The Studio Source.com

This just in—the economy is a construct.

I know. That’s not news. We usually think of the economy in terms of paycheques and employment rates and the price of electricity and groceries. But the “economy” is like a strange fantasy world where we exchange pieces of paper for the work we do. Somebody somewhere put a value on that work, and we more or less agree with that value. The things we buy are also assigned a value. Sometimes that value changes.

It’s pretty weird when you think about it that way.

I’m new to the blogging game, so I just found this out – October 15 is Blog Action Day, where bloggers the world over are called to write about an important global issue.

This year the topic is climate change.

Mark McGuinness wrote a great post about how we can convince people to take action, and points out how hard it  is to change minds.

We do like our ruts.

Al Gore told the world about the danger we’re in. People still aren’t getting it. No, wait. People are getting it. There are many individuals who are investing in solar power, changing their vehicles to run on cooking oil (which I hear isn’t too difficult if it runs on diesel), turning down their thermostats, and carpooling. The big problem is leadership. How do we change the minds of politicians?

We tell them to.

Politicians are always looking at voting issues. My member of Parliament told me if he gets a dozen contacts about something, it’s an issue. 12 messages. That’s all. That’s how much power we really have, but don’t realize it.

This gives a whole new meaning to the word “grassroots.”

So here’s my challenge: contact your government representatives. Take 10 minutes out of your day to send one email to your municipal, provincial or state, and federal reps. Tell them to wake up and get busy. Tell them they work for you, and you’d like clean air and water, thank you very much, for the next generation. Pay particular attention to your municipal government, because that’s where change really happens. It starts small and gains momentum. Google is an easy way to find government contact information.

A little bit of research. One email. A world  full of voices, and you can be part of it.

Humans love comfort. We love comfort so much we climb into ruts and make ourselves at home. We tend to stick with our circle of acquaintances, both online and in the real world. We’re also inclined to spend time with people who do similar things, which is helpful for collaborating on projects, but may not be the best way to find new customers. Professional organizations are great, but they tend to make us insular. Maybe even a little boring.

So what do your customers do for fun? Where do they hang out? Do you have common interests? How do you figure that out?

It’s Thanksgiving day here in Canada. What am I grateful for? That I put myself heavily into student loans to go to art school. It was the best decision I ever made.

I had some remarkable instructors when I attended NSCAD University (once upon a time simply referred to as “the Art College”). I vividly remember three things that were said to me during my time at NSCAD; the first two were offhand comments, the third was carefully worded and meant to stick. None of them were said in a business context, but as so often happens, simple, sincere words are more valuable than you realize. These words have served me well as an artist and designer. They’re important marketing lessons, too.

I read two blog posts today that got me thinking about dresses and shoes. That got me thinking about how easy it can be to find your unique selling proposition: do it by accident.

If you’re not familiar with the jargon, a unique selling proposition (USP) is what makes you different from other people in your field, and preferably what makes you more valuable than the other guy in the eyes of your ideal buyer.

I once attended a marketing workshop where the mere mention of finding your USP made everyone look like they were about to undergo root canal. It can be a tough thing to come up with, especially if you overthink it.