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Many of you know that I’m an avid kitesurfer. Like many other activities, kiting remains a bit opaque to those who haven’t tried it. You see people from far away getting pulled along by giant kites, and you think: wow, that looks “crazy”, “scary” or “wild”, but it’s hard to relate to.
I’d like to explain. Kiting is far simpler than you might think. It’s basically sailing and surfing rolled into one. Some people ask if it’s like windsurfing, and it is, but it’s much simpler and easier – there is less gear involved and the learning curve is much quicker. It does take a little practice, but so did learning to ride a bike, right? Once you get the hang of it, you just grab your kite and your board and go.
Many people ask: “is it dangerous?” This always strikes me as a silly question. What is danger? Danger is unpredictable risk. Nature isn’t unpredictable – people are. It’s so obvious once we say it that’s it’s a cliché: driving a car or riding a bicycle along a road are both much more dangerous than any extreme sport. Human error is what makes something dangerous.
Many people also confuse fear with danger. And many people confuse unfamiliarity with fear. It makes sense to feel a bit anxious, or mildly fearful, about something you’re not familiar with. But unfamiliar shouldn’t be scary. Getting familiar with the unfamiliar is also known as confidence, which is a good thing. So, let me just say it: kitesurfing isn’t dangerous.
Kitesurfing is awesome. It makes you feel awesome. And: awesome is important. You all have, or certainly should have, something that makes you feel awesome. Wouldn’t you agree that we should all have as much awesome as possible? #Awesome should be your top priority.
You don’t have to kite to feel awesome; for you it might be jogging, playing the guitar, or playing with your kids, but you know what I mean. Kiting isn’t the only thing that makes me feel awesome, but it’s a pretty sure thing that if I head out into San Francisco Bay on a sunny afternoon and spend an hour or two riding around under the Golden Gate bridge, I am going to feel pretty damn awesome.
Some annoying pundits have referred to kiting as the “new golf” or even the “new yachting”. I’ve never played golf, so I can’t fairly say, but is golf ever awesome? I suppose that it must be awesome for some people, but kiting is not anything like golf. It’s more active. It’s more physical. It’s both more independent and more social. It’s requires faster and more integrative thinking. It requires more awareness of the natural world: wind, water, waves, tides, currents, and marine life. It’s doesn’t require any special playing field. It’s more inclusive. It’s more awesome.
There is something about spending time in salt water that is just straight up good for you. Recent research is uncovering that we have a unique connection to the ocean, and that we are far better adapted to spending time in the ocean than most of us think. Try it and you’ll see what I mean. Nothing like a little salt in your hair. Why do you think the pioneers really went west?
So, what does this have to do with AdMonsters?
It all comes back to awesome. If what you’re doing isn’t awesome, you owe it to yourself to change it. One of my mantras in recent years has been “upgrade everything”. Not for the sake of luxury – for the sake of spending my time where it’s best spent. I started AdMonsters as an effort to upgrade my work by meeting my peers and learning from each other. I went to a conference hoping to achieve that. The conference wasn’t awesome, so, with the help of some others, I created something that I hoped would be much better.
I know that the word “conference” isn’t exactly a synonym for “awesome”, but that’s changing. These days there are all sorts of awesome conferences: SXSW, TED, NewCo (formerly OpenCo), and, I hope, AdMonsters. And yes, Burning Man is a conference, as much as SXSW is a festival.
My goal in creating AdMonsters was to create a truly great conference experience: something that makes you say “that was awesome” and leaves you certain that your time has been well spent. A conference should be an upgrade – you should be rejuvenated, inspired, better educated and better connected (even if you have a bit of a hangover).
At the beginning of this year, we announced AdMonsters was finally getting the media company name it deserves. The company is now 8 Meter Media, which includes the AdMonsters Publisher Forum, OPS, the Media Analytics Summit, the Marketing Operations & Technology Summit, and more soon to come.
Why “8 Meter”? Have a look at the picture below and see if you can guess 🙂
…if you haven’t figured it out already, kites are measured in square meters, and my “8 meter” kite is my favorite size. So when 8meter.com turned up available, it just seemed right.
I hope this helps to demystify kitesurfing a bit – and to inspire you to make awesome a top priority! I hope to see all of you at our next Publisher Forum in the Columbia Gorge (not coincidentally, a world-class kitesurfing destination!) In the meantime, check out this video for a bit of my personal brand of awesome:
Yours,
Bowen Dwelle
Founder & CEO, 8 Meter Media / AdMonsters