Early this week, the fabulous Adriana Christianson popped up in my facebook timeline talking about Periscope, reminding me that I had a dormant account linked to my twitter. Periscope is a livestreaming App, Periscope.tv and you can download the app via google play or the apple store. While you are live streaming people can comment as they watch and give you little hearts that float into the ether. (I love the hearts) The streams are available for 24 hours and a new word has entered our pottery lexicon and that word is SCOPE.
I think that I have found my happy place. I really do.
Those of you that know me, know that I am a great advocate of social media as a tool for both your business and your personal development. Sadly here in Tasmania a lot of people do not see the benefit of social media at all and I often feel that I am shouting into the wilderness about how fabulous an online life can be. At a meeting in the city earlier this week, I was told about a failing small business that had decided to cut its online presence totally, as it couldn’t see the benefit of the internet. I just wanted to bang my head against a wall in frustration because this attitude is so prevalent.
Using Social media has negated my isolation, it has enabled me to tell my story my way, and the connections and friendships I have made are just fabulous. My social media presence has opened doors for me professionally and personally and NOW THERE IS PERISCOPE.
Oh My, Oh My, Oh My.
Internet, I do not think I am ever going to sleep again.
Potters have discovered Periscope en masse and these last few days have been a glorious whirlwind of livestreams, hilarity, new friendships and a constantly whistling phone. What I am liking the most in this first week is the raw feel of the scopes (livestreams) as we knock over our phones, are interrupted by dogs or children, as we work out how to zoom in or out, and how the poo hearts (brown hearts) are now so highly prized.
Periscope feels real to me, it feels like blogging used to feel before the advent of facebook and the easy like. When we used to leave long comments on each others blogs because our phones were not smart. Conversation was all done via our computers and the comments were the only connections some of us had. Thank you so much internet for some of those comments, you saved me after mum died, you really did.
A lot of social media these days has morphed into a very slick promotional tool. Some instagram feeds are so highly stylised and impersonal, that the artfully arranged pots with their casually dropped flowers/leaves/petals/ shot from above, all begin to look the same. A lot of instagram and facebook has become boringly predictable and while I understand why it is so, I do not like it and have culled out the boring, cliquey feeds. I still like some of the people, I just do not like their public images and that is okay, as my opinion is of little importance.
I like my internet a bit more real, I like a bit of heart and I like a whole lot of honesty.
And this is where periscope hits the spot for me.
I have learned so much in the last three days.
Stefan Andersson from Sweden is putting together a show this week and his thoughtful presentation is lovely to watch. Stefan also has inspired me to wedge some coffee grounds into my clay and fire a pot or two in a saggar in my electric kiln.
Cori Sandler from Vancouver Island has shared barking Sea lions that made Monty bark in response and we giggled together LIVE about this. Cori throws lovely pots and is a natural communicator and teacher. Cori shared a scope of a friend scoping Humpback whales swimming in Hawaii this morning, that was just lovely.
Didem Mert, a grad student is just hilarious and I want to reach through the screen and give her a hug. Her work is interesting and Didem is another natural teacher and communicator. It is easy to see why she was included on C File’s list of 15 Potters to Watch in 2016 and I am going to make one of her POTATOES today.
Adriana Christianson is the only other Australian potter I have met, that is an enthusiastic about new media as I am, as Adriana is also a natural teacher and communicator. Her tutorial yesterday on using cobalt had me in my studio a few hours later playing around with some cobalt with really promising results.
Adriana has set up a public group on facebook called #pottersofperiscope, for all things periscope related.
I was going to list more potters who are all equally fabulous and inspiring but Monty keeps on nudging my hand off the mouse because we are late for a walk.
Go investigate Periscope.
Find me there as @KimFoaleCeramics.
Join.
It is fabulous fun.
But I warn you, you will never sleep again *yawns*
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I downloaded the periscope app this week and I am still trying to get my head wrapped around it. I am definitely going to have to turn off the notifications while I am working, way to distracting!!