Extreme Gratitude, Hometown Edition
On Thursday night, about 50% of Portland, Oregon descended upon the Pied Cow, a local beer garden to talk about travel, entrepreneurship, blogging, and all kinds of other topics.
At one point a waitress came over to ask what our group was working on, and someone said “World Domination.” Nice one. Later on, the same waitress told me we were “the most polite group of non-conformists” she had ever met, which I also appreciated.
Most of the items on the Pied Cow’s menu are $5-10, but they also offer a special “$50 Dessert” available if you have a big group or are just in the mood for a LOT of ice cream. I had promised to order this massive concoction if at least 20 people showed up on Thursday, which definitely wasn’t a problem. (In retrospect, we probably could have used a $150 dessert – maybe next time.)
The whole set of photos is now online, or you can also view a Flickr slideshow.
As I continue to connect with more remarkable people from all over the world, the overriding themes for me are gratitude and responsibility. Gratitude comes from the present — I’m grateful that so many people find resonance with the work I do. Responsibility is for the future — whenever I look through the email list signups or take over a restaurant with an eager group of new friends, I realize I need to keep raising the standard.
(Don’t worry, slacking off is definitely NOT part of the plan. I enjoy learning from all of you and have no plans to stop. Thanks for caring. )
The next meetup will be in Los Angeles on August 19th, while I’m en route to Asia on the last red-eye fight later that same night. If you like to plan ahead, send me a note and I’ll put you on the list for details as soon as we know them.
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A couple of short items for the Sunday Store Update:
Art and Money – New Interview
The Unconventional Guide Art and Money continues to help artists around the world. Despite strong sales, I’ve decided not to raise the price – and we keep posting new content at least once a month.
The latest new interview is with Elizabeth Briel, a self-described “travel artist” currently crusading to fame in Australia and China. If you already own Art and Money, you can download Elizabeth’s interview on the owners’ resource page. If not, the order link with more info is here.
Social Web Preview
My next product is called the Unconventional Guide to the Social Web. It launches to the world on August 18th, and the goal is to demystify the art of using social media to promote something without being lame.
I’ve gathered a lot of social media success stories (thanks to everyone who sent them in), and now I’m creating a FAQ file to compliment all of the other materials. Naturally, I’ve got all the basics covered – how to use Twitter, how to find people who are predisposed to your cause, how not to be a moron, etc. – but if there’s something that’s bugging you, send me the question and I’ll try to add as many as I can to the file. For those who are interested, you’ll hear a lot more about this product later in the week.
Again, thanks to everyone in Portland who came out the other night, and thanks to everyone else all over the world who follows along. I’m sure I’ll see you somewhere.
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