The rapid advancements in technology has had a major impact on how we receive information.  It is almost instantaneous now.  The panelists all were in agreement that this instantaneous delivery of information has a definite impact on trends and the desires of consumers.  Before the advent of blogs and such sites as Twitter, consumers had to wait six months or more at times to see what hot trends that magazines were offering for a current season.  Eddie Ross commented that now he can be at an antique shop, great flea market or anywhere else and snap a photo with his phone, upload it to Twitter and followers who receive “tweets” from him can see the latest hot design trend or fabulous new item within minutes.

The panelists also discussed the instantaneous nature of blogs, as opposed to the often stagnate nature of a website.  Blogs also offer consumers, followers and information seekers an almost instant and constant influx of brand new information.  But how much influx of information is too much?  Rita Konig told the audience that if you are going to write a blog, make sure you are giving your readers pertinent information and not just empty prattle.  Having your own point of view was also something that all four panelists were adamant about.  They said that if you are going to blog…then blog about what you are passionate about!  If you are worried about followers – don’t! When you follow your passion, then others who are also passionate about the same things will find you, and they will follow you!

I loved listening to all four of these professionals, not only on their life and careers, but also about their viewpoints and ideas about the world of blogging.  I had the best time and felt that they each had imparted some very valuable information and tips for my own writing and love of seeking and imparting information!  As I sat in on the discussion, I did have questions pop back into my thoughts that I had often discussed with fellow art teachers and friends alike.  Are we, as a society, falling apart because of not only our dependence on technology, but for our need for instant gratification?  As an art teacher, I see it on almost a daily basis.  While I love my students (there isn’t a day that goes by that one or all of them can’t manage to put a smile on my face, no matter how little sleep I’ve had the night before) they are deeply immersed in an instantaneous culture.  I find that they have very little patience or attention span to projects that when done properly can take multiple class sessions.  They want to see the rewards of their finished project almost from the moment that they begin!  I try to explain to them that the creation of art is something that is meant to be nurtured and cultivated; savored and enjoyed.  The creations should bring as much joy to the creator as the finished piece does to the viewer.  They look at me like I’ve just landed from some distant planet and possess three heads!  Seriously?  They don’t know a world without video games, cell phones, microwaves and drive-thru eateries.  Now, don’t get me wrong, I am all about my drive through Starbucks!

Have we done a disservice to our younger generations by not instilling in them the same sense of satisfaction in waiting for something that most of us in our 30s, 40s and upwards have learned as an asset?  Have we created a breakdown in not only the ability of people to enjoy the process of something almost as much, if not more than the finished product?  All of these questions I have hashed and rehashed with fellow teachers on many an occasion.  We all say the same thing.  The instant gratification society that we live in has cultivated a generation of fast paced individuals.  Maybe when they are my age, they will realize that there is just as much beauty in slowing down, taking a breath and enjoying the moment!

That having been said…lookout if my internet goes down and I do not have access to the “outside” world! I do not think I could live without my cell phone…I wouldn’t know what to do if I couldn’t have an entire conversation via text messaging! Yep, I too have become a creature of this instant world we live in!  Now I’m off to the game store to look at all the new releases for the THREE gaming consoles I possess!

Photo: Jaithan Kochar, Theresa Jones and Eddie Ross.

Written by Theresa Jones for Chic Galleria magazine.

Kelly Cutrone is a renowned fashion publicist and recently published author with a book on the New York Times Bestseller’s List.  If You Have to Cry, Go Outside: And Other Things Your Mother Never Told You After hearing her speak to an above capacity, standing room only crowd at SCAD’s Student Center I can understand why.  I was lucky enough to snag a front row, floor seat…literally on the floor.  I didn’t mind however, it allowed me to fully feel as though this lecture had been brought to SCAD for me specifically.  It was after all, the exact message I had been needing to hear for some time.  I had been hearing it from several people for quite a while, but for some reason or another I obviously had not been ready for it until now!

Ms. Cutrone is one of those women that the rest of us wish we could be like, or at least I wish I could be like.  She is strong, driven, no-nonsense and says what she means!  Despite the chaos going on in the rest of the world, she has found her purpose in life and lives it. Her life is her own, not a preconceived notion of what someone else thinks it should be.  It isn’t what the media thinks a woman at that particular time and age should be doing.  It isn’t her mother’s life, nor her father’s.  It is HERS!  She made it perfectly clear (to me at least) that we (I) need to find our authentic self, our true self and be it.  We need to “own it!” We are our own brand and we need to sell that brand!  Every other successful company out there markets and sells their brand and the items associated with it.  Why shouldn’t we do the same thing?  If we are an aspiring singer, actress or sales person (or whatever our current life ambition is) we should be marketing ourselves as such and “branding” ourselves to make sure we are seen and heard!  She made it perfectly clear that we should strive to be authentic.  “Whatever named celebrity” has already been done.  Demi Moore?  Done! Brooke Shields?  Done!  Don’t strive to be like “so and so.”  They have already done it and it would be boring to see a copy of something!  Be authentic, be original, but most of all…be yourself!  Know what you want to accomplish and set out to do exactly that.  If you fall down or stumble…get back up! Even if it takes just ONE MORE TIME!  Ms. Cutrone related success to physics.  It really is a very simple idea.  She said to show up every day and do your very best!  If you slack off and miss a step though, you run the serious risk of getting lost in the pack or worse…left behind!

I am about to set out on a move (that was supposed to happen last summer) that will take me back home to somewhat familiar territory with family and friends.  The uncertainty comes from my “fly by the seat of my pants” nature and going back to Texas with no job and no real concrete plans.  For most people this would be terrifying (it is a little scary), but for me I see it as my opportunity to take that ultimate leap of faith and “find myself.” For too long I felt like I have stumbled through this life doing a little bit of this and a little bit of that, but never really finding my niche.  I have no regrets of what I have done, but I do feel like I have not quite found my “place” yet.  I know I need to find my true passion and just do it!  Another point to Ms. Cutrone’s message that day was to surround ourselves with like people.  If you want to be in a specific industry…surround yourself with people in that industry.  Humans really are pack animals.  We like being around others that are like us.  The big point that I took away from this was to figure out someone who was where or what I wanted to be and go work with this person!  Put yourself in that environment and learn it!  It really is like learning a foreign language.  Emersion in a new language or endeavor is the best way to learn it!

This was exactly the message that Ms. Cutrone delivered to her audience.  She certainly didn’t look at me personally and tell me to quit my teaching career, move back to Texas and lay out by the lake until I “find myself.” Though I do plan to do a quite a bit of soul searching on the water! Her message was such a heartfelt and personal one that I felt as though I needed to be in that audience that day.  Funny how life works out like that.

Written by Theresa Jones for Chic Galleria magazine.

Photo of Kelly Cutrone courtesy of Amazon.com.