Making Ripples: post-corporate adventures in Floyd County Virginia

The artist as a micro-business

It recently dawned on me that our local artists could profit from the experience of thousands of micro business owners who have harnessed technology to reach and interest prospective customers.

I am using the term "artists" to include artists, sculptors, musicians, and artisans of every persuasion who create beauty which evokes an emotion in the hearer or beholder.

Here are two concepts you might want to consider:

Art is the creation of an emotional impact, whatever the medium used.

Business, on the other hand, is the art of exchanging goods or services with a customer for money, support, or viable exchange of some kind.

Marrying art and business is a difficult task and is successfully achieved only by individuals who understand both.

Career success in a nutshell

Someone asked me recently if I could sum up my latest career in a single sentence.

I am finally in a position where my responsibilities align with what I enjoy doing most, enabling creative people to do better in life.

It has been a long journey with many detours before I finally arrived at a point where I was ready for this position.

I started my career with the viewpoint that technology could save the world. I began my career designing computer systems which were supposed to improve the quality of life for everyone on the planet.

This lofty goal was shattered when I first saw one of my early computer systems in an electronic salvage yard. I began to realize that my designs might not leave a trace, let alone be a legacy for the future.

Impending Blog Explosion

With my new job responsibilities and the greater number of people I interact with every day, I find that my story sources have multiplied beyond the capacity of a single weblog to present them in a meaningful way.

As a result, I will be spinning off some of these topics as weblogs of their own with feeds showing up on this weblog.

One of the topics will be Floyd County Live, another will be Floyd County Artists and there will be more to come. These images may give you a taste of what might appear on the Floyd County Live weblog.

The Country Store was jumping as you can see from the top photo above, meanwhile outside in the alley other musicians are jamming for enthralled visitors.

Earlier I had spotted the latest development of the "Crossways ATV on a Pickup" that I first documented in my Nov 2005 article, Cool Hunting in C'ville. If you check my earlier photo, you will see that the mounting technology has progressed mightily.

It still boggles the mind how one gets the ATV off the pickup without finding a high bank, but the presence of loading ramps shows that is is being done somehow.

A night out in Floyd would not be complete without a trip to Oddfellas for fine food and entertainment. We gave some out of town visitors the full treatment. They got to hear Kat Mills singing classic folk songs with her wonderfully expressive contralto voice and they had a chat with Rob Neukirch.

Yes, you can get up close and personal with the celebrities and entertainers in Floyd. It is one of the great charms of a small town with lots of talented people.

We finished off the evening at the Cafe Del Sol where local musicians took turns jamming for our pleasure and theirs.

You are welcome to join us while the sun is shining and the roads are open, because there will be many months when you can't get up the mountain to visit Floyd. So come now, enjoy our restaraunts and our entertainment and be sure to take home some of the incredible work produced by Floyd artists. It doesn't matter if it won't fit in your car, most of them will ship your purchases home for you so you can continue your vacation unencumbered.

Not everyone can live in Floyd or wants to, but you owe it to yourself to take home something to remember us by. That way our artisans and musicians are very likely to remember you fondly too.

Why buy locally, when you can get things cheaper from overseas?

It's really simple. When you buy directly from an artisan or from a farmer, there is a sense of connection that matters. If the artisan and farmer have pride in their work, you take part in a transaction that validates the quality of the goods you have purchased and you have obtained something you are proud to take home.

You are not just buying a cup, a jug, or a head of lettuce. You are buying the careful effort that went into producing what you just bought. Afterward, you will find yourself telling others about your purchase and sharing your joy at finding something that was just right for you.

You have made a connection between yourself and another human being with a meaningful transaction.

Why buy locally, when you can get things cheaper from overseas?

It's really simple. When you buy directly from an artisan or from a farmer, there is a sense of connection that matters. If the artisan and farmer have pride in their work, you take part in a transaction that validates the quality of the goods you have purchased and you have obtained something you are proud to take home.

You are not just buying a cup, a jug, or a head of lettuce. You are buying the careful effort that went into producing what you just bought. Afterward, you will find yourself telling others about your purchase and sharing your joy at finding something that was just right for you.

You have made a connection between yourself and another human being with a meaningful transaction.

You get something you need and the other person gets income and is encouraged to produce more things for you to appreciate and buy.

The downside of buying locally, when it occurs, is that you may buy something from someone who has no pride in their work or in the service they provide. You can find this in fast food franchises, but you can also find this in small town merchants and businesspeople who have long since stopped viewing customers as new friends.

When you only get inferior goods or services locally, it is quite easy to turn to the Internet and get excellent products at highly competitive prices. The downside to Internet shopping is that you don't always get the personal touch and great service you want.

On the other hand, there are lots of great small merchants who have coupled their jelly-making, or craft work to the Internet and they do very well when they bring the same downhome touch to their online business as they do to their local customers.

So, what is the bottom line here? If you are an artisan or a small business owner and view every transaction as a chance to touch someones life in a meaningful manner, you will have a growing number of people who want to tell others about the extraordinary effect you have had on their lives.

I don't care what you are selling, when you can create rewarding transactions in a natural and relaxed way, you will never lack for business. The easiest way to ensure you stay on track is to provide great products or services that people need and want.

Figuring out how to do that is what marketing is all about. I will probably write about that in another post.

Stay tuned. :)

You are not just buying a cup, a jug, or a head of lettuce. You are buying the careful effort that went into producing what you just bought. Afterward, you will find yourself telling others about your purchase and sharing your joy at finding something that was just right for you.

You have made a connection between yourself and another human being with a meaningful transaction.

You get something you need and the other person gets income and is encouraged to produce more things for you to appreciate and buy.

The downside of buying locally, when it occurs, is that you may buy something from someone who has no pride in their work or in the service they provide. You can find this in fast food franchises, but you can also find this in small town merchants and businesspeople who have long since stopped viewing customers as new friends.

When you only get inferior goods or services locally, it is quite easy to turn to the Internet and get excellent products at highly competitive prices. The downside to Internet shopping is that you don't always get the personal touch and great service you want.

On the other hand, there are lots of great small merchants who have coupled their jelly-making, or craft work to the Internet and they do very well when they bring the same downhome touch to their online business as they do to their local customers.

So, what is the bottom line here? If you are an artisan or a small business owner and view every transaction as a chance to touch someones life in a meaningful manner, you will have a growing number of people who want to tell others about the extraordinary effect you have had on their lives.

I don't care what you are selling, when you can create rewarding transactions in a natural and relaxed way, you will never lack for business. The easiest way to ensure you stay on track is to provide great products or services that people need and want.

Figuring out how to do that is what marketing is all about. I will probably write about that in another post.

Stay tuned. :)

Two for the Price of One

Last Friday, Gretchen and I broke away for a few hours and managed to catch Mac and Jenny Traynham playing at Oddfellas Cantina. They are fine performers and have been active in the performance and preservation of the music of Appalachia. We make it a point to hear them whenever we can.

Mac is a true professional. This particular night he was playing up a storm even though he was feeling poorly. But he brought along a young couple to play the second set and they did a great job.

Jackson Cunningham and Anya Hinkle played a set of high energy country music.

I was not able to find out much about Jackson other than he is a competent guitar player with a good singing voice.

But, like so many of the people we meet in Floyd, there is far more to Anya Hinkle than a violinist with a great country voice. An avid cyclist, she competed in NCCA road races while she was getting her Ph.D. at UC-Berkely. She is now a post-doctorate fellow in the Department of Biological Sciences at Virginia Tech.

I hope we have a chance to hear Hinkle and Cunningham again. Their performance was a nice follow-on to the Traynams.

Blogging Gene Marrano of WVTF-NPR

Floyd is one of those out of the way spots where busy people may drop in on their way elsewhere, but rarely think of as a destination. I think that is a blessing in disguise, because the usual reaction to Floyd is so positive we could easily end up with queues in front of the real estate offices.

I was reminded of that yesterday when Gene Marrano of radio station WVTF dropped by to interview me. Gene is the host of Studio Virginia & Evening Edition and is an all around nice guy.

Originally from Long Island, he had a long history in corporate sales management before he segued into becoming a Virginia media celebrity.

Gene has worked in commercial radio as a news reporter, news anchor, sportscaster and talk show host since 1997. He also writes for several publications in the Roanoke area, including the Blue Ridge Business Journal, Roanoke Valley Sports Journal and City Magazine, and has written features as a stringer for out-of-town newspapers on occasion.

I gave him a tour of the Jacksonville Center campus where the Raku kiln building class was pulling pots out of barrels full of pine needles.

I realized I should be blogging this when he started interviewing the students working around the kiln, and I finally got my camera fired up as he interviewed Carter Holliday, a professional ceramicist who is also a volunteer at the Jacksonville Center.

Gene was such a pleasure to talk to that I took him downtown to give him a taste of the Floyd experience. On the way to lunch, we dropped in at the Bell Gallery where he met owner Joanne Bell and admired the latest items on display.

We had lunch at Oddfellas where I introduced him to owner Rob Neukirch who, in a previous life, was an actor in Hollywood. After a few seconds of conversation, Gene asked to interview Rob and captured a few sound bytes in a back corner of the busy restaurant.

On the way out of town, we stopped in at the Cafe del Sol and I introduced Gene to owner Sally Walker, who doubles as the jazz vocalist, Little Diva and the G Strings, when she is not riding herd on the controlled chaos at the coffeeshop/gallery. Being a jazz fan, Gene bought a copy of Sally's CD to take with him. Good choice!

I also pointed out that Max Charnley, the young barista behind the counter, was the artist who had painted two of the finest paintings that were displayed in the gallery. If you are in Floyd in the next few weeks, take time to check out the paintings on display at the Cafe del Sol.

By now, Gene was running late for his next appointment, but he had gotten a good immersion in the Floyd experience. In this little laid-back community in the rolling hills of Southwest Virginia, almost everyone he met has an amazing depth of talent. We had barely scratched the surface because he was only in town for an hour.

We enjoyed having him here and he is welcome back anytime.

Jacksonville Center Sign Contest Update

The sign aspect ratio is being changed to present a more pleasing shape and allow for more variations in design. A photo album of early entries has been added. Go to Jacksonville Center Online for more details.

You still have time to submit your own designs and win art classes worth hundreds of dollars. You may submit as many designs as you wish. This contest is open to anyone who wishes to enter.

UPDATE: Kudos to Sean Pecor. He sent in a sign design based on the new aspect ratio before I had time to clean up my email. I am showing it here to encourage you to do some of the same.

Note to readers: My new position at the Jacksonville Center in Floyd gives me the opportunity of a lifetime. I get to work with dedicated and creative people and one of the long term objectives is to help the local economy by enabling artists, craftspeople and musicians to develop viable businesses. To see what all the excitement is about, go to The Jacksonville Center website.

Sustainable Economic Development for Southwest Virginia?

Several hundred government officials, business executives, crafters, musicians, and travel industry executives heard Governor Tim Kaine give his views on asset-based economic development yesterday at Creating a New Economy in Southwest Virginia, a conference held this week in Abingdon, VA.

Prior to speaking, he toured the room and spoke to many of those who have been working hard to make develop the region's music and craft-based economy. In this photo, Governor Kaine is speaking to Joe Wilson, Chairman for the National Council for the Traditional Arts.

Governor Kaine emphasized this point near the end of his speech. "Success goes to those who tell their story to the marketplace." In a sense, that was the underlying theme of the entire conference, telling the story about the regions assets in a way that would attract tourists and investment.

Floyd Art Center design challenge

The Jacksonville Center for the Arts in Floyd is holding a sign design contest which is open to all comers.

The Jacksonville Center for the Arts wants to harness the creative talents of the Floyd community and the Internet community to design a sign that satisfies a rather challenging requirement.

The object of this contest is to come up with a imaginative sign design that communicates an informative message about the Jacksonville Center of Floyd in less than 2 seconds. The 2 second limit springs from the fact that traffic on Rte 8 in Floyd travels at high speed and drivers have very little time to notice that they are passing a unique regional art center