This is the fourth post in a series I call ‘Maker Journey’ that follow my trajectory, as a complete unknown, untested and unverified ‘Maker’ through our (my company, Gnito’s) impending product release, and my return to the West Coast to reclaim my bike, surfboard and car (and some other stuff). My #MakerJourney will be Periscoped.
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Maker Journey
Something in your life is missing, and you need to go find it. If you are a Maker, this probably means that you will need to make your product.
If you haven’t refused the call, your journey will begin with your crossing a threshold. It is a dangerous journey, since you will need to move beyond the sphere of your knowledge, comfort-zone and universe. It is the same story in every movie and myth, and it holds true for every Maker (as we shall see below).
Our choice to begin our journey will often be catalyzed by an individual. Destiny personified will reveal itself as a “threshold guardian.” You will need to choose between the blue pill, and the red one. According to Campbell, in The Hero with a Thousand Faces (at p. 53):
In the last analysis, every life is the realization of a whole, that is, of a self, for which reason this realization can be called ‘individuation.’ All life is bound to individual carriers who realize it, and it is simply inconceivable without them. But every carrier is charged with an individual destiny and destination, and the realization of this alone makes sense of life. — Jung
The First threshold
The first threshold is what sets us off on our journey into the real world, the first crisis in our metamorphosis. The first threshold always exists deep within our own identity. Doors will open where no doors have existed before. And beyond the threshold (as it appears to us at the time), there is nothing but the void, the unknown, an expanse of darkness with foreboding dangers, no beaten path, and yet simultaneously, incredible beauty, bounty, and the jewel that we seek.
In every story, our heroes always have their threshold moments, and ultimately choose to embark on their journey, during which we (the audience) are fortunate enought to witness their trajectory of obtacles, trials and ultimately achievement of their dreams. Similarly, the Maker Journey always delivers a critical threshold moment for every Maker.
Something pretty spectacular can happen when Hollywood meets Maker, as we saw when @AdrienGrenier and @MrKevinConnelly peered into @Kayvz’s Periscope last week. It was quite amazing. We could all observe as Vince and E. became transfixed with their audience, in the same way that the audience is normally transfixed with them. The lines separating subject and object began to disappear.
The regions of the unknown (desert, jungle, deep sea, alien land etc.) are free fields for the projection of unconscious content…not only as ogres but also as sirens of mysteriously seductive, nostalgic beauty.
Joseph Campbell, The Hero with a Thousand Faces at p. 65
Identity as Threshold
Our Journey is always inextricably linked to our own identity, as we have crafted it. And the ultimate irony is that (as we will see), only by releasing ourselves from the confines of our identity can we achieve our true destiny.
That is why identity is so damn important. People always ask me why I place so much emphasis on Identity, and the reason is precisely this: Identity simultaneously sets us on our journey, and yet separates us from our true nature. In our quest, we must be prepared to give up everything: our career, our family, our ambitions. Everything.
To become — in Jung’s terms — individuated, to live as a released individual, one has to know how and when to put on and to put off the masks of one’s various life’s roles…The aim of individuation requires that one should find and then learn to live out of one’s own centre, in control of one’s for and against. And this cannot be achieved by enacting and responding to any general masquerade of fixed roles.
“What we are seeking is an experience of being alive, so that our life experiences on the purely physical plane will have resonances with our own innermost being and reality, so that we actually feel the rapture of being alive”
The Power of Myth, by Joseph Campbell, at p. 1.
Persona as Vehicle
We each define ourselves in many ways, in a dynamic and undulating dance of is’ and nots, 1's and 0's. And, importantly, according to the obligations we undertake, the promises we make, and our closest family and friends.
That’s why we have created the Gnito iPhone App — an app that helps you project your best self, and connect with people in our mobile universe. Just as Jung suggests, with Gnito, you can oscillate between Personas, tourning on and off different elements of your profile at different times.
You probably have a Facebook profile, and Twitter or Instagram stream, a Linkedin page and countless other online profiles. You may already also have a Periscope account, and/or a Meerkat profile. With Gnito, we help you take control over how you project in a mobile world. Create multiple personas attaching any social profile, and create introductions for youself to anyone. We want to smooth the process of making new friends, seamlessly, using your existing digital identity data.
Want to try it out? Please be in touch! We are seeking 25 select Makers, Hunters and Investors to try a beta-version of the Gnito iPhone App, via Crashlytics. Curated tools and data from Product Hunt, AngelList, Twitter, Meerkat and other sources. People already love it! And we want you to love it too — That’s why we want your feedback.
Want to follow my #MakerJourney on Periscope? Please find me here.
Shout out to @periscopetv: Got API? We’d love to integrate Periscope into Gnito for our launch later this summer! (we are already using the Meerkat API☺). Please be in touch!
“When you cross the first threshold, you are passing into the dark forest, taking a plunge into the sea, embarking on a night sea journey. It involves passing through clashing rocks, narrow gates, or the like, which represent a yes or no, the pairs of opposites. There will be a moment when the walls of the world seem to open for a second, and you get an insight through. Jump then! Go! The gates will often close so fast that they take off the tail of your horse. You may be dismembered, lose everything you have.”
Reflections on the Art of Living, A Joseph Campbell Companion at p.78
Please visit us tomorrow for the next in 14 part this Maker Journey series: Path of Trials. (It will be fucking awesome!)
Please comment where you feel appropriate, and please feel free to retweet, or even ClicktoTweet.
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Fair Use Caveat: Please understand that I may need to use some screenshots of classic Heroes from some awesome movies in these blogposts — In order to do so, I am invoking my privilege of Fair Use, found in the United States Copyright Act, Section 107(3). Any copyrighted material is being used in a reasonable manner, and in particular: the use of the material is in commentary (on the omni-hero myth and its relationship to ‘Makers’), the use is not commercial in nature, the amount of material is trivial (in relation to the work as a whole), and the effect of the use on the value of the work is minimal (and probably positive ☺). If you are the owner of the copyrighted material, and you would like to discuss further, please feel free to contact me here.
