Winter Break is already next week and I couldn’t be any more excited. The holidays are meant for spending time with loved ones and spreading joy and listening to Christmas music until your head hurts. However, I recently found myself listening to a podcast-conversation between Krista Tippet and Seth Godin called “The Art of Noticing, and Then Creating.” I didn’t think much of it at first, but about ten minutes into the podcast, I started to realize that Godin’s ideas related to my own goals and everything I want to accomplish. I’m currently enrolled in an AP English class at my high school and listening to this podcast-conversation provided me with so many different opportunities to apply his experience to my own education.
Seth Godin, a now successful author, public speaker, and marketer, talks about how it is important to create off of what we see. We must create things that will matter to other people. This podcast was the first time I had heard of Godin, but everything he said made it seem like he was much more than the everyday businessman. He had so many good ideas about how we could improve and recreate the world we are living in today that it made me feel like it was a shame to only find out about him now.
He isn’t a typical businessman. Five minutes into the conversation, Godin says, “what the habit I developed was that that’s not ‘a no,’ that’s a ‘no for now.’ That’s not a ‘this will never work.’ That’s a ‘this didn’t work.’ But I learned something about what might work for next time.” He encourages listeners into believing that just because something doesn’t work this time, it doesn’t mean that it won’t work next time either. It’s like falling down ten times and getting up eleven. The most important thing is that you keep trying.
Essays that were peer edited.
In my English class, just like any other English class, we write essays. Every week, we bring in new copies to be peer edited. My group members always have something new to say about my essays, giving feedback and ideas that I’m sure will make it better. I come back every time with a new and improved essay, yet they still have more to say about it. Sometimes, it makes I feel like everything I do will never be good enough, even if I do exactly what they say. Godin’s take on failures made me realize that a failure isn’t really a failure if you can learn something from it. Every criticism my group gives me is a chance to improve my writing and learn from past mistakes. My writing didn’t work this time, but I now I know what might work for next time.
Nothing will come out perfect on the first try and having peer editors like the ones in my group sure is a big help to achieving that perfect essay. The semester is almost over, and I still get a little offended every time my group says something about my writing. It isn’t a bad thing though, negative feedback is still feedback.
Later into their conversation, Godin starts to talk about art and what his definition of art is. To Godin, art isn’t just something that professionals can do, art is something that is created by anyone who want has a mission; art is created by anyone who can make an impact. However, art isn’t just something that can be done by oneself,“we can also have art that’s done by groups of people in a community where they count on each other to create something bigger than themselves.” I think that the most beautiful art is the art that’s created with friends and family; art that’s created with your community. Art created in groups, for me, have much more meaning and depth, since multiple people dedicated their time and effort into creating something worth while. In my English class, we split ourselves up into groups and chose something that interested us to focus on as a year long project. My friends and I chose to explore Orange County and report on the hottest places and events that we found.
The header of our group blog.
Each and every one of us have our very own job, something that we specialize in. Andrew, Bree, Hannah, Naomi, Sebastian, and I (my group members) all dedicate lots of time to our blog. I like to think we’re like Yelp for Orange County. Without the five other group members, I doubt I would be able to run the blog on my own, or even come up with the idea of running that kind of blog. We count on each other to stay on top of the schedule, post when we need to, and provide sufficient details of every place or event we go to. We all came together to start something really cool, that can help other people, and I think it’s pretty neat. It’s probably the first group project that I’m actually really proud of, and I can see myself using our blog for future purposes too!
Going into the podcast, I had no idea that it would be possible to connect the majority of his ideas to my schoolwork. Most of Godin’s podcast-conversation with Tippet was new to me. However, I think what hit me the most was something that I already knew, but kind of pushed aside. About half an hour into the conversation, Godin tells Tippet:
“The thing we don’t have enough of is we don’t have enough connection — we’re lonely… And if people can offer us connection and meaning and a place where we can be our best selves…it helps you make a better difference to the community that you’ve chosen to live in.”
It’s kind of one of those “no duh” situations, like “no duh you would work better with people that you’re confortable with.” It’s sort of a given. I’m sure many people know what he’s talking about when he says that making a difference is easier when you’re around people who give you the chance to do your best. I knew exactly what he was talking about, but prior to him saying it, it wasn’t something that people had straight out told me before. The idea of working with people I’m comfortable with was just something that I had kept at the back of my head.
Sometimes I’ll have one or two friends in a class, sometimes I’ll have more, sometimes I won’t have any. Bonding with my classmates isn’t something that I have much experience with. After listening to the podcast, I came to the conclusion that I should start gaining experience with making friends in my classes.
Eight other students from my English class that dressed up for Halloween.
I don’t exactly look my best in this picture, but it’s still okay! For the twenty seconds that it took us to gather, pose, and check to see if the picture turned out nicely, I actually felt comfortable with this group of people. The environment and the vibe that my English class provides make me feel at home and at peace. I never realized how important it was to be comfortable with the people that are around you. I think I can easily give back to my community when there’s that feeling of security. The people that are close to you, physically and mentally, give you the chance to BE and DO your best.
When the podcast ended, I really thought that listening to the whole thing was completely worth it. Seth Godin provided so many different ideas about art and creating and giving. You can listen to the audio here or read the text here. The podcast-conversation is lengthy, but it truly is worth the time.
Sun rise on the way to Big Bear
cynplicity 