According to Doug McLennan’s recent San Francisco talk about the Culture Business in an Attention Economy, if a blog isn’t updated for 120 days it dies. Officially. And while I haven’t been updating this blog lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about blogs, diplomacy and directness. I’ve also been thinking about what happens when emerging leaders who embrace new models and radical action take on highly visible roles in long-esteemed institutions. Emails go viral. Sentences are taken out of context. Rules and regulations are in force (and enforced).
I’ve been thinking a lot about Yosi Sergant, and reading the debate on Jeff Chang’s blog. I’ve been thinking a lot about politics, and provincialism, and wondering if it is possible to write an interesting blog anymore if you are The Administration.
Why do we become The Administration? I say this, half-joking and half-horrified, because a grassroots leader I know is referred to that way by her staff. “The Administration” refers to just one person.
I know a lot of emerging leaders who want to be the director of an organization someday. I don’t know any who want to become “The Administration.”
Sigh … in a perfect world the Yosi Sergants would wield ongoing power and have infinite connections to serve their mission without joining the NEA. But that is a tough row to hoe. In a perfect world we’d all be making art in the service of an insurrection, by the people for the people. But in this world, we can’t even use the word insurrection without having to defend it. And the most talented insurrectionists I know are also talented at finding money and administrations to back them up.
Back to the blog–I guess I’m feeling a little doubt these days about what’s safe and what’s fair. I’m not giving up the blog. But it merits more thought.
And on “emerging leadership” … I’ll be giving a very short talk on behalf of the San Francisco Bay Area Emerging Arts Professionals as part of Friday Nights at the de Young, this Friday night. If you are wrestling with these same issues, come join us–it will be good times!
