A month of marketing

Unashamed. Unbashful. Love it.

I've always enjoyed 'marketing', particularly branding. Funny, especially seeing that one-to-one 'sales' isn't one of my strong points. So, what's December brought forth that's gotten me so excited? SO excited, that I want to share...

First, on the coldest Saturday December 13 in recorded history, I performed the obligatory posing in front of a camera. Boy, it WAS cold! On top of that, I'd chosen for my scenery a sailing ship! Glutton for punishment, as always. But the choice wasn't random - all is explained on my website. These are just a couple of the 150+ pics. Oh, and Roy Somech of NY Visual is not only a sport, but efficient, creative and produces some really good work!

IN THE SAME MONTH,

That ever-present quandry called 'merchandise' made an appearance. There aren't many concerts, shows, or festivals you go to where there isn't some sort of merchandise of those who perform. It's kinda cool, actually. I've got a poster of Bryan Adams, a t-shirt with some bearded dude on it (possibly Prof. Peter Schickele), and a sweater from Medway Music Centre, amongst a carton full of 'memorabilia'. So when SPB Merchandise was suggested, I laughed. Seriously. I laughed out loud! But I gave the go ahead and before you know it, I have an 'SPB' magnet on my fridge! LOL. Having a minimalist tendancy towards art and decor, the framed print is simply brilliant, as is the clock and the hoodie. Oh my. Can you imagine coming to see me at a concert, and leaving with an SPB mouse pad?! Whatever next?

Here's the plug: the store shows prices in US or Canadian Dollars and British or Australian Pounds, and all profits are donated directly to the Stone Cottage Arts Foundation. It's taking some getting used to, having my own 'merchandise', but the really freaky moment might just come when I'm walking down 5th Ave in New York and see someone wearing an SPB Baseball Cap! Ha ha ha... Enjoy...

Go to the store directly by clicking here, or go to my website http://www.stephenpbrown.com/ to see some more of the new pics and visit the 'STORE'!

Self-pity vs. WHAT ARE YOU ON ABOUT?!

Scott Ginsberg is a ‘professional speaker’. He wears a nametag 24/7 (Yuh. Tatooed on his chest. Like, his wife needs reminding?). Like Tom Peters, he generously spurts forth common sense and motivating loquations in exchange for large sums of money. And, he’s ten years younger than me. Like most nearly-forty-year-olds, I could catalog a host of events, trips, moments, sufferings, expeditions, and a Harry Potter sized library of experiences. But where’d the time go? How come I’m still not doing the thing I was trying to do while in college, and he is living a life of luxury doing his ‘thing’? Is my perception of my skills so shallow that I can’t see the complete lack of talent? Or do I ignore any talent, and focus on the wrong skills? Is it the quest to share my talent the thing which gets in the way of that talent? Why on earth am I jealous of a famous, in-demand 28 year old who regurgitates others’ words?

On the other hand…

He’s never opened and closed a restaurant. Or drank schnapps at 10am while comforting a tearful 80 year old Romanian peasant. Or watched a happy Malawian paid $0.12 to show you where not to drive get washed off the 10ft gushing crocodile-infested river wall you’re driving on and he’s walking along (by the time we got to the other side, he was swimming towards the bank. Not that anyone else seemed to care). Or been told exactly where to go by players in one of London’s best orchestras. Or cried at the sound of 178 teenagers marching on an American football field playing their trumpets at full pelt. Or has his name written 40ft wide on the inside of a volcano. Or been totally diluted by the racy secrets of harp players. And I bet he’s never tried to eat a refrigerated Mars bar with a knife and fork wearing mittens and a wooly a hat while someone else is yanking the scarf from around your neck (thanks mom & dad for some GREAT Boxing Day games with your friends!).

OK. You’re right. I’ve got NOTHING to complain or be upset about. I’m very thankful and grateful for all of it. Really. There's enough to be overwhelmed about just in my musical activities! And I’m now looking forward to the myriad of other seemingly trivial treasures coming my way – musical, spiritual, personal, or not.