Document in the way which feels natural to you. Doesn’t have to be a “blog”, can be a notebook with coloured pencils, or buy yourself a fountain pen, or an audio recorder.
Importantly: Tell your stories in the way that feels comfortable like your favourite pair of shoes – then add context, and interestingness. The rest is up to audience to breathe life into it.
Then do again and again (regardless of outcome beyond self-enjoyment).
I presented my soliloquy for personal expression called “F@ck Stats, Make Art” on March 13 at SXSW in Austin, TX as a Core Conversation. While I was spieling, I couldn’t help to recall all the others times I’ve stood before groups – from Rotarians to Mormons to Deadheads to strangers on buses to students in Germany – to tell my stories.
When I spoke about my ole dead Gramps from whom I heard I alot of tall tales, I realized that so many of the mundane and amusing talks I’ve busted out at one time or another were all coming together in that room. Thanks to everyone who listened while the stories were in development and when they were really happening.
To everyone who showed up, Thanks. To everyone who came up for a hug and a kind word to to show off their hero/project/metaphor cards – big thanks. I feed off of you to lay it all open. I gotta trust you or I can’t tell it real-style.
DIY Analog Power Point by Unkown – did you take this?
At the risk of waiting any longer to post *everything*, here is an evolving wrap-up of the related content from F@ck Stats Make Art at SXSW 09. Consider dropping a vote for my pitches for SXSW10:
You may also enjoy this recap of F@ck Stats, Make Art at Northern Voice 2008 and this podcast episode SXSW Stories from Middle Earth – Choogle On #79 in which i both preview and recap SXSW09, finally, here are all my SXSW 2008 Choogle on podcasts – 6 episodes to soak in the chaotic flavour of the music and parties. What’s next? I have a closet full of stories – literally. I plan to tell them. Perhaps a tour, more books, more artifacts – Wanna help spread this message of tolerance, translucency and creativity? Subscribe to Choogle On! podcast.
Photo Slidedeck
I didn’t use this deck in the prezo but it includes most of the photos in the envelopes of Heroes, Metaphors and Projects.
Treats! Photo By James Chutter
Twitter updates
@SimpleScott : #sxsw insight #2: “be tolerant and translucent” – Dave Olson
@SquanderingTime : I think the food thing needs to happen before the next set of talks. Btw, the fuck stats make art talk was incredible.#sxsw
@MezzoBlue : @uncleweed‘s “F@&$ Stats, Make Art” was so compelling I forgot to check Twitter for an hour. #sxsw
@SarahDavies : “Even if you’re one in a million, find the 300 other Americans just like you, and have a party!” – Dave Olson #sxsw
@LeslieBradshaw : At my first session, from Dave Olson: “embrace translucency” (not everything about you is interesting) #sxsw
@AustinJardinera : Inspired by Dave Olson to try presenting stories to customers via arts and crafts projects #sxsw
@TexasBrat : #sxsw F*&K stats make art tolerance & translucency makes people able to get along and share with others ~Dave Olsen @TexasBrat was rocked the coverage of the spiel! Check these: one, two, three, four, five, six, seven! whoa!
Think you’re clever? Express with Vigor! (I Love Fish Tacos) by KK
Is there a digital Thoreau? Will we discover a currently neglected philosophy blogger in a hundred years and suddenly realize that we ignored someone whose ideas would come to change the world? SXSW Diary – Friday (Pete Ashton) It worked for me because he’s sort of a fellow traveller having done the zine thing. I’m still processing my thoughts but it tied in with some thinking I’ve been doing about what I might end up getting involved with next…
Mojo makes a slide about TransluscencyMojo Remixes Art Make the Future or a slide deck
Special Thanks To John Biehler, Peter Andersen, Jeremy Crowle for helping me bring it all together – and to all of you who took the time to show up and/or rate the prezo.
Stats?! Fuck em’… Ratings on the other hand…
Hero/Project/Metaphor cards
Make your own from the attached .pdf (attribution, non-commercial use only – note: while I took most of the photos, some photos’ origins are unknown or undocumented but presumed to be in public domain-ish). {coming}
for the record: Via a pictorial journey through his own career of creating grassroots art and publications, renegade social media producer and writer Dave Olson will extol, encourage and explain the…
As per previous communique, while in Olympia I had a stirring 23 minute chat with docent Emmett plus Zhonka’s Jay, Nat with a cameo by Old Timey Dave. Not just tech talk, plenty of banter about Olympia’s unique character, you Olybloggers, free speech and fascism.
… and here’s the ‘offical’ blurb and snaps for posterity:
Managing an active, hyper-local community blog site using Drupal is the topic as Dave O sits down with Emmett, a docent at Olyblog.net and Drupal-ists Jacob and Nat from Zhonka Broadband at an Olympia, Washington coffee shop.
Note: this post originally appeared at GetElastic blog for Elastic Path on April 28, 2006, an ecommerce software company with whom i was employed – this post is long gone but shared here for posterity and as a sample. Retrieved via Archive.org’s Wayback Machine.
Indeed, ’tis the birth of yet another blog! This one offers news and discourse on the e-commerce industry in general, and chronicles scenes of life from (the rather comfy) offices of Elastic Path Software in Vancouver, BC, Canada – near the south end of the Cambie St bridge to you Vancouverites.
As a new employee with a fresh new set of eyes (today is day four for me), I aim to feature everything from astute observations to naive explorations plus various ephemera ‘from the trenches’ of a fast-growing, entrepreneurial endeavour.
In the spirit of disclosure, I am empowered to speak freely and, as such, have charged myself with the pleasant task of not only providing observations on the e-commerce software Elastic Path produces, but also to post audio recordings (call ‘em podcasts if you want), and video clips (v-casts if you prefer) to share information on EP’s shopping system and perhaps allow you to associate some faces with the company.
I share the 3rd floor of the Elastic Path HQ with an international crew of developers, coders, thinkers, planners, marketers and sellers – all working to build innovative software with open source components and custom-crafted code. So far, I’ve learned most of my co-workers names, read the employee manual, watched a Bruce Lee film, ate pizza, built a paper tower (actually it collapsed), and learned to use the coffee machine (tricky). What else is there?! We’re on the road to find out.
Thanks for coming along for the ride! Drop us a note or add a comment if you seek knowledge.
mixed-media art library, global diary, project dossier and whole life documentation