What's the point Adrian?
After reflecting on the experience a bit more I thought about how the craftsmanship of such beautiful buildings relates to my own life. So basically, how it relates to email.
And at the risk of sounding profound (which I have no business being) I have some thoughts.
A problem exists with excessiveness...
Modern society has blessed us with many things. An abundance of food, shelter, infrastructure, and information. We have everything in abundance, if not bordering on excess.
The problem with excess, is that it attracts more excess, which can be excessive. Relating this to email; When email was invented it was close to a miracle. We could now have instantaneous asynchronous communication. An abundance of communication turned into an excess of communication, which in turn became an excess of unwanted communication (spam), and here we are today.
Keeping up with the modern demands for residential and commercial space for growing economies, we ended up with excess of buildings that have been critiqued as a tad soulless. All tall glass scry scrapers and brutalist concrete urban fortresses look more or less the same, and don't draw any particular positive attention.
In a sea of ugly buildings, beauty, such as that of the Duomo or the Badia Fiorentina, stand out.
I'm not saying don't build ugly buildings. They have a purpose and they solve a problem, just as sending an excessive amount of potentially unwanted email also has a place and solves a problem (maybe?).
Come on man, get on with it!
Why do people flock to the old cities with their monuments of beauty?
People are being overwhelmed by excess everywhere. Excess traffic, excess spam, excess work, excess bills, and it's getting truly excessive.
What you should strive for, what all marketers should strive for, is to provide relief from excess, rather than contribute to it.
Most businesses are sending thousands of emails every minute of uninspired, unhelpful drivel simply to stay in the inbox. I myself am guilty of this, as are most marketers.
People can tell when you put effort into something. That's why, hundreds, and thousands of years later people still flock to see the old monuments and chruchs.
So my request... my challenge, to you is to send an email that doesn't contribute to excess. Build your beautiful cathedral, so that your subscribers can find respite in it.
Okay, how?
Glad you asked.
In a world of abundant mediocrity, the people crave excellence.
How does one be excellent?
I think excellence is born at the intersection of Passion, Inspiration, and Skill.
Each of the architects and engineers of these amazing classical buildings was inspired to create, and passionate about the outcome, and skilled enough to execute the vision.
I have no doubt that you are passionate about what you do (If you are not, them maybe you should reflect on it), and skilled enough to execute it.
Inspiration is harder to come by. Every time I write one of these emails I'm inspired by events unfolding in my daily life. People find inspiration in different ways.
But when it does come, hold on to it, and don't let go of it until the work is done. Inspiration is fickle and temporary. If it's not seized, it moves on.
When all three meet, you have the opportunity to create, write, build, design, at a superior level. The products of this event, whether it's an email, a product, a webpage, a video, or a building, creates an energetic magnet that attracts those who have the ability to appreciate it.
But what if I put all this time and
effort into it and not one reads it?
I think again about the Badia Fiorentina tucked behind a solitary inconspicuous wooden door. It's intricately sculpted wood ceiling, carved over months, maybe years by expert carpenters, being see only be a few curious tourists. And also the passionate organist playing for the walls, for the sake of playing because it is beautiful.
Not many people have, or will notice it (as their eyes are captured by the much more impressive Duomo). In fact, quick Google search reveals very few results for it. I'm sure most tourists walk right past the wooden door without ever realizing what they missed.
But when I saw it by chance, inspired me to write this email, and to aspire for excellence in the inbox.
If just one person stumbles upon your email, content, video, website, or whatever, and is inspired by the massive effort you put into it, would it be worthwhile?
Send excellently. Arrivederci,
Adrian Tobey
Founder, Groundhogg Inc.
Have you produced something truly excellent recently? Let me know in our Facebook group, or reply to this email.
