Key to Success: the Yoko Ono Effect

I heard about this on the radio this morning, and had to see it for myself. I wanted to share the video with you because…well…I don’t really know. But I figure if I have to have this taking up valuable real estate in my mind, so too should you. Plus, it makes me giggle…

I guess this is art. At least according to the MoMA.

Silly as the “performance” is, somehow, somebody gave Yoko Ono the greenlight to perform this live. How did that happen?

I call it the “Yoko Ono” effect, and it’s a result of two factors:

1. Knowing that there’s a market for anything
2. With a Strong Platform You Can Write Your Own Ticket

Let’s take a look at these two ideas…

Knowing That There’s a Market for Anything

There is probably somebody right now thinking I am a philistine for not appreciating the brilliance of this performance piece. If this is your thing, more power to you. Just realize that I will never take a road trip with you when you have control over the stereo.

The bigger picture is that no matter what you like to do, there are probably people out there who:

1. Have an interest in it too
2. Would be willing to pay money for it

Keep in mind, some interests are going to be much less easy or lucrative than other. “Voice Piece for Soprano” by Yoko Ono is not going to be quite the same success that “Hey Jude” is. At least not until the seventh seal is broken and Brian Boitano goes ice skating on the river Styx. I’m just sayin’…

I realize that the people watching Yoko in the video probably didn’t pay to see her, and the MoMA may not have paid her, but look in your alternative newspaper for what’s going on around town on the weekend and I bet you will find plenty of very “niche” shows that some people are paying to go see.

Whatever you do or want to do, go find your people, go find your market, and go be happy. And please, if you plan on screaming and gyrating in public and calling it “art,” do it far away from me…

With a Strong Platform You Can Write Your Own Ticket

Let’s be honest: if you walked up to the director of the MoMA, said, “I have this great piece of performance art,” and then started screaming and convulsing like Linda Blair in the Exorcist, not only would he not sign you up to perform, he would probably also kick you in the groin. Ironically, the sounds emerging from your mouth both pre and post groin kick would be eerily similar…

Yoko Ono gets to perform this…er…let’s call it a “piece”…because she’s Yoko Ono. She has a name, a following, and a platform. Who she is matters more than what she does.

This is the same reason that:

• Mike “the Situation” Sorrentino from Jersey Shore gets a 6 figure book advance
• Paris Hilton gets to act (if you can call it acting)
• The “Countess” Luann de Lesseps from “Real Housewives of NYC” gets to produce a song

The list of people with no talent in a field who get much farther in that field simply because they have a platform goes on and on. Checkout the Countess’s song:

Don’t be depressed by this – learn from it! Build your own platform. Seth Godin calls this a Tribe. Build a following of people who love what you do and will support you by:

• Buying your stuff
• Recommending you to others
• Forwarding on your videos and articles
• Speak about you without prompting
• And so on

You don’t need a huge platform; it just needs to be big enough to support your needs. Some people have a strong platform in a small industry (I have a friend who is known as the person to set up Museum Shop displays for special exhibits), a small geography (be the full service medical practice in Dayton, TN) or a small online community (having an email list of only 1000 people is fine if everyone of them is a True Fan).

With technology today, there are so many ways you can build your platform:

• Build a blog
• Run a great online or offline newsletter
• Get on YouTube and post a ton of useful videos
• Network like crazy and get to know everyone
• Speak everywhere you can in your particular industry or geographical area
• Write a book (or multiple books)
• Do PR like crazy

Of course all these things take time, and you have to do them well, but they are worth it. Once you have a solid platform of people who love your stuff, no matter how “niche” or weird it might be, life gets much easier and doors open up to you. You just have to be willing to put in the work up front.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I have an audience waiting for me to scream into a microphone while gyrating like John Hurt before an alien bursts from his chest…

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Are you planning an event and looking for a great speaker to add humor and energy? Then visit Avish’s Motivational Humorist page now!
 

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By Avish Parashar. As the world's only Motivational Improviser, Avish uses techniques from the world of improv comedy to engage, entertain, and educate audiences on ideas around change, creativity, and motivation. Connect with Avish on Google+

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