"You can't teach an old dog new tricks."
Now let me rephrase that...you CAN teach an old dog new tricks, if you have the right treat as a reward. I'm talking about jumping into social media with both feet, eyes wide open, heart beating at 1000 beats a minute (it might be that last cup of espresso, I'm not sure!), and a good amount of faith that what you're doing is not only the right thing to do, but the necessary thing to do.
In a two-second-blink-oh-you've-missed-it-too-bad world, sometimes you can feel like you're adrift in the middle of the ocean and no one can see you or hear you.
That's bunk.
I've been "doing my thing" for over 30 years now, and I've been doing it fairly well I'm told. But like anyone else not entrenched in the social media craze, I was certain I wasn't missing out on a thing. More bunk.
So I decided to do something about it ... I found a fantastic business advisor who helped me to realize I had all the tools necessary to take the plunge ... I just wasn't sure where to plunge in. Sure, it takes getting more involved with sites like Facebook and discovering the wonderful world of Linked In as valuable commodities to help fan a flicker into a flame, and bring your work, your passion, your persona to the masses. He suggested I read a book ("a must read" he called it) called Social Boom, by Pete Gitomer, and did he ever make the right call! Wow! This is like social media for dummies (and yes folks, I can call myself a dummy), but written in a clear, concise manner that makes you wonder if you haven't been in suspended animation for the last 10 years!
One of the tools you need is guts, another determination ... to my delight I've found that one can help you discover the other ... then you need to learn how to apply those strengths and move forward. My advisor was right ... I'd been in a rocking chair, moving back and forth in one spot but going nowhere... you have to decide to move forward, one step at a time in a direction of your choosing ... that's important too ... of YOUR choosing, not someone else's choice.
In my case, I need to keep my image as a creative and talented illustrator "out there" for the world to see ... no matter how the world at large chooses to communicate that message. And I have a more personal reason as well ... I'm extremely proud of my first children's book, There's A Crazy Dog Under The Palace! as I not only wrote and illustrated the book, then had it published in hardbound and paperback formats, but I've also created two versions ... English and Italian. You could say I've been a bit ambitious ... (crazy perhaps!) but the virtues of friendship and second chances the book communicates made it well worth the endless hours I put into its creation.
Now I want to let the world know about it ... and when I say the world, I mean the world! Why not? And so once more we come back to social media and the benefits of networking. For this old dog it meant putting away my mistrust of something I didn't understand, sitting up straight and paying attention to what's going on around me ... which is happening with or without my permission!
Since April of this year, I've written a business plan that details where I'd like to go with my marketing pursuits for the book, and thereby keeping me in clear view of potential clients, publishers, and distributors. I've read about small press publishers, large press publishers, the potential for ebooks, not only in this market but abroad in Europe and Asia ... I've talked with language schools in Toronto, Canada about how my book could be a valuable asset to their curriculum, I've spoken with wonderfully rebellious small press publishers, determined not to be foiled by the large publishers that can sometimes look down their noses at a book just because it may not sell 4 million copies and make them richer ... and let me tell you the more I learn, the more I smile! I've joined Linked In and begun networking and revitalizing contacts that were just waiting for me to show a little life ... and within that world, I've discovered and joined an illustration guild, a graphic artist guild, plus guilds for Sicilian and Italian genealogy ... something very near and dear to my heart. I've also been working to reinvent a more professional Facebook page and stay current with posting what's going on in my career while reestablishing my goals.
Oh yeah, I've also been working non-stop on two new books as well ... a second book on mythology (this time Roman), and another children's book (this time about raccoons)! I'll give you a preview of the back cover for The Moon Upstairs ... a book about la bella luna as told through the viewpoint of raccoons!
Will I learn everything there is to know about social media? Of course not! But I've begun to look at the world with a better set of eyes and I'm seeing much further toward the horizon than ever before ... who says an old dog can't learn new tricks?
davide!
