Up All Night
It’s time to change the conversation
Newspapers are too often confused with news. But if the container no longer works, it's time to find one that does. This is a re-post (with additions) of an earlier story.
Mar 19th, 2009 by Jon Anne Willow
It’s your world, explore away.
As most people reading this know, we at Vital Media group were, until very recently, the publishers of VITAL Source Magazine. For seven years VITAL lived in print, found monthly on stands around the Milwaukee metro. Focusing mostly on arts and culture with some coverage of community initiatives and issues, VITAL was a great little mag that entertained about 30,000 people once every 30 days. There were addictive regular columns like SubVersions and REEL Milwaukee, locally authored comics and a puzzle page. We hosted some of the city’s most fun parties. But guess what? For all that we did right (and all that could have been done much better) it didn’t matter in the end. When the economic apocalypse hit last year, we knew by late December that it made no sense to hang on to our beloved, arcane publishing model. So we pulled the plug on the printed magazine, which garnered more attention in death than it ever had in life. Go figure. What transpired in the days that followed can best be called “a long story.” We’d had our new website in development for six months, but even though we were planning all sorts of new experiential features, it was still slated to be the turbo version of the traditional VITAL Source product. In hindsight, this would have garnered a resounding yawn from you and made us just another local website vying for ad dollars and reader eyes. And none of us needed seven more years of that. So, in a feat that I will go ahead and term derring-do, we sat down with a metaphorical clean sheet of paper and re-imagined ourselves from the ground up. We wanted to remain committed to our local audience, but from a broader horizon of interests and concerns. Of course, that’s just fancy marketing talk for wanting to offer more things of more compelling interest to more readers and include the ideas of more smart and interesting people. It’s not a revolutionary idea, by any means, but rather the Holy Grail for online publishers, an elusive recipe for the very elixir of life. On a broad scale, Slate and Salon do it right for newsies, as does Technorati for tech-types. These three sites (and others) author a great deal of their own content, but also pull in carefully selected feeds and stories from outside sources compatible with their audience’s interests. The result is a rodeo of voices, a veritable cornucopia of really good reading for folks with a certain set of interests. It’s kind of like the old portal idea from way back at the turn of the 21st century, but amped up with live feeds, sharing tools, social networking opps, video, podcasts and other stuff our (slightly) older siblings only dreamed about. We believe this model can fill a real need at the local level, at a time when worlds are colliding. On one side, most daily newspapers have moved too slowly to embrace the very real opportunities for high quality, […]
Mar 8th, 2009 by Jon Anne Willow
VITAL Source makes NY Times, thanks to MJS
Sheesh. Say what you want about the declining importance of our nation’s foremost daily newspapers, but I bet if you made the New York Times you’d tell all your neighbors. I know I would… and so I am. This morning we were all in the office, just settling into our coffee and email, when the phone rang. It was a VITAL reader who saw in today’s Times that VITAL had gone out of business. The reader had called to express his condolences but was delighted to hear that the story was untrue. We all work in one giant open office, so there’s no such thing as privacy. Ryan had taken the call, and from one side the conversation had sounded unremarkable. But as soon as she hung up, she yelled “What the _____!” and ran to a computer where she looked up the article in question. We all gathered round and read in horror. Here it is: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/26/business/media/26gamer.html The thrust of the story is about how the owner of one magazine, Hardcore Gamer, faced with shutting the book down, put it up for sale on eBay and successfully sold it. The lead paragraph mentions Vital Source as being among over a dozen magazines to fold in January 2009 alone. Even though it’s just a passing mention, it’s still the New York Times and I felt the need (once again) to clarify our position. Through the website, I emailed Stephanie Clifford, the author: I read with interest this morning your story about Hardcore Gamer and its quest to stay in business by selling to the highest eBay bidder. I do urgently need to clarify, however, one item. As the editor in chief and co-publisher of Vital Source, which you mentioned in your opening paragraph, I feel compelled to let you know that we are not folding, but simply ceasing to print. We currently enjoy a very healthy web audience and will be launching a much-expanded portal in early March. This portal … will serve the hyper-local constituency of the Milwaukee-area population, and allow us to better meet the information, entertainment and news needs of our audience. Of particular note is the fact that we have not lost one single print advertiser to the change; ALL of them signed up with us online. Thanks in advance for any consideration in clarifying this. I’m sure you know that many people will read your article and simply take it at face value if no addendum is offered. I can be reached at 414-XXX-XXXX if you’re interested in speaking further about how one magazine is evolving rapidly to meet the changing demands of the marketplace. Best Regards, Jon Anne Willow To my surprise (just because you never know if people read their site-submitted messages), I received a prompt and courteous response with the assurance that a correction (which she had me verify) would be printed in the paper with an addendum added to the online story. Apparently I wasn’t the only one who contacted her. […]
Jan 29th, 2009 by Jon Anne Willow
VITAL Source is NOT calling it quits
So Rick Romell, who I was told was one of the best business reporters in the newsroom over at the ailing Journal Sentinel, posted a news brief on their website this evening that was cause for concern in several areas: 1. It was embargoed until Monday – a BIG journalistic no-no 2. It was grossly inaccurate in both spirit and fact 3. This guy pulled my chain for 30 minutes on the phone doing an interview, then basically condensed a statement I’d sent the paper, editing for length by removing important pieces of the truth and substituting some sort of sloppy interpretative dance version of of the facts. I know I’m not supposed to be rude, being a comrade in arms in the so-called journalism brotherhood, but hey, he shot at me first. And if it was an accident, well, I’m still bleeding, so if I poke him in the eye it was self-defense. I’m so angry I could spit, and I let their deputy business editor know it. In fact, that’s a direct quote from my email to Jim Nelson. Jim asked that I not be too quick to judge Rick personally, as it could have been the copy desk who took his story and dramatically changed it. The specifics of who did what don’t matter to me; the fact remains that this is some seriously sloppy, potentially damaging “reporting.” So what’s really going on? Here it is, in plain English. Just the facts. I’m pasting the press release itself so you can decide whether we’re going out of business by evaluating the same information received by the professionals. And the media wonders why nobody believes a word they say… FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Jon Anne Willow 414-372-5351 jwillow@vitalsourcemag.com January 5, 2009 VITAL Publications, LLC to cease printing VITAL Source Magazine; move will strengthen other business lines [MILWAUKEE, WI]—The majority partners in VITAL Publications, LLC, announced this morning that, effective with the current issue (January 2009), the company will no longer print local culture magazine VITAL Source. The company will continue to provide media distribution and creative services (including design, writing and copy editing) to Milwaukee businesses and non-profit organizations, and to operate its popular website, vitalsourcemag.com, which will relaunch in early February with a new focus and feature set to better meet the needs of its audience. Further information on the new site will be available soon. Though the magazine had a record year in 2008 and the company as a whole is expected to turn a profit for the first time since it was founded in late 2001, the recent sudden downturn in the economy has dramatically changed the magazine’s revenue forecast for 2009. According to the owners, the reduction in overhead realized by taking VITAL Source out of production will keep the company cash-positive and positioned to continue its growth trajectory. “This is what makes sense right now,” said Editor in Chief and co-Publisher Jon Anne Willow. “It breaks our hearts to think we won’t be […]
Jan 5th, 2009 by Jon Anne Willow
Imagine if you will…
It’s been a long and grinding year, from the shotgun start of the presidential primaries to the historic election of Barack Obama and the concurrent (though unrelated) collapse of financial markets worldwide. You were there – you know – and you don’t need me to offer up yet another post-mortem on a year that can only be categorized as monumentally historic. Besides, the story of these times is so far from written that summarizing right now seems pointless. Instead, I humbly request that I be among the first to wish you peace, hope and better sleep in the new year. Don’t snort: the chance of my wish coming true is at least as strong as that of me getting a pony for Christmas. Please don’t feel responsible for making my equine holiday wish a reality; at this point in my life, if I ever decide that I must have my own pony I’ll find a way to make it happen. And you can find a way to grant yourself peace and restful nights: it’s actually within your reach, and I’m going to share the secret with you now. Remember when you were little and it was time to get ready for bed? Your parents would have you put away your stuff, take a bath and put on your jammies. Sometimes you’d have a snack and then crawl into your warm bed with a book or the radio playing quietly. Eventually you’d turn off the light and drift down into unconsciousness, thoughts of the day just past or the day ahead curling like mist around your dream factory, priming the pump for the night to come. Your details might be different from these, but the outcome is the same: a graceful transition from the chaos of the day into the solace of sleep, a chance to regenerate and face the new morning head-on. I neglected this ritual for nearly three decades. As a typical young adult I flew from bed to school or work, from obligated time into a frenzied social life, slamming back into bed late and crashing hard (or staring at the ceiling for hours) until my alarm clock pulled me with a squawk from my mattress once again. I didn’t prioritize it as a single mom and new business owner, either. How could I? Time becomes so compressed for grownups, until you look in the mirror one morning and realize that you’ve aged, the lines and gray hair informing you in no uncertain terms that there’s no traveling backwards. You can’t stop time and the inexorable hunger of its advances. Time is like fire: always consuming you, even as it paves the way for new beginnings. But you can steal from time – a moment here and there – and reclaim yourself. I can attest that the moments you take back from the voracity of the daily grind are well-invested, replenishing your under-valued emotional and spiritual reservoir and providing a source of strength from which to draw in […]
Dec 1st, 2008 by Jon Anne Willow
We’re all in this together
Occasionally I find myself in the awkward position of having to file this column in the figurative hours just before a momentous event. This time, of course, it’s the race between Barack Obama and John McCain for the presidency. I could have gone ahead and predicted the ’04 elections and written from that perspective, and I think I can predict this one. But in this sense, I’m not much of a risk-taker. So if you’re reading this after November 4, understand that this was written in October and check this space in December, where I might share some thoughts on the election. Then again, I might be as weary of the whole thing as you, ready to move on and just see what comes next. On second thought, I’m pretty sure I’ll be all done thinking about the election by December, so I won’t bore any of us with ruminating further on the implications of its outcome – you hereby have my solemn promise on that. But I can’t guarantee that I won’t still be thinking about the mess we’re in and how we’re going to get out of it. Barring the end of the world, I believe we can recover from this, even if the global power structure shifts dramatically. We may not come out on top of the super-power dog pile in the end, but either way it’s going to take a few years before we can tell how things are going to shake out. And whatever form the new world order takes, it, too, will be impermanent. Just ask the Macedonians. For years I’ve been obsessing over the now-arrived (and amazingly predictable) financial market collapse. I’ve been writing about our dangerously over-valued economy since 2003 and moved my money (what little there is of it) to CDs and long-term growth funds in 2006. I’ve only ever borrowed $500 against my house (to help pay for new gutters) and I drive a 1996 Corolla that’s been paid off for ten years and gets 35 mpg in town. I don’t have cable and my kids don’t freak out about hand-me-downs. Sure, my business could go belly-up in 2009 (though things look stable right now), but if it does, we had a good run and I’m probably qualified for some sort of job that will keep food on the table and a roof over our heads should VITAL’s little house of cards be blown away by the winds of changing fortune. Am I pessimistic? Absolutely not, in part because in my studies, I’ve learned at least one thing: nobody is invulnerable. A recent decline in demand for Chinese steel, coupled with stagnant or falling fossil fuel consumption in many developed countries, has driven oil prices down to less than $100 per barrel (at this writing). OPEC responded recently by signaling it would cut production to stabilize prices, but Saudi Arabia, the world’s single largest oil producer, broke ranks and declared it would continue with plans to increase production, partly to […]
Nov 1st, 2008 by Jon Anne Willow
One Question
In the run-up to this historic election cycle, VITAL asked a sampling of your elected officials one question. We deliberately chose politicians at the city, county, state and federal levels, both Republicans and Democrats, in the hope that the responses of five different people who serve their constituencies from different horizons of perspective would offer some collective insight into where we are, where we’re headed and how we’re going to get there in the next four years. Their repsonses virtually careen from fiery stump speech to party line recitation to four-point-plan. If you follow politics, not much here will surprise you, but it is a rather fascinating character study.–Jon Anne Willow Willie L. Hines Jr. Alderman, 15th District Milwaukee Common Council President Having grown up in public housing, I am well acquainted with severe struggles many residents of Milwaukee face. My nine siblings and I always knew that having food on the table was not something to take for granted. We witnessed decay and destruction up close. And we learned to be thankful for everything, in and out of season – regardless of circumstances. Those childhood lessons have equipped me with a unique perspective when it comes to government and serving the needs of citizens. I know that significant challenges present significant opportunities – it’s a belief that guides my everyday life as an alderman and as Common Council President. I’ve witnessed individuals and communities in my district overcome myriad obstacles, so I know that it can be done with the right mix of determination and sound public policy. In regard to unemployment, housing and transportation, Milwaukee can do much better. We can – and should – face down these challenges and transform them into opportunities for growth, prosperity and a better quality of life for everyone. Part of the solution rests in a word that is often talked about but seldom realized: regionalism.Just as Milwaukee has its share of challenges, so too do our suburban neighbors: New Berlin has the largest industrial park in the state, but they need employees; many Waukesha residents want to get in and out of downtown Milwaukee quickly, but our inter-transit system is anemic; Shorewood and Whitefish Bay rely on Milwaukee for their employment options, but they offer almost no affordable housing. By recognizing that we are all one community, we can leverage our mutual advantages to address our mutual shortcomings. If Milwaukee can have sister-city relationships with municipalities in China and Africa, surely we can collaborate with our suburban counterparts. Recently, the topic of regionalism was fiercely debated when New Berlin came to Milwaukee seeking a deal for Lake Michigan water. This was not a surprise; as soon as the Great Lakes Compact was signed, we new that New Berlin would be the first candidate on the docket to be vetted for full connection to Milwaukee’s world-class fresh water infrastructure. Some have said that the New Berlin/Milwaukee water agreement offered an example of regionalism. But I say regionalism has to be a twoway […]
Oct 1st, 2008 by Jon Anne Willow
Reconsidering the turkey
The other day my son and I were driving in the country when we saw a small rafter of wild turkeys hanging out by the side of the road. We stopped to watch, which eventually caused the big tom to lead the dozen or so females and adolescents back to the tall meadow stand at a leisurely pace, one eye on us and one on his charges. He perched in a low tree, puffed up and giving orders in what sounded like a calm but firm voice, not descending until it was time to form a rear guard of one. It was very cool. For a 10-year old, Harrison is a fount of history and science trivia. As we pulled away he asked me if I knew that Ben Franklin thought the turkey would make a better national bird than the bald eagle. “I did know that,” I replied. “Do you know why?” “Because he thought turkeys were smarter and more honest than eagles, and that was a better symbol for America.” I asked if he agreed. “I think,” he replied, “that the turkey would be a better symbol of how we should be, but the eagle is more accurate for how we are.” Indeed. Benjamin Franklin’s now-famous thoughts on the turkey were disclosed in a letter to his daughter in 1784: “For my own part I wish the Bald Eagle had not been chosen the Representative of our Country. He is a Bird of bad moral Character. He does not get his Living honestly. …[T]oo lazy to fish for himself, he watches the Labour of the Fishing Hawk; and when that diligent Bird has at length taken a Fish, and is bearing it to his Nest for the Support of his Mate and young Ones, the Bald Eagle pursues him and takes it from him. … [L]like those among Men who live by Sharping & Robbing he is generally poor and often very lousy. Besides he is a rank Coward: The little King Bird not bigger than a Sparrow attacks him boldly and drives him out of the District. He is therefore by no means a proper Emblem for the brave and honest Cincinnati of America who have driven all the King birds from our Country…For the Truth the Turkey is in Comparison a much more respectable Bird …He is besides, though a little vain & silly, a Bird of Courage…” Franklin never petitioned his idea formally. Maybe he already had a sense of the direction in which things were headed and didn’t see the value in ruffling any feathers (sorry). He was, after all, a pretty smart guy, and eerily prescient on a host of matters. Philosophically, as a publisher, I’m probably a lot like Ben Franklin, who worked as a civil servant late into his life, more interested in improving the postal service, the library system and municipal functions than holding great power on the world stage. So when you read VITAL Source online or in print, […]
Oct 1st, 2008 by Jon Anne Willow
Chances are
In America, life is dangerous. We hear ominous factoids all the time about the ways we’re in danger every time we eat, breathe, talk on our phones or walk down the street. In a very general way, we all have a sense that something bad could happen at any time. And it’s true! To illustrate, I’ve created a quick “Chance Chart” which is by no means complete but which gets the point across: Incident: Chance it will happen A man will develop cancer: 1 in 2 A woman will develop cancer: 1 in 3 A woman will be sexually assaulted: 1 in 4 A man will be sexually assaulted: 1 in 33 You’ll die from heart disease: 1 in 3 You’ll have a stroke: 1 in 6 You’ll be the victim of a serious crime: 1 in 20 You’ll lose a child this year: 1 in 5,000 Kind of puts things in perspective, don’t you think? All I’m saying is that there’s a lot out there to genuinely worry about, but I’ll make a gentleman’s bet with anyone that on a daily basis, we worry about a whole lot of stuff that’s a lot less important. Take, for example, our recent stress over what the rest of the world was going to think of us for throwing up a statue of Fonzie on the Riverwalk. It wouldn’t have been my choice, but then again I’m not the one who got my butt in gear and made an attention-garnering piece of public “art” happen. Love it or hate it, it brought in the national morning news shows and a handful of 20th century TV actors who wouldn’t have dropped in for breakfast otherwise. And in the end, how many New Yorkers are going to pass by Milwaukee for their summer vacation next year because our city has lame taste in bronze statues? The other day I was enjoying a cup of coffee at Anodyne and indulged myself in eavesdropping on two women who spent almost 15 minutes worrying (loudly, hence the indulgence) about what kind of First Lady Michelle Obama will make. According to them, Obama comes off as cold, bitter, even unpatriotic and racist. Seriously? Did either of them take the time to read her “controversial” Princeton thesis? And the “whitey” comment supposedly caught on video? Doesn’t exist. Here’s why some people really don’t like her: she’s Condoleezza Rice’s doppelganger, only younger and with better hair. And everybody – even Republicans – is scared of Condi, for more established reasons. But here’s my favorite. When VITAL published its August issue with Nikki McGuinnis’ contest-winning photograph of a little boy nestled on the shelf of an open refrigerator on the cover, we received a veritable blizzard of calls, emails and even real live letters on the subject. Some were positive, with remarks ranging from the issue’s general attractiveness to our “artistic daring.” Needless to say, there was also negative feedback. One, obviously written by an elderly woman, went so far as […]
Sep 1st, 2008 by Jon Anne Willow
I want to believe
A couple of weekends ago I painted my back landing. When I bought my house in early 2001 almost every wall was a flat white – supposedly to attract buyers – and I’ve been meaning to remedy this ever since. But time does have a way of slipping into the future and over the ensuing years my interior has devolved from boring to shabby through the hard wear only a young family can deliver. I was finally motivated to start with the hall by the relatively narrow scope of the project, seven years of little handprints that would no longer wash off and the unexpected acquisition of a cute storage cabinet rescued from my neighbors’ curb. In a fit of largesse, I also bought curtains, rugs and hanging shelves. Forty labor hours and a hundred bucks later I had the sweetest little entryway you can imagine – charming, really, in robin’s egg blue against dark wood, white and brushed stainless accessories showing off my vintage coffee pot collection to perfection. Most people enter my home through the back door, so it’s a great first impression. But now when you walk through to the kitchen, its flaws are immediately evident. Ugly, faded wallpaper peels from more than one corner, the cabinet bases are chipped, the ceiling fan is grotesque and the top of the fridge doubles as cereal box storage. The table and chairs are all wrong and there’s nowhere to put everything away. Frankly, the whole thing is a disaster and it’s making me crazy. Meanwhile, the kitchen continues to be the center of our home, piles of papers and crowded counters be damned. The peeling paper, dust in the corners and imperfect linoleum don’t seem to deter everyone from gathering there, leaving the typically tidy (and much more attractive) living room to gather dust. I’ve tried pointing out the kitchen’s flaws, but no one else seems concerned, suggesting that some well-chosen color would fix it right up. I’m less optimistic: it’s not as simple as throwing down a coat of paint when you have the organizational issues innate to an 83-year-old kitchen – a tiny, counter-less mess with (somehow) three doorways and two windows, plus ancient, energy-sucking appliances. To make any true functional improvements would cost at least a thousand bucks. And that wouldn’t even get me a dishwasher. I feel stuck. I recently opened a home equity line of credit to have my roof fixed, and there’s still plenty left to borrow on, but I’m worried about the payments. I’m not as over-extended as some people, but my apple cart could certainly tip over with a stroke or two of severely bad luck. In other words, I’m just like you, your neighbor and just about everyone else: I’m anxious about what’s still to come and have no idea how bad it’s really going to get. For now, at least, Milwaukee doesn’t have it as bad as many other cities. There’s little comfort there, I know, but at least […]
Aug 1st, 2008 by Jon Anne Willow
Mavericks and Leaders
There are only three paths in life for a free spirit: lazy dreamer, maverick and leader. Of course there’s a fourth option, and one that many attempt – some to the end of their days – avoidance of embracing one’s true nature. The strongest of these reassure themselves that they’re “doing the right thing” by attaining middle management status so their kids can have the opportunities they didn’t (though I believe this is a myth, and that foregoing your own fulfillment sets a terrible example). Others spend their lives bouncing from job to job, looking for that magical situation in which they can finally be happy. But for those who recognize their own nature and acknowledge its calling, none of the choices are easy (assuming the absence of a trust fund). Lazy dreamer is the most attractive option for the young. Life is simple: when you have ten bucks, you get three beers at your corner bar. You might have a guitar, or a cat, or a collection of first edition Raymond Carver hardbacks – things you cherish not for their material value, but because they’re special to you. You’re probably satisfactorily under-employed somewhere that offers a flexible schedule. Your friends are artists and activists, and collectively you reinforce each others’ belief in simple pleasures and the evils of material enslavement. It’s a good life for awhile, and some folks keep with it all of their days. For others, there comes a time – typically in one’s late 20s or early 30s – when la vie bohème loses its charm. You may want to set up house with your baby, you might be tired of being broke all the time or perhaps you’re simply sick of hearing that you’re a chronic fuck-up. At this disheartening fork in the road, there are two paths: the aforementioned denial of your nature (at least temporarily) or the reinvention of yourself as a maverick. Mavericks are the mythic darlings of American culture. They work tirelessly in pursuit of their personal goals while bowing to no man; they are the innovators, the self-made millionaires, the rock stars. They don’t punch a time clock. For hard-working free spirits, this is probably the best life imaginable. It’s helpful to have an in-demand business skill you can hone into a personal empire, but even if you don’t you can dedicate yourself to becoming a skilled artisan and make a nice living while maintaining your independence. One thing not taught in maverick school, though, is the catch: the successful ones will find themselves at another fork in the road, and they’ll have to make a choice: to stay free and accept the limits of the one-man band, or to build something larger than one person can achieve. It’s the very definition of irony. While mavericks enjoy (immensely, really) widespread fraternity with other mavericks, with the people for whom they provide services and with any envious joe they find on a barstool at 5:30 on a Friday night with their […]
Jul 2nd, 2008 by Jon Anne Willow
Mavericks and leaders
There are only three paths in life for a free spirit: lazy dreamer, maverick and leader. Of course there’s a fourth option, and one that many attempt – some to the end of their days – avoidance of embracing one’s true nature. The strongest of these reassure themselves that they’re “doing the right thing” by attaining middle management status so their kids can have the opportunities they didn’t (though I believe this is a myth, and that foregoing your own fulfillment sets a terrible example). Others spend their lives bouncing from job to job, looking for that magical situation in which they can finally be happy. But for those who recognize their own nature and acknowledge its calling, none of the choices are easy (assuming the absence of a trust fund). Lazy dreamer is the most attractive option for the young. Life is simple: when you have ten bucks, you get three beers at your corner bar. You might have a guitar, or a cat, or a collection of first edition Raymond Carver hardbacks – things you cherish not for their material value, but because they’re special to you. You’re probably satisfactorily under-employed somewhere that offers a flexible schedule. Your friends are artists and activists, and collectively you reinforce each others’ belief in simple pleasures and the evils of material enslavement. It’s a good life for awhile, and some folks keep with it all of their days. For others, there comes a time – typically in one’s late 20s or early 30s – when la vie bohème loses its charm. You may want to set up house with your baby, you might be tired of being broke all the time or perhaps you’re simply sick of hearing that you’re a chronic fuck-up. At this disheartening fork in the road, there are two paths: the aforementioned denial of your nature (at least temporarily) or the reinvention of yourself as a maverick. Mavericks are the mythic darlings of American culture. They work tirelessly in pursuit of their personal goals while bowing to no man; they are the innovators, the self-made millionaires, the rock stars. They don’t punch a time clock. For hard-working free spirits, this is probably the best life imaginable. It’s helpful to have an in-demand business skill you can hone into a personal empire, but even if you don’t you can dedicate yourself to becoming a skilled artisan and make a nice living while maintaining your independence. One thing not taught in maverick school, though, is the catch: the successful ones will find themselves at another fork in the road, and they’ll have to make a choice: to stay free and accept the limits of the one-man band, or to build something larger than one person can achieve. It’s the very definition of irony. While mavericks enjoy (immensely, really) widespread fraternity with other mavericks, with the people for whom they provide services and with any envious joe they find on a barstool at 5:30 on a Friday night with their […]
Jul 1st, 2008 by Jon Anne Willow
