“Rejuvenated my Social Soul... super meaningful”
“I'll admit I was concerned about pricing - in which case, I'm very thankful for the scholarship! It seemed as good-a-time as any to commit to a course and really dig into all things Social—and I was pretty hooked from the Digital Wellness Challenge! I really appreciated the authentic viewpoint of Social Media, as a Creative/Artist. I'm often turned off by other sources that are just geared towards small businesses. The artistic approach was so helpful for me - and admitting to the concept of: "Hey. These are the rules, if you will. Now. YOU can decide how much to play by them, bend them, break them, etc. But, at least you know how it works, in case you wanna play the game." I loved the whole setup of watching the lessons via the site, on my own time, with the comments/worksheets. So convenient.
I "met" Tony through a speaker series w/ a nonprofit - I really enjoyed his energy and general approach. It felt digestible and applicable. I started with the Digital Wellness Challenge, and he was already communicating/giving me feedback/interacting with me - and I enjoyed it! He kicked off that relationship and it definitely sold me to see what he was all about! I've typically always really enjoyed Social, and felt that I've had good feedback/a good audience. Recently - before Smartists - I was just feeling like I had nothing to post, no good reason to post, and I was struggling with feeling like I had a seat at the table.. this course has rejuvenated my Social Soul and reminded me that I do have a voice and there are SOOO many ways to use it! ..and people WANT to hear it! I definitely was intimidated by those platforms I wasn't using as frequently (still plenty to learn/apply but it feels good to get those profiles active again);
I also struggled with feeling like it was "worth it" to post — now I see that sometimes a pic of me smiling is all that's needed.. might seem vain, but people do enjoy it AND if you can sneak a lil message in there.. why not?! Honestly, most of all, it renewed a sense of light and silliness for me ..which is what my profiles have kind of always been about.. it doesn't have to be that serious. Do your homework, sure. (Analytics, topical research, etc) ..but then.. just release it. If Ariana can post a blurry pic of the donut she licked, then I can post whatever I want! And it doesn't need to be a masterpiece.
I still have LOTS to put into practice - but, something that was super encouraging was the response I got after sharing a "behind the scenes/here's the process" vid of me writing a song ... certainly uncharted territory for me so it was scary! But people were so supportive and encouraging... and that was just super cool and meaningful. Do it! Tony and team do an awesome job of teaching the ins and outs of social media through the authentic lens of an artist. If you're wanting to learn more about all the many platforms available, gain some helpful insights on WHY and HOW to use social, AND join a loving, supportive community of really awesome people all trying to add some creative authenticity to this world - then this is for you! As someone who is pretty tech/social media savvy, I still found this program super useful. One of my greatest flaws is sitting down, getting organized and making a plan - so this helped hold me accountable and got me to THINK about what I'm doing with my platforms and WHY.”
Matthew Borchers
Artist, New York, NY
