When writing about any of the creative disciplines, it can be interesting to place emphasis on individuals and organizations that have a social impact with their work in the Arts. Many writers who develop content for digital platforms are usually trained to follow the national headlines on topics that are trending on search engines and social media. After examining many of the news aggregator platforms, it becomes apparent that there are thousands of people writing about the same national stories. Sometimes digital writers may not be aware that covering local stories may be a significant option to include in a content strategy.
Highlighting Contributions Made at the Grass Roots Level
Contributions made by established corporations and non-profit organizations are frequently published by print and digital media companies. Many popular brands do not cover organizations that are just getting started at the grass roots level. When you dive into the possibilities of covering these individuals and organizations, you will find a ton of excellent information that would be great to share with an audience.
A Talk with Frank Shifreen-The Miracle Bean
When I got started in digital media, I wasn’t aware of all the opportunities that were available for me to get involved within communities. I wasn’t exactly sure about everything that I was supposed to do. However, I understood that I wanted to create a platform where creatives can gain valuable information for their careers. After undergrad, I embarked on this journey and built a social network/blog with a brand that stood for unity within the Arts, highlighting that the industry is both universal and cross-collaborative. The brand resonated with hundreds of creatives in the fine and performing arts.
Not too long after the launch of the platform, I was working full-time while the online artist community was growing organically. It was a lot of fun checking the platform during my lunch breaks to see who joined and if anyone posted new visual art works and films. At the time, I had one cell phone for my personal usage and another strictly for marketing. One day I received a call during my lunch break from visual artist, Frank Shifreen. We talked about the digital platform and he gave me some excellent advice. I was honored to have this conversation with him because at the time he was working on his doctorate from the prestigious Teacher’s College in New York, and he made the time to share ideas with me.
Here I am, an unknown person in the Midwest, who is really far away from the majority of creative epicenters within the country…and he took time out of his busy schedule to give me call. One extremely important idea that he wanted to share with me is that a digital platform can only do so much; he expressed that the ultimate goal for the platform should be to inspire others to make positive changes within their communities. At the time of the phone call, I did not know about the social impact that Mr. Shifreen has in the Arts community. After the phone call, I found his Wikipedia page and learned that he essentially spearheaded an entire Arts movement in New York throughout his career. I understand his perspective now more than any time in the past. He has inspired me to develop a content strategy that will encourage others to get active in their communities.
The Grass Roots Level
These days, I am having a great time brainstorming, discovering new ideas on how to use a content strategy that will highlight the efforts of individuals and organizations at the local and grass roots level. There are thousands of stories to tell, but in order to find them, one has to take a spotlight and shine it so that audiences can see who the change-makers are in their communities and how they can get involved.