We are all getting creative very quickly right now when it comes to reimagining our world. To get a window into the future – watch creative professionals.
Creatives are inventors who are finding new ways to serve us with all that they have to offer: music, arts, movies, you know – all the things that bring meaning to our world: culture.

This weekend I tuned into my cousin Steven van Betten’s Zoom guitar lessons. It was awesome. There were about ten aspiring musicians present – all there to learn about how to “Map the Fret” to better learn music theory.
It was fun, collaborative, and enjoyable. Compared to band class – where we all had to stare at the conductor – it was much more entertaining to be able to see everyone’s face and hear them practice in a more collaborative learning environment. Perhaps even more effective than regular class with the screen-sharing capability of the virtual fret Steven was teaching us all on.

It’s always motivating to feel like you’re in a group that’s just as confused as you are, but that’s trying just as hard to get it. I did my best to learn people’s names and was impressed by the sophisticated questions the group raised.

If you had asked me a few weeks ago if I thought my cousin (who is quite a talented musician and the lead singer of indie/rock/folk band Fell Runner would be teaching guitar on Zoom I would have probably said – not likely.

It actually makes sense for a lot of reasons:
·     Gig Sharing Economy: Creatives teaching creatives on a larger scale
·     Time: People have more time at home (and less time commuting)
·     Community: Everyone is craving connection right now
·     Culture: We need it – and this is validation of that

As we continue to grow and evolve as a society over the next year of uncertainty – watch creatives as they invent new ways to connect with us to tell stories, share ideas, create art, and keep us connected.

I’m looking forward to my next Zoom guitar lesson – and encourage us all to watch our creative professional colleagues and peers for guidance and inspiration. As my uncle Herman says at the end of this video of Steven playing a song he wrote for him, inspired by Herman’s stories growing up during World War 2, “It’s sure nice to have artists in the family.”