Discovery of great minds

I remember when I first discovered blogs. I spent an entire week, nearly 18 hours a day, reading. I was giddy with the discovery that somehow I had tapped into a previously unknown online world of intelligence and talent.  I was hungry for knowledge and expression and it seemed that with the discovery of these new writers, a whole new world opened. It was all quite exhilarating and exhausting.

I always become very excited when I meet someone who has a brilliant mind or an incredible talent. To me the most complimentary thing I can say to a person is “You’re interesting”. And just like in the old days, I’m once again smitten with brilliant interesting minds that I’m discovering in a truly global arena. I’ve circled writers and photographers whose thoughts and visions encourage me to raise my own bar higher. Not only do I like that, but I had forgotten that I need it.

But why is this happening again? Why with the advent of a new social media outlet has a whole new world of people and talent become only now so easily available to me? Weren’t they always out there anyway? Didn’t people like Colby Brown, Helen Sotiriadis, Elena Kalis, Jeff Clow, Jeff Bullas and Jeff Jarvis hang out on Facebook and Twitter? Of course they did. So what made them suddenly so available via G+? It’s gotta be the platform. Or maybe it was all those crazy G+ lists. Or was I so content swimming in my own little fish pond that I neglected to look up and out?

For me, Facebook and Twitter was an avenue to meeting new people and for creating opportunities. It worked out quite well for many years. I have, and have made, great friends and clients on these platforms. They are treasures to me and we shared a lot of humor and a lot of tears. But now these platforms have become comfortable… too comfortable, and I think being comfortable is dangerous for me.

Does the fact that I seek further intelligence make me snobbish? Maybe so. But I’ve always believed in surrounding myself with people who are brighter, more talented, and more interesting than myself. I do prefer to surround myself with inspiration rather than farmyard animals and babes with big boobs who announce “they like xxxxx”.

I’d rather be a teeny tiny fish in a huge ocean of talent then a fish stuck in a pond at Farmville. You can find me at Google+. I do hope the trend continues there… uncluttered with drama, birthdays, farm animals, apps and boobs.