read and why. To turn this vague idea of “audience” into faces and voices who are complete human beings. Those you can not only better understand, but who can fill your life with those who love books and the arts. This means you likely have to do some primary research to consider who reads books who will be placed on a shelf next to yours. If you are unsure of where to start, spend time on Amazon or Goodreads looking at book reviews, or go down to your local library or bookstore and ask them for help.

Don’t Focus on Numbers; Instead Focus on Meeting Like-Minded People. Who are these folks? Other authors, booksellers, librarians, Instagrammers, podcasters, those who run and attend conferences. Or if you want to simplify it: anyone who reads! Develop a network of people who you can talk to about books, writing, and the themes that resonate most with you in books. This has a myriad of benefits, but perhaps this biggest is to no longer be trapped by the idea that talking about your writing is “marketing” and should be avoided. Our creative work is who we are, develop your authentic voice around it.

Identify Where to Find Ideal Readers. If I were to ask you to give me the names of 5 people who would love to read your next book, could you do that? What if I instead offered you $10,000 if you can tell me those names? Suddenly, that question becomes even more compelling. Where would you go? What groups online or offline would these people belong to? What conferences would they attend? What other authors do they read? What do they love talking about? Who in your community could help you answer this? Who could you email? These are the basic questions that lead creators on the journey from total isolation to feeling a part of a larger community around their writing. The sooner you ask those questions and pursue them, the more prepared you will be when it is time to share your work.

I work with writers and creators every day, and interview them on my podcast as well. Each of these people has a different journey to the publication of their work. Some get an agent right away, others get one after 70 queries, and still others self-publish. For a single author, the publishing path for each individual book may be wildly different. So much of this work is about finding the right path for you.

I find that joy is infused in this process when you are prepared. When you do the work to consider how to share what you create, that those unexpected conversations with readers, publishers, booksellers, podcasters, and so many others becomes a moment you are ready for — and a moment where powerful connections are made.

Thanks!

-Dan

What works to engage people with how you market your writing and creative work? Engaging with someone on an emotional level. Today I want to explore what that means, why it works, and share some examples.

Too often, I find that people don’t find success with their marketing because they are far too vague and don’t communicate to people as… well… people. For instance, it’s common for me to see a writer encouraging people to sign up for their email newsletter with a phrase such as:

“Sign up for updates.”

Then the next line isn’t any more clear: “Receive occasional updates from me on what I’m working on, tips, and news.”

They are focusing on the “what” of what a subscriber will receive, instead of how it will make them feel. What if they instead focused on the emotions that would draw in a reader? This would differ based on what the newsletter was about, and who the ideal subscriber is. But let’s just say this is a memoir author who writes about family history and identity. The newsletter sign up text could instead be something like:

Join me in my weekly newsletter where I share inspirational stories from those who found powerful ways to come to terms with who they are and how they connect with their family history. I often share genealogy research that may surprise you, and I take you inside my own process for finally being able to say ‘this is who I am.’

What are the emotions that this could stir up in a potential subscriber? To be inspired, surprised, validated, and connected. If you are on this author’s website because you liked anything about them and their book, well this could all be very compelling.

Let’s look at another example. Last week I wrote about how a local historic movie theater was torn down. I intentionally tried to bring people and emotion to the forefront in that essay. There are people in the photos I shared, and I ended it with a photo of myself and a brick because I wanted to compare the building that was torn down to our my own mortality and creative process.

What more could I have done? I could have given it a more emotional headline. I called it “This brick” to cause a bit of curiosity. I figured that it’s a pretty random subject line for an email, so it may get someone’s attention. They could see it and think: “Um, a brick? You are sending me an email about a specific brick? What’s up Dan?” In the essay, the brick itself is a narrative device I used to symbolize a much larger theme.

But I could have gone a different route to engage people emotionally with the headline:

“This made me cry.”

Or

“It’s gone and I’m sad.”

Or

“I never thought this would happen, but it did.”

These would focus on the feeling of loss, and may cause a different kind of curiosity with the reader. Honestly, I could sit here and write out two dozen other headlines for that essay, and probably come up with many that are far better than “This brick” because they engage people in more compelling emotional ways. That is the beauty of all of this, how creativity and marketing can be subjective.

Of course, you see emotions used in marketing all over the web and social media. This is why you see people use lots of emojis in social media updates: a glass of wine emoji, a dancing woman, hands being raised, and so many others. They are meant to evoke a feeling in a way that is different from just writing words. It’s subtle, but there is a difference between writing this on social media:

Going dancing for the first time in over a year!

and sharing it with emojis:

Going dancing for the first time in a year!

 

Why? Because the visual dimension can trigger emotions in a different way. That is also why you see a lot of animated gifs used as reactions in social media. Because sometimes a gif like this says an emotion better than words can:

 

Infusing emotions in how you share can also radically shift the tone. It’s more common for me to see a writer celebrate something online, but also pairing it with a dose of reality. This is not only more authentic, and shares a wider range of their own emotions, but can trigger different feelings in the reader. For instance, consider the difference between these two social media updates:

“Wow! My book won the BLANK PRIZE FOR BOOKS! I’m so excited!”

vs.

“Wow! My book won the BLANK PRIZE FOR BOOKS! I’m so excited! But I also broke down crying after I heard the news. This book took everything out of me to write. There were so many — sooooo many — days where I could barely hold it together. Where it felt like the book was never going to get written, that I just didn’t have it in me. To have the book be recognized like this, I just, don’t even have the words. Thank you all for your incredible support. It means the world to me.”

There are of course an infinite amount of permutations of this that play into different emotions. Another version of this post could have been:

“Wow! My book won the BLANK PRIZE FOR BOOKS! I’m so excited! Oh, and here is a photo of the ice cream I spilled on my shirt as I heard the news, because YES, I was eating an entire pint of ice cream at 8am. :\”

These are all honest in different ways, and can change the way you connect with your readers.

Is marketing about trying to get attention? Sure. But I want to encourage you to consider how that attention gets focused on someone’s emotions. To consider your ideal readers and what draws them in. What makes them feel connected to a story or the person who writes it. What they want to be a part of. What makes them laugh. What makes them feel that their identity matters.

This can easily relate to a traditional book launch as well. Not long ago I was brainstorming what kind of gift to include with an advance reader copy of a book that this author was sending to people. The idea was to get their attention, give them a little gift — something that may even encourage them to take a photo and share it on Instagram. One item I suggested was an audio cassette tape. “What if you sent them a mix tape of songs from the era that your memoir is set in?”

 

Can you imagine receiving this in the mail with a book? It’s not about how useful it is, it is about the emotion. That it may connect with a sentimental memory, the feeling that mix tapes are personal gifts that were once shared between friends. Or it could just make the person smile for a moment because it is totally unexpected.

However you share what you create, if your goal is to connect with someone and get their attention, consider what not only surprises them, but may evoke a certain kind of emotion.

Thanks!

-Dan

I’ve always loved the places that art brings us together as a community. In my town, one of those places was this movie theater, built around 1925:

 

But this is what happened to it earlier this week:

 

What’s left of it? This brick that I saved from the facade:

 

… and of course the memories of the people who saw movies in this theater, with friends, family, and fellow members of their community.

On social media, many local residents who grew up in town shared stories of waiting in a long line to watch A Hard Day’s Night in the theater in 1964, seeing Herbie, the Love Bug here in 1969, or working there in the 1980s. It was a place that anyone living in town could walk to from their home.

What will replace it? A new building with condos and two small retail stores. I have seen two different “final” plans where one has a small movie theater in the back, and one that instead has more condos in that space.

As you can imagine, there were many public meetings where people debated how to save the theater. You can read my 2,500 word post on that from three years ago here, along with photos of the interior of the theater.

As someone who loves the arts and how it brings people together, I had initially lost sleep over the thought of losing the theater. I had a private meeting with the mayor about it, attended many meetings, and listened to people on all sides of the issue. Many people worked hard to try to purchase the building, raise funds, or speak to experts from around the country who had saved similar theaters. The reality of how to possibly save it was complicated.

I spent hours this week watching them tear down the theater, and taking photo and video of the process. For a century, people were thrilled by spectacles on the screen here, and this week we filmed the final show:

In the destruction, history is uncovered. The theater was originally one large single auditorium and screen. It would have looked similar to this theater from elsewhere in New Jersey:

 

Our theater was sliced up many years ago, first to a three screen layout, then eventually a four screen. What that means is that decades ago, the building would have essentially been gutted and new smaller theaters created within it. In this photo you can see where the original theater’s decorations would have once been:

Here is a theater seat in the rubble:

 

This is the theater during construction in the 1920s:

 

And this is its destruction this week:

 

Here are the last two patrons watching the final show of the theater:

 

In the end, I have this brick.

What is the lesson I am taking away from all of this? It’s a simple one: support those who create and who support the arts, before they are gone. Is there an author whose work you appreciate? Send them a thank you email. Is there a local bookstore you love, but you just don’t get there often enough? Take a trip this week and set the intention to spend a certain amount of money to support them. Is there a local nonprofit in the arts? Go to their website and see how you can support them, even if it is just showing up for an event or spreading the word.

I’m asking myself how I can better celebrate creators and those who support the arts. Because, like this brick from the theater, one day my lasting contribution to the world will be the memories I helped create with those I connected with.

 

Thank you for being here with me.

-Dan