Creative Independence Day! We should eat cake or crow?
July 5, 2008
Today is the 4th of July and it’s Creative Independence Day again. Some would like to eat cake. Some would like to offer crow. But we won’t crow until we eat cake! So, as America celebrates her independence we will share in that celebration with her and do a little clock turning.
A Year Ago
One year ago we officially launched the Free Articulator, and in the spirit of the ideals of freedom that we much admire declared the 4th of July, in tribute to some inspiring Americans, Creative Independence Day.
On 4 July 2007, there wasn’t a lot of fanfare, just as there isn’t today. We’re not yet at the point where we can throw a virtual party and make it manifest in the real world. “Soon, soon….” We had few posts on Creative Independence Day 2007, and few Contributors posting, but we had hopes and dreams, of which a few have materialized. Today we have subscribers and more arrive each week, slowly and steadily. We’re grateful to all our Contributors, our Subscribers and Advertisers. Though we would have liked to grow faster, we know that we are better to grow slowly, iron out the bugs and get to know the medium of blog-space.
Like any bird fresh from the nest the Free Articulator is still having growing pains. Our bird has suffered slings and arrows, experienced victories and losses. More than 5000 readers on some articles, and a couple of thousand on others, hundreds on others, and few on yet more. But we are being read daily. We have published, over 186 articles, and where we had none in draft, we now have 191 in preparation for publication. I think that’s a pretty cool achievement. If there were No articles, there would be no future. We have articles, and we have sponsors, and all we have to do is work to create our future and keep publishing, while we prepare the rest of the goodies. Some good people have come and gone, and we miss them, even as we appreciate their assistance and contributions.
Our achievements could not have happened without the incredible dedication of the Free Articulator’s first Editor-in-Chief, Joel Falconer, who worked long hours to make the Free Articulator come to life in its present format. Joel’s current commitments to his young family, degree and music have taken him in other directions for now. Thanks Joel, tremendous work for which we are extremely grateful!
In this next year readers will find more material about art and more art. We have another Feature about a talented Ukrainian photo-manipulator, Serhiy Schelkunov to publish, along with another on creative entrepreneur, Magdalena Ball from Australia, and Cory Doctorow, whose works and web presence I’m reviewing in preparation.
A Brief Review of Some Highlights, as We Look to the Future
In the next week we will complete the publication of the series of articles that accompany the Code of a Creative Artist. Those articles were conceived in 1997, a year after the first version of the Code was written. Completing them and having them published, for me completes one chapter of what Allforart, the Free Articulator, and other entities in the Allforart Network have been designed to achieve. It’s a personal milestone to have them published.
The first of Gordon Jackman’s Myth of Progress articles, Finding a Treasure, was a particularly inspiring moment, the first article published in TFA 2.0 upgrade, was significant in many ways. There are six parts to this particular series which examines one of James Barry’s little known works that helped shape the modern world.
These articles are progressing steadily but in part due to an accident that’s slowed him up, his planetary ecological work, archaeological digs, and many other commitments that he has to the well-being of civilization,…Gordon has been busy. However, he’s also a canny strategist, and we’ve delayed because the next part of the revelation about James Brown’s epic empire-building artwork is to do with the Olympics and how that relates to the Olympian ideals.
Already a controversial subject this year marking China’s greater acceptance in the world, also marks those controversial areas where as a nation it needs to mature. Gordon’s told me some little about the development of the articles and his analysis and research on this is bringing to light some astounding facts that explain much of how and why our world is today. We are particularly proud to have a Creative Artist Activist of his experience with us. So, in the next few weeks, expect another article in the series of the Myth of Progress.
Lena Semenkova, the brilliant and talented photo-manipulator and a mistress of the visual metaphor’s Feature was published, and we’ll be revisiting her work at a later date, as well as that of some of her equally talented colleagues.
Dr. John Hinchcliff’s Feature introduced some pretty important concepts and we’re going to be hearing and reading more of him and his work. I’m currently reading an amazing book - Values Integrating Education - that is a compilation of his essays, speeches and deep philosophical thinking. I find so much agreement with that I’m making notes on every page. This book contains a blueprint not just for education, but for the resolution of many of the world’s ills. Expect a review.
We have more Features lined up to give insight into some pretty creative people and the research for these covers a great deal of scope and consideration, and I’m personally working pretty hard to complete them, and line some up for future publication.
‘Doc’ Don Sturgiss, has kept the lights burning, and also contributed and become a blogger. His short pieces on technology are humorous, informative and fun. One of his recent articles on the PS3 and BluRay was frankly surprising.
Branwen’s Historical Reenactment Series, started out with Battling in Your Own Backyard, took us to the chopping block then into the art of handy mitten making and weapons to give us some fantastic insight into the realities of medieval battle in ways reminiscent of living Hollywood stunts.
Branwen’s writing craft does what every storyteller wants to do: takes you there, puts you into the thick of it. The work, the bumps, the bruises, the tussles, whacks and thumps Branwen goes through every week are as real as the facts she gathers in her research for the stories she’s been working on for the last couple of years. It was a privilege to have had an introduction to the plot of one of her stories a couple of months back. Expect one of those grand adventures. Her dedication to the craft of wordsmithing is a real pleasure to behold.
Joel Falconer’s short stories on Kozanotra were a popular read and showcase his talent as a storyteller. He’s got some great novels he’s lining up to publish too. Rich, fully detailed intricate plots, the kind of stories that develop into classics in their genre. Somewhere in the madness of the last year he also managed to write a lot of songs and achieve some notoriety in the Sydney Morning Herald (though that was a bit earlier in 2007). Now he’s hard at it with his bachelor of popular music degree. I for one am looking forward to his having his band Midnight.Haulkerton finally formed, rehearsed, with the first collection of songs recorded and ready to go.
Marie Ourganjian’s articles on American Mythology Exposed with its insight into how some American artists such as Holzer are using their art to reveal what the public may otherwise not be aware of is a worthwhile and inspiring read. Marie’s piece on Armenian Artists and their work to expose and reveal the genocide of Armenia is another powerful piece that shows how art can and does work to achieve change. Yet another on the embedding of artists in the Military Industrial Complex and her article on the dearth of Protest Music on the corporate controlled air ways of America are eye-opening pieces that demonstrate the some of the restraints under which artists labor to communicate. This particular excerpt is well worth further consideration.
“If you want to have an impact on something, first you have to touch the surface. You need to have a superficial engagement before you can go any deeper,” Hirshhorn said.
A year ago I personally knew very little about blogging. Now, thanks to the Free Articulator and sites like Copyblogger, Problogger, and others like Grokdot.com and the continued reading of marketing mavens, such as the Wizard of Ads, whose words I’ve been assimilating as if it were ambrosia, we know a little more.
Based on this experience we’re reorganizing the Free Articulator to more closely approach and fulfill its mission now that we have some experience and some knowledge. So there will be some refocusing.
Between now and the next Creative Independence Day…
We are mindful that the Free Articulator has made promises that it has not yet fulfilled. It is not because they will not be fulfilled, it is that the world is the way it is. It needs to change and when you’re working to change those factors that make this world lose sight of some important concepts, well, it can be a massive struggle. I’m personally very grateful for the support that continues to flow. To those who have helped and continue to help, you are not forgotten. “Even the bad times were good…”
We are currently preparing for publication of:
- the Intellectual Property series, which will give you all some interesting insight into how to manage intellectual property rights. Figuring out how to do this and generating some lasting artistic concepts has been a challenge, and keeping up with the field itself, has been a rather intriguing mind-field all of its own. In 1994 nobody knew much about intellectual property, those two words, along with piracy and others didn’t come up in conversation, or the media.
- The State of Our Culture series will be released. It’s not pretty, but then you know that, and while the world has moved on in some ways, it has not substantially changed. This series of articles looks at a whole range of factors and it provides a basis for change and hope. The context in which Creative Artists working with Allforart and the Free Articulator is not so important now, but it will become more important as we move forward.
- We’ll publish Features that look at the state of review and introduce some excellent and useful works that help develop careers. And also cover how technology has enabled some astounding writers to find some very influential niches in the world.
- We’re hoping to introduce an irregular science fiction column. No, no, that’s not what we mean. The frequency will be “irregular” but at least monthly.
- There are a stack of reviews of some excellent books about craft, law, intellectual property and others that we’re going to be recommending. You can help us by reading, posting and buying and clicking. These will be released with the various series of articles we’re publishing.
- Branwen is also preparing a short series for writers looking to the web to get published that addresses an area few have looked to. Exciting stuff!
Allforart Network Releases
The next year will see the Allforart Network launch: Thinking Man’s Tee “TMt” as we like to call it. But don’t expect too much of that link in the first sentence of the last paragraph. It’s about 15 seconds worth of light entertainment. Thinking Man’s Tee is about generosity of spirit and it’s about making people think, laugh, sigh, wail, cogitate, grin and ponder. Wearable conversation starters.
Thinking Man’s Tee is also about helping artists earn and fund their careers so they can be truly independent and we’ve got some wicked ideas for promoting it that we’ll let you know about as soon as we’re ready.
Allforart is fond of simple place-holding homepages and Allforart will be putting up more of them in the next few months. Stay subscribed, we promise you Thinking Man’s Tee is going to be announcing some stuff for thirsty minds to feed on, and its also going to be helping achieve social reforms by supporting worthy causes.
Yesterday, Allforart introduced its co-founder to the online store component of Thinking Man’s Tee. He had a mighty chuckle as he recalled moments of creation and then we headed over to PlotBot and started scheming on screenplays.
BOOM!Books will and the Allforart Office will make their initial appearance.
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The Free Articulator is a voice. The tip of the quill. We are starting to put the rest of the network in place, and that initial step was the Free Articulator, so we have a place to let people know what we’re doing.
We’re not going to eat crow; we’re fond of crows. But we’re not going to eat cake yet either. Perhaps, next 4 July we will be eating cake once a week. And then we’ll have reason to crow.
Thanks to all for your past, present and continued contributions, reading, and support.
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