05/29/2024
Today, I got a reply email from Jane (pseudonym) who told me that she would not be joining our platform as a featured creator. Her feelings were raw, open and human ...
She explained her painful experience in the digital age as an artist. To paraphrase: 'The web was flooded with low quality crap and that artists and realy creative people have been exploited for years by big social media companies that take their work and give them pennies, or nothing in return.' She thoughtfully explained that while she understood that we were not doing or trying to do what they have done, she felt triggered by getting an email about offering her creative output on Muse and needed to tell me.
Frankly, this response was way more moving than having someone tell me ... "great, I'm excited, I've booked a Zoom."
Would you reply? What would you say?
Brass Tacks: I've always thought that if you want to do something special you have to think about things very differently from other people and act differently too. Absorbing, digesting and honoring Jane's response is how I do things in life, so why should I be different at work? To me, stopping to understand people is consonant with our mission as a company.
Here's roughly what I wrote back ...
'Hi Jane, First of all, thank you for replying to my email. Most people don't. I appreciate that you shared your experience and feelings. While I'm not an artist, I'm married to an actor and have been collaborating with artists and artisans for 15 years as a social entrepreneur. By telling you this, I don't mean to imply that I understand what it feels like to be in your shoes, but i have some sense of your experience through them. I've been working to have a positive impact on individuals and society for 20+ years. Our mission at Muse is to help each creator to turn their ideas into sustainable income. If we're successful in our mission, I hope that we can work together....'
Ironically, Jane is prototypical for the kind of person for whom Muse.io is made to to be helpful ... Hence this exchange. But life isn't perfect. Often, the very eople you want to embrace and want to support fear you. We are learning and listening. If we can earn our way there then Jane's acceptance and use of Muse could be a fitting milestone on our path toward accoplishing what we
