I don't go anywhere where I don't know anybody anymore.
This was a feature of growing up. Especially college. You walked in alone and you had to find your way, you talked to this person and that, trying to find your group. Maybe it's different at the state school where people go home on weekends, but if you're in the hinterlands at a private institution, you're all thrown in together, with none of the status markers of regular society to divide you, you all were accepted, you're all equal, now you've got to find your way.
But it's not only college, it's kindergarten, maybe high school, but especially summer camp. You start off sans status, all you've got is your personality, your ability to integrate. On your mark, get set, GO!
I'm only now experiencing the cost of lockdown. I got too isolated for too long. And so much that used to be out is now in. Even medical appointments, they're virtual. And you rarely have to talk to anybody on the phone, texting systems are incredible, you can make and break appointments, and I appreciate that, but raw socialization, it's fallen by the wayside.
I was in the swing of things prior to March 2020. I was scheduled to go away ten days later. It was an endless merry-go-round, from here to there to there, I didn't think twice, I counted my airline miles to find out how far I was from the next level of status, I was in the groove. But it's different now.
There are fewer events. A lot have not picked up again. And I got older, which changes your perspective and others' perception of you.
Which is all to say I was anxious about coming to Stream. Because of the challenge of navigating the people, the relationships. I know from the past that eventually you find your place, you fit in, but my social anxiety coupled with lockdown... Let me just say it's easier to stay home. And easier to say no to that which you've done again and again. I mean how many times can you see ____________ again. I want new and different experiences, but mostly they come via streaming television.
WPP is the world's largest advertising company. "WPP" stands for "Wire and Plastic Products," it's just a shell upon which Martin Sorrell built the empire. Sorrell was exiled in a contretemps I'll leave to your own research, and now Mark Read is the CEO. And at Stream the CEO is accessible, and I love talking to the top dog, to gain information, to see what makes them tick.
So Stream is held multiple places over the year. It's a free conference of WPP employees and affiliates and clients and tech leaders and... Well, me!
Fewer than two hundred people, the sessions are created by the attendees. There's a big board, anyone can start a group. So it's not the usual topics. And you banter and try to get to the truth.
And there are dinners and fun and...
I just arrived today and I've already had my most stimulating conversation of the year. How does creativity interface with AI? Not from the perspective that the sky is falling, but the role of each. And how do you make the financial winners more creative and vice versa. We live in a world where money is everything, but the world runs on culture, which gets pooh-poohed. It's all about STEM, but how often do you go to dinner and discuss coding?
My anxiety has not completely evaporated. Then again, based on past Stream conferences it will only be a matter of time before I meet more people more intimately. And, once again, the level of discussion is higher than I'm used to in the music business. I already feel the excitement of analysis. It's fun to be where everybody is equal, where the ideas trump the totems.
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